Like a lot of LG devices, the V60 ThinQ feels like a different take on a Samsung Galaxy phone—packed with enough to make it a great phone, but lacking any polish to stand out. After using it for more than a month, I’ve determined it’s best for one specific audience: audiophiles. The V60 is one of the only flagship phones with a headphone jack, and the sound it puts out is excellent, thanks to its high-quality digital-to-analog converter (DAC).
The rest of the phone’s features sit a rung below what you’ll find from competitors like the Samsung Galaxy S20, Google Pixel 4, or OnePlus 8 Pro—despite a similarly high price tag.
LG is not selling this phone unlocked, so you can only buy it from a wireless carrier (locked to that network) at the moment. AT&T is selling it bundled with LG’s dual-screen case for $900, T-Mobile has it for $800 ($900 with the dual-screen case, which we’ll get to later), and Verizon has it bundled for $950.
Top o’ the Line
The pearlescent V60 fares well in the places that matter most: performance, screen, and battery life. Inside is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865, the same new 2020 chipset powering the likes of the Galaxy S20. It’s difficult to challenge its performance. It handles well even two hours into a hectic Call of Duty session.
Its endurance feels limitless. The V60 is equipped with a large 5,000-mAh battery, and it steadfastly stood by my side for two days before it needed time to rest. It’s hard to say how it handles itself on a normal “workday,” since there’s nothing normal about being stuck at home in quarantine, but it will easily last a full day, even if you spend all six work hours watching videos on TikTok.
The OLED screen you’ll TikTok on is also gorgeous. It’s sharp, and goes toe-to-toe with Samsung’s displays in terms of color and how deeply black its blacks are. It also gets incredibly bright, like a shield reflecting the sun’s light. It lights up my favorite reading apps with ease as I walk my dog on bright, sunny days (while I’m wearing my cloth face mask! of course). The in-display fingerprint sensor also works well.
The rest of the bits that make up the V60 are what make it versatile, appealing to folks that shun the Pixels and iPhones of the world: 128 GB of storage, a MicroSD card slot if you want more storage, and a headphone jack. Plus, the usual flagship offerings like wireless charging support and an IP68 water-resistance rating.
Improved Cameras
The positives continue with the cameras. LG has always had solid imaging, but the question usually is how good. The photos coming out of the V60 are noticeably better than any LG phone I’ve ever tried before—largely thanks to a bigger image sensor that can take in more lig