The LG V60 and VELVET Review: A Classic & A Design Restart
by Andrei Frumusanu on July 15, 2020 9:00 AM ESTCamera Recap
A few weeks ago, we’ve published an extensive article comparing this first half year’s main flagship devices cameras, including the LG V60. I would recommend reading that piece for a more extensive conclusion on the camera system of the V60.
Read Our Extensive Camera Evaluation For More Samples:
Mobile Flagship Phone Camera Overview 2020 H1: Still Picture Battle
[ V60 ]
[ OnePlus 8 ] - [ OnePlus 8 Pro ]
[ iPhone 11 Pro ] - [ iPhone SE ] - [ Pixel 4 ]
[ Galaxy S20U(S) ] - [ Galaxy S20+(E) ]
[ Mi 10 Pro ]
[ Mate 30 Pro ] - [ P40 Pro ]
[ Reno3 Pro 5G ] - [ Reno3 Pro ]
[ X-T30 ]
In general LG has been able to showcase excellent results with the V60 in daylight photography, many times achieving amongst the best results in terms of detail thanks to the 64MP sensor that produces 16MP images.
LG’s HDR is pleasant and the phone has generally good colour reproduction.
[ V60 ]
[ OnePlus 8 ]
[ OnePlus 8 Pro ]
[ iPhone 11 Pro ] - [ iPhone SE ] - [ P4 ]
[ Galaxy S20U(S) ]
[ Galaxy S20+(E) ]
[ Mi 10 Pro ]
[ Mate 30 Pro ]
[ P40 Pro ]
[ Reno3 Pro 5G ]
[ Reno3 Pro ]
[ X-T30 ]
In terms of zooming, the lack of a telephoto module is compensated by the fact that the main camera is able to losslessly crop its 64MP images, although beyond 2-3x the results are not competitive with other phones with dedicated units.
The ultra-wide-angle module of the V60 is also good and amongst the top performers on the market.
[ V60 ]
[ OnePlus 8 ]
[ OnePlus 8 Pro ]
[ iPhone 11 Pro ] - [ iPhone SE ] - [ Pixel 4 ]
[ Galaxy S20U(S) ]
[ Galaxy S20+(E) ]
[ Mi 10 Pro ]
[ Mate 30 Pro ]
[ P40 Pro ]
[ Reno3 Pro 5G ]
[ Reno3 Pro ] - [ X-T30 ]
Low-light photography on the LG V60 is something solely depends on the amount of light available. In medium to lowish light the phone is able to perform fairly well, but the lack of a proper computational photography and night mode means that in darker scenarios the phone falls apart. It’s by far the biggest weak-point of the device when it comes to its camera system.
Read Our Extensive Camera Evaluation For More Samples:
Mobile Flagship Phone Camera Overview 2020 H1: Still Picture Battle
LG V60 vs LG Velvet
I haven’t had time to include the LG Velvet into a full camera comparison against the wider competition, however I did make some comparison shots against the V60 to be able to put the phone into context:
Overall, the Velvet’s camera results in terms of processing and composition is extremely similar to that of the V60, which is excellent news. Where the two phones differ is in terms of detail retention, and obviously the smaller and 48MP sensor of the Velvet here isn’t able to quite match the results of the V60.
There’s a slight dynamic range disadvantage for the Velvet, but nothing that you’d immediately pick up if you were to look at the images standalone. One more notable difference is that the colours on the Velvet are ever so slightly warmer, but again only noticeable in a few select scenarios when comparing the two phones against each other.
In general, the Velvet seems to have an excellent camera for a phone in this range, and I would say it easily beats some alternatives such as the mid-range OPPO phones, and has better processing than the OnePlus 8, with its biggest weakness again being low-light photography where the lack of a computational photography night mode is a big handicap.
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s.yu - Wednesday, July 15, 2020 - link
It's supposed to work, out of the box. Are standard so low these days that people expect phones to automatically break once their software is no longer supported? I just pray that updates don't break my phone.Also flagships should generally be expected to be supported for longer, my backup S6E still got a security update this year(not that I asked for it, but as updates go it kept nagging me to accept), and that was a 2015 device.
TheinsanegamerN - Thursday, July 16, 2020 - link
My moto z play hasnt recieved any updates in 2 years, still works perfectly. Hell my note 4 still technically works (without carrier support) and that thing is ancient.eastcoast_pete - Wednesday, July 15, 2020 - link
I am probably not representative of many here, but I find the "non-contemporary" design of the V60 a big plus. Just having a 3.5 mm connector has become rare amongst the so-called flagship phones. The main issue that make me hesitate to buy another LG is the lack of commitment by the company to keep the OS up-to-date until at least 2023. I've been burned by LG before on that. So, LG, put that commitment in writing, and we might have a deal.TheinsanegamerN - Thursday, July 16, 2020 - link
Android phones dont just stop working when OS updates stop, and even Google wouldnt supply updates that long.My note 4 still loads any modern android app, and its running android 5.0. The apps are still updated and get security updates, the underlying framework doesnt relly matter anymore, anything that does has been tied into the play store by now.
Quantumz0d - Thursday, July 16, 2020 - link
Exactly. The OS app support compat is light years ahead of iOS instead of bending over for the new OS update you can control the phone. And the OS itself is downgrading, people should read on Scoped Storage - It removes your access to your own files, apps need to hit share to make it visible to other apps just like iOS, and folders access doesn't exist, File Management is also hit with this, Developers are hit with this by making POSIX I/O libs optimized for generations are thrown out of window for that SAF abomination with performance hit and a total shitshow on copying Apple. The sad part is no Security updates, that could have been done at CTS level or even Playstore modules but no one cares about that which is what many people would be happier to see.The HW is excellent man for this device but no battery replacement unfortunately, Note 4 is the last of that tech, Uv sensor, removable battery, solid performance, it's a great device. I still have my SGS with aftermarket battery for it's DAC chip of Wolfson Audio.
As for the OP's design I agree about how the V60 maintains the old fantastic unique look than the iPhone / Chinese bump riddled ugly tile.
bhupatib - Wednesday, July 15, 2020 - link
1. ToF camera is not 14um it's 1.42. It's not USB 2.0 but USB 3.1 since they are both capable of Desktop Mode which requires 3.1 with displayport spec.
lmcd - Thursday, July 16, 2020 - link
It's 100% possible to max out at USB 2.0 bandwidth, support PD, and support DisplayPort Alt Mode.mrvco - Wednesday, July 15, 2020 - link
My LG V40 is still going strong and it has grown on me quite a bit since I got it shortly after launch at the end of 2018. I received the update to Android 10 and one security update since. I still use it as my day-to-day phone instead of an XS Max. The good news with LG phones is that as long as you are even a little bit patient there is no need to pay list price. I paid $550 for a NIB V40 a month after launch and full price at T-Mobile for the V60 (single screen) is $699.99 now. Without seeing or holding one, at 599€ (and whatever that ends up being in the US), the Velvet is a tough sell though.s.yu - Wednesday, July 15, 2020 - link
>The good news with LG phones is that as long as you are even a little bit patient there is no need to pay list price.Also true for Samsung phones. More people need to see that :)
Actually the only exceptions may be Apple and the Chinese phones, everybody else you can expect discounts through certain channels shortly after shipping.
patel21 - Wednesday, July 15, 2020 - link
Andrei, please post a similar review for A71 if possible.