LG Electronics V20 64GB GSM Phone Titan Grey Factory Unlocked

L O O K S . . .The display is large, bright, and sharp. The 5.7" 500nit 513ppi display is easily visible in direct sunlight. From the settings, you can choose the font. I chose a bold font. The font is not as heavy as a bold computer font, and looks great on the phone. Colors look neutral.The second tiny screen sips battery at a rate of 2% per hour, and can automatically turn itself off at night. If the main screen is off, swiping selects among:o Status: Time, Date, battery, running appso Settings: Sound, Camera, Bluetooth, ScreenCap, Flashlighto Music: Skip back, Play/Pause, Skip Forwardo Incoming phone calls are automatically displayedIf the main screen is on, you swipe among:o Signature: In handwriting script (or other font).o Quick Dial: You choice of 5 numbers with picture iconso Settings: (Sound, Camera, Bluetooth, ScreenCap, Flashlight)o 5 Favorite appso Media ControlThis is a great use of 2.1 inches of screen (160x1040), and it does not subtract from the 5.7" primary display.You can choose up to 5 Android icons to always appear at the bottom of the screen, and specify their order. I choose Back, Home, Apps, ScreenCap, and Q-Slide (LG mini apps). You can also hide all these keys on an app-by-app basis, temporarily returning them to the screen by swiping up.S I Z E . . .6.3" X 3.1" X 0.3", 6.1oz. This fits in your shirt pocket, but probably nowhere else. Not recommended for your back pocket.S O U N D . . .At a time when other manufacturers are eliminating the headphone jack, LG has doubled down on headphones. Literally. Their HiFi Quad DAC (Digital Audio Converters) offer audio quality comparable to high-end audio equipment. Don't believe it? LG allows you to return to ordinary phone quality at the touch of a button. Most people can easily hear the improvement.The single internal speaker fires downward. It has great volume and a pleasing timbre tuned by Bang & Olufsen. Of course, it would be better to have stereo speakers, but I like the bottom placement. You can put the phone upside down in your phone holster and hear the audio clearly from your hip. Great for audio podcasts.There is great support for audio recording:o 24-bit stereoo 3 hifi microphoneso Very low noise and high dynamic range (130db)o 2 parallel DACs per channel. For more info, search for the ES9218 DAC from ESS.I love my live recordings.H A R D W A R E . . .This phone has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, 4GB of fast DDR4 RAM, 64GB of local storage, and is expandable with microSD up to 256GB. This hardware makes on-screen operations very fast. You can plug this phone into your computer and it acts like fast external storage. So, you can quickly download your photos to your computer and upload your mp3s to the phone.Accepts Nano-SIM and MicroSD. Has an IR Blaster so you can use your phone as a remote control. Has Gorilla Glass 4 over the screen. Has a one-touch fingerprint sensor on top of the power button. It is not water resistant.Charge:Supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0. Charge from 0% to 50% in about 30 minutes. From 0% to 90% in about an hour. A reversible USB-C connector supplies power.Battery:Did I mention that the 3200 mAh battery is user replaceable? That allows you to carry a spare when you travel. When the battery loses capacity after a year or two, just replace the battery yourself. If the phone ever gets into the water, remove the battery and let it safely dry out. If the phone is frozen, remove the battery. If you don't want to be tracked, remove the battery. LG is the last major manufacturer to offer removable batteries. If you want a spare, search for LG BL-44E1F. The OEM version is $40, 3rd party batteries are much cheaper.Camera:A sweet dual back lens configuration allows you to switch between the normal 16MP 29mm (75 degree) f1.8 back lens, the 12mm (135 degree) 8MP f2.4 wide angle back lens, or the 5MP 120 degree f1.9 front lens. Or, you can combine 2 or 3 of the lenses for great effects. You can zoom smoothly between the 2 back lenses with very effective software interpolation. Laser focus, phase detection focus, contrast auto focus, and electronic image stabilization keep the images sharp. The primary lens sports a 1/2.8" image sensor, slightly larger than the 1/3" iPhone 7 image sensor. Although the camera is by far the best I have seen in a phone, and may even be superior to many "point and shoot" cameras, don't imagine that the 18.5 sq mm sensor area can match a 329 sq mm APS-C DSLR sensor. For convenience, volume keys double as a shutter release. Also, camera controls (Auto, Manual Camera, Manual Video) appear in the secondary screen.S O F T W A R E . . .Android 7 Nougat:This is the first phone released with Android 7.0, Nougat. That provides an improved launcher, with features mostly borrowed from those hundreds of after-market launchers. However, it does also provide a split-screen capability to show 2 apps at the same time. Just hold down the square apps button at the bottom of the screen, and the current app shrinks to 50%, and you can choose the 2nd app to show from the list of recent apps. The 5.7" primary screen is so big that this feature works pretty well. The most impressive feature is the power savings. When the