Two of LG's best phones to date are currently sitting on my desk. One is the LG G6 – a phone that I've been actively using for several weeks now, pretty much since the day it was announced. The other is the LG V20 – a phone that I scored highly in my review last year, impressed by its camera performance and rich set of power-user features. Which of the two is the better phone? That's a tough question for me to answer, even though I've had plenty of hands-on time with both devices. Yet I could share my opinion as to which phone you should lean towards, depending on what kind of user you are. So let's proceed.
1. Specs
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SPECS |
LG G6 |
LG V20 |
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Launch |
2017, February |
2016, September |
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Available. Released 2017, March |
Available. Released 2016, October |
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Body |
148.9 x 71.9 x 7.9 mm (5.86 x 2.83 x 0.31 in) |
159.7 x 78.1 x 7.6 mm (6.29 x 3.07 x 0.30 in) |
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163 g (5.75 oz) |
174 g (6.14 oz) |
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Corning Gorilla Glass 5 back panel |
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Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) |
Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) |
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- IP68 certified - dust/water proof over 1.5 meter and 30 minutes- Water resistant up to 1 meter and 30 minutes |
- MIL-STD-810G certified |
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Display |
IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
5.7 inches (~72.4% screen-to-body ratio) |
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5.7 inches (~78.6% screen-to-body ratio) |
5.7 inches (~72.4% screen-to-body ratio) |
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1440 x 2880 pixels (~564 ppi pixel density) |
1440 x 2560 pixels (~513 ppi pixel density) |
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Yes |
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Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
Corning Gorilla Glass 4 |
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- Dolby Vision/HDR10 compliant- Always-on display- LG UX 6.0 UI |
- Secondary display, 160 x 1040 pixels, 2.1 inches- LG UX 5.0 |
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Platform |
Android OS, v7.0 (Nougat) |
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Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 821 |
Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 820 |
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Quad-core (2x2.35 GHz Kryo & 2x1.6 GHz Kryo) |
Quