LG V60ThinQ5G takes aim at Samsung Galaxy S20 with dual screen, low price

LG V60ThinQ5G takes aim at Samsung Galaxy S20 with dual screen, low price

Dazzled by Samsung's Galaxy S20 Ultra and its 6.9-inch display, large battery capacity, and 5G connectivity, LG has announced its own answer to Samsung's superphone, the LG V60 ThinQ 5G. And LG's phone will be much less expensive than the pricey S20 lineup.

The V60's OLED screen is 6.8 inches and has the same aspect ratio as the S20 Ultra's, so it's only slightly smaller. However, the battery is 5,000 mAh, comparable to the $1,399 Galaxy; the 5G radio and the V60's Snapdragon 865 processor will need a long battery life to keep it running for more than a day.

Here's everything we know about the LG V60 ThinQ 5G, including pricing and availability, now that carriers have announced their charges for the new phone.

LG announced the V60 ThinQ 5G in late February, but did not announce pricing and availability. That responsibility lies with the wireless carriers offering the LG V60 ThinQ 5G, and they have now let us know how much this device will cost. [The price and release date for the LG V60 depends on which carrier you buy it from; AT&T and T-Mobile will be the first to offer the LG V60, with orders opening on March 20. Verizon will begin accepting orders for the LG V60 on March 26.

T-Mobile will offer the lowest price for the LG V60, $799, or $33.34 per month for 24 months on an installment plan. Note that the $799 price is only for the single-screen version of LG's phone. If you need the dual-screen option, add another $100 for $899 (or $37.50 per month on an installment plan).

AT&T sells the LG V60 ThinQ 5G with Dual Screen for $900. We do not know the price of the installment plan at this time; both AT&T and T-Mobile are offering BOGO deals where you can get a second V60 for free when you purchase your first phone on an installment plan.

Verizon charges $949 for the LG V60, which includes a dual screen. That's $39.58 per month for a 24-month payment plan.

Why the staggered release date? Because the Verizon version of the LG V60 runs on millimeter wave-based 5G networks, which offer faster speeds; the V60 sold on AT&T and T-Mobile runs on those carriers' low-band 5G networks, which offer better coverage but slower speeds.

LG has not forgotten about the V60's camera. Gone is the standard 12-megapixel, ƒ/1.5 lens of last year's LG V50 ThinQ 5G, and the V60 gains an all-new 64MP primary sensor and 13MP ultra-wide shooter, alongside one of LG's time-of-flight Z cameras, for better portraits and bokeh effects It is designed to accurately measure depth. It can also shoot 8K video, another feature shared with the Galaxy S20 series.

Speaking of bokeh, the V60 has one new feature that uses the term that no phone manufacturer has tried before: a mode called "Voice Bokeh" that allows the V60 to prioritize individual voices in crowded environments and fade out the rest. The idea is that the V60 will prioritize individual voices in a crowded environment and fade out the rest. This sounds like a useful feature for those who produce a lot of video, although, like LG's previous phone camera feature, it may venture into gimmick territory if it makes no appreciable difference.

From a design standpoint, the V60 hardly rewrites the book on LG phones. In fact, the only thing it has in common with the LG G8X ThinQ Dual Screen released last year is the teardrop notch and the availability of a new version of the second screen add-on, which uses the same 360-degree Freestop hinge as the previous model.

Of particular note is LG's preservation of the headphone jack on the V60, which will bring joy to those not yet ready to move on to the best wireless headphones or the best wireless earbuds. Now that Samsung is infamous for eliminating the 3.5 mm jack on its latest flagship, LG is the last survivor of the major handset makers that still believe in reliable old wired headphones.

LG has a 5,000 mAh battery in the V60 ThinQ 5G; the V50 with 5G had a 4,000 mAh battery that lasted only 8 hours 27 minutes in Tom's Guide's custom battery test last year. Samsung's Galaxy S20 Ultra recently logged 12 hours and 3 minutes in 60 Hz display mode. (Samsung's screen can support up to 120Hz, but lab results proved that the Galaxy S20 Ultra's battery life is shorter by that amount.)

Unlike the Galaxy S20 line, the LG V60 has a 60 Hz screen. Therefore, the visuals and animations are a bit less impressive than Samsung's devices, but should be better for battery performance.

With the price of the LG V60 now known, it may be an attractive alternative to Samsung's Galaxy S20 lineup, especially for those looking for a 5G phone. The cheapest model Samsung offers, the $999 Samsung Galaxy S20, is still more expensive than the V60. The LG phone also offers a dual screen attachment.

Given all the hardware this phone has, from the large display and battery to the Qualcomm X55 5G modem, the fact that LG can ship the V60 for under $1,000 and add an entire screen makes this device a contender for our It may mean that it has what it takes to rank on our list of best smartphones. For its value, the V50 ThinQ 5G debuted last year for $1,150, so we're looking at a substantial discount for the next generation.

We'll soon get our hands on the LG V60 ThinQ 5G and see how it measures up against the best Android phones available.

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