screen has been off for a while, the phone "dozes". In this state, network and app activity are limited. With regular (not intensive) use, I'm going to bed with 86% power remaining. Very cool! Battery life diminish as you load more apps. Keep it lean.LG Customization:LG's Desktop locks the phone with "Tap, Tap", and their lock-screen wakes with "Tap, Tap". LG's smart settings allows you to control the phone (GPS, Wireless Bluetooth, apps) by location and do health tracking (steps, stairs) and summarize all the health and smart settings as a page on the home screen. LG adds 7 mini-apps that can float above the main apps in semi-transparent windows: Phone, Video, Contacts, Messaging, Calendar, EMail, and File Manager. These apps have full size counterparts, and you can toggle them between full-sized and mini.Camera:Camera effects are available, including Panorama, HDR, Timer, Cheese Shutter, Tracking Focus, Optical Image Stabilization, Slo-Mo, Tracking Focus, RAW format and 4K video. I particularly liked the manual focus with green fringing on the items in the focus area (focus peaking). ISO can be manually adjusted between 50-1600 ISO.Bloatware:All the AT&T Bloatware that was locked-down on my previous LG phone is still available, I just have to download it or allow it to be restored from my previous phone. I can delete it without root if I don't like it. Google and LG apps remain locked.B A D . . .Size:If you're used to a smaller phone, you may not like how tall this phone is. Also, it's just wide enough not to fit in holsters made for 5.5" phones.Glass:On the rear of the phone, over the 2 lenses and 2 flashes, there is a protective glass cover. See photo. A very few users have seen their camera cover glass shatter for no good reason. I checked with LG on the matter, and they're not sure what's going on, but promise to cover the phone. LG performs 60,000 validation tests on this phone, so no one is more surprised than LG when one fails. I suspect that the glass is in good shape when it leaves the factory, but is weakened by the high heat from sustained use of the adjacent dual flashes. So, let me humbly suggest 3 things:1) Do not leave the flash on. LG provides a flashlight mini-app, so it's very easy to turn it on and leave it on for an extended time. Don't.2) Keep your phone in a case to provide extra protection.This has proven to be an isolated issue and LG is great about standing behind their products. 14 months and many drops later, my V20's glass is still perfect.T I P S . . .Restore the App Drawer:The default home screen does not have an app drawer. Enable the app drawer by clicking:__Settings->Home screen->Select Home->Home & app drawer.Of course, you can switch to any of the hundreds of other launchers in the Google Play Store, but you lose the "tap, tap" sleep command. You'd still retain the "tap, tap" wake command.Don't add dozens of apps. I did and battery life went from 2 days to 8 hours.'Enable Individual Ringtones:By default, you can only set one ringtone for your favorite contacts, but not by individual. Enable individual ringtones:__Settings->Sound->Turn off "Ringtone ID".Jump to Previous App:Double tap the square "Recently Used" button (next to the home button).Camera:o From the lock screen, you can immediately go to camera mode.__Settings->Shortcut Keys->Ono Swipe across the camera view to switch between front and back lenses.o Pinch camera view to get a zoom slidero Consider HDR for all your pix. It improves dark areas, but shooting is slower.o Always shoot pictures with a voice command. The camera is more steady and it is less awkward than reaching.Pin Favorite Apps:As you scroll through the recent apps (square button), touch the pin icon and that app will always appear.Choose Android Buttons:__Settings->Display->Home touch buttons->Button combinationWifi by Location:__Settings->General->Location->Mode->High Accuracy__Settings->General->Location->My place->[Home]Save__Settings->Smart Settings->At Home->WiFi On__Settings->Smart Settings->Away From Home->WiFi OffSpare Battery:V20 Battery, EPOBOO 3200 mAh V20 Li-Ion Spare Battery for LG V20 BL-44E1F H918 H910 VS995 LS997 H990 [24 Month Warranty]200GB Micro SD:SanDisk Ultra 200GB Micro SD (SDSDQUAN-200G-G4A)USB C Hub with phone charging:USB C Hub, OSCOO 5-in-1 USB C Adapter 3.1 with Type C Charging Port, Card Reader, 2 USB 3.0 Ports for MacBook Pro 2015/2016, Google Chromebook 2016 and more USB C Devices(Gold)4K HDMI & USB Adapter (no phone charging):USB 3.1 Type-C USB-C To HDMI/USB 3.0/USB C/F Adapter Multiport,MOKiN HDMI Max 4K UHD With Power Delivery For New Macbook, Chromebook Pixel, Dell XPS 13, Or Other USB C Port Devices- BlackUSB 3.1 Adapters:Type C Adapter, VANDESAIL® Male USB-C 3.1 to Micro USB 3.0 Female Adapter Converter for New Macbook/ Nokia N1 (2-Pack,Golden)Slim Case with Kickstand:Get a nice slim case with kickstand like the Evocel LG V20 Case, Evocel [Explorer Series Pro] Premium Dual Layer Protector [Metal Kickstand][Credit Card Slot] For LG V20 , Gold Medal (EVO-LGV20-CK15) .Holster (holds an extra battery and credit cards):If you like the phone on your belt, get the Nite Ize Hardshell Holster XXL Nite Ize Carrying Case for Universal - Retail Packaging - Black. Cases with rubber corners are good for shock protection, but make it harder to remove the phone from your holster.10000mAh Battery + Oversized Case:For the ultimate in battery life, check out Hyperion LG V20 Extended Battery & Back Cover BL-44E1F (Compatible with All International and US Carrier LG V20 Models 2016) [2 Year No Hassle Warranty] (Black / Titan)

