What does the LG V20 look like? Kind of like a BlackBerry Z30.
We already know a fair bit about the LG V20, since the Korean company enjoys, in the run-up to its phone announcements, what we in the industry consider a “trollout.” Based on LG’s official word, it will be the first phone outside of Google’s own Nexus line to run Android 7.0 Nougat. And thanks to a few choice leaks over the past few weeks, we suspect that it may have the same modular bones of the G5, which was unveiled earlier this year.
Now, thanks to prolific leaker, Evan Blass, we have a front view of the upcoming phone, which is set to be officially unveiled on September 6. While the headpiece bears a close resemblance to that of the BlackBerry Z30, the phone appears to retain its secondary display, which arrived on the V10 to a mixed response.
Our own Phil Nickinson noted in his V10 review that “the Second Screen is nicely implemented, but [he] just didn’t find it all that useful.” Not a great endorsement, and one largely shared throughout the industry.
On the software side, the render — together with what Google teased of the V20 with the Nougat launch — all but confirms that LG will ship the V20 with an overlay largely identical to its Marshmallow-based G5 skin, which eschews the traditional app drawer in favor of a horizontal pane. Of course, like that phone, the V20 will probably have an option to enable the app drawer. You know, for the purists.
Finally, get already knew that the V20 would have the world’s first 32-bit Quad DAC, but this week LG also shared that the V20 will “feature best-in-class audio functions developed in partnership with B&O PLAY.” You’ll recall that one of the “Friends” meant to ship with the G5 earlier this year was a B&O-powered plug-in DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter) that promised to give the modular phone a superior sound experience through headphones. While LG didn’t hint that a similar module would be arriving with the V20, it did note:
LG and B&O PLAY worked closely together to bring the best sound to users by optimizing the audio capabilities of the V20 smartphone. Acoustic engineers collaborated to achieve B&O PLAY’s philosophy of delivering a natural and balanced sound in a portable package. To enhance the total experience, the V20 set will include a special pair of B&O PLAY earphones and a set of wallpapers designed for the V20 which includes the official logo of B&O PLAY, as a certification of B&O PLAY premium audio.
We’ll know lots more about the V20 when it debuts on September 6. In the meantime, let us know what you think of how the V20 is shaping up!
