LG today announced the V20, the first phone that will run Android 7.0 Nougat coming out of the box. The device is the successor to the V10, which made headlines for its secondary always-on display.
One of the big new features in the V20 is what LG is calling 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC. Combined with support for lossless formats such as FLAC, DSD, AIFF and ALAC, the firm promises best-in-class audio quality with any pair of headphones.
The firm is also promising HD audio recording, letting "users capture studio quality audio with a wider dynamic frequency range using three high AOP microphones to record incredible sound that surpass audio recordings on conventional smartphones." There is also a Studio Mode, which gives the user manual controls.
And then there"s the camera. Last year"s V10 had two front cameras - one with a wider angle lens for group selfies. LG is ditching that idea, keeping only the wide-angle front camera; instead, it"s adding that technology to the rear camera. Aside from the standard 16MP sensor, there"s an additional 8MP sensor with a 135-degree lens.
The device will use a hybrid focus system. LG has traditionally bet on laser focus as its fast-focusing technology, but the V20 will determine if it"s better to use laser or phase detect autofocus (PDAF), and will refine it with contrast focus.
Here are the full specs of the LG V20:
Chipset: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 820 Processor
Display: Main 5.7-inch QHD IPS Quantum Display (2560 x 1440 / 513ppi) /
Secondary IPS Quantum Display (160 x 1040 / 513ppi)Memory: 4GB LPDDR4 RAM / 64GB UFS ROM / microSD (up to 2TB)
Camera: Front 5MP with F1.9 Aperture (Wide Angle) / Rear 16MP with F1.8 Aperture OIS (Standard Angle) and 8MP with F2.4 Aperture (Wide Angle)
Battery: 3200mAh (removable)
Operating System: Android 7.0 Nougat
Size: 159.7 x 78.1 x 7.6mm
Network: LTE-A 3 Band CA
Connectivity: X12 LTE (up to 600 Mbps LTE Category 12 with 3x Carrier Aggregation) / Wi-Fi (802.11 a, b, g, n, ac) / USB Type-C / Bluetooth 4.2 BLE / NFC
Colors: Titan / Silver / Pink
Others: Hi-Fi Video Recording / Steady Record 2.0 / HD Audio Recorder / Studio Mode / High AOP Mic / Second Screen / 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC / In Apps / B&O Collaboration / Finger Print Scanner / Qualcomm® Quick Charge™ 3.0
As you can see from the specs above, it still sports a 5.7-inch 1440p IPS LCD, along with a secondary display, just like its predecessor. Also, like the V10, it includes 64GB of onboard storage and 4GB RAM. The battery has been bumped up to 3200mAh from 3000mAh.
Perhaps the most significant improvement in the specs is the Snapdragon 820 chipset. The V10 used a Snapdragon 808, which could end up feeling underpowered in certain gaming scenarios.
LG says that the V20 will launch in Korea first later this month, with other markets to follow. Pricing is still unknown, as it will be up to the carriers.