This phone is absolutely amazing. I came from the LG V10, and I always loved that phone. I was waiting forever to upgrade to this phone. Finally received it on Nov 11th!This phone is very sleek and beautiful. I rarely care about that, but it really is a nice looking phone.Having a removable battery is in my top 3 needed things. It is the only thing that I sometimes budge on when buying a phone, but I hate to, it is so handy to be able to just swap batteries and in less than 30 seconds have another whole full charge. The new Battery Cover release button is awesome and I love the new metal battery cover. I purchased a LG Genuine extra battery and charger kit on eBay, shipped from Korea. Well worth it. I also love the USB Type C plug, fiddling in the dark is no longer a problem! The Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 is very fast and convenient as well. My Anker PowerCore+ 10000mah Portable Battery Charger with Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 comes in handy when I'm not wanting to completely drain my battery. So between that and my second battery. I am set for a long time of use.This phone is snappy, not only does Android 7.0 Nougat make it better, but I am very happy with it's performance. My only wish was that it would have had 5GB or 6GB of memory instead of 4GB like the V10 had. It's always nice to have a slight upgrade.The second screen is by far in the top 3 coolest features of the phone. Always having the time and date available while the main screen is off is sweet. I also use the flashlight using the second screen while the main screen off a lot. You can control your music that way too. Saves battery and time. While the screen is on I have some contact shortcuts on it, and I love being able to answer and hang up a call from it while I'm in other apps. The main screen is also very high quality, loving the 5.7" Quad HD IPS.I love the new fingerprint sensor and being able to unlock the phone with my fingerprint without having to press the power button. The V10, I could unlock with fingerprint, but had to press the power button first. I use fingerprint to unlock and get into secure apps very very frequently. Love this feature.One thing I'm not sold on yet is the movement of the volume up and down buttons. I really did like having them on the back of the phone. Made one handed use even easier. I've been having some issues/getting used to the new location. Not even close to being a disappointment though.Having an unlocked non-carrier version is the best thing ever. No carrier bloatware, and no carrier bootup screen. It's wonderful, and I love that I can use it on almost any carrier in the US.I'm excited to use the camera more, the V10 camera was outstanding, and I can only imagine how much better this one will be. Being able to save photos to the MicroSD is awesome too. If the phone ever crashes I have all my photos on the MicroSD and can remove it. I also upload my photos to Dropbox, and using Google Photos with their unlimited free photo storage.LG Backup is an amazing app, it really is. Between that app and what Google backs up, settings etc. Transferring phones was a breeze. I went from my V10 to my V20, in less than an hour and a half . Minus a few apps that had to be relogged in, or permissions having to be regiven. I highly recommend LG Backup to anyone.Capture+ is very useful to me, to be able to quickly clip any part of my screen to share, instead of having to do a full screenshot. Nice feature of the QuickMemo+ app, otherwise, for notes I usually use notePad by niceSprite.LG allows so many OS customization's that most manufacturers don't. I love the option to change the order and color of the soft touch buttons. I also noticed the addition of Phone Themes! This is awesome, I changed mine from the normal white to the Black High Contrast, and really like it. I also like that I can change and organize my status bar shortcuts. See photos. As you can notice, I use Nova Launcher, so I can't comment on the new LG launcher without an app drawer. But I think I did notice that LG has an option to download their old Home Screen and Launcher App.I love having the Hi-Fi Quad DAC output through my treasured Headphone port (Sorry iPhone 7 users). I use Bluetooth in my car, I have a bluetooth beanie, a JBL Charge, and a JBL Micro Wireless, but I still use the headphone port while mowing the yard and whenever else I need to. I've also used the headphone port to plug in an external microphone using an adapter. So no Apple, it's not outdated and I still want it. I'm also excited to try the HD Audio Recorder that allows recording over a separate track.Finally getting to Android Nougat, the best new feature in my opinion is direct reply notifications. This allows you to respond to emails, sms, instant messages, etc right from the notification tray. Very handy.I probably missed something, I will add more if I think of it. But I would recommend this phone to anyone looking to upgrade to a new phone. It's one killer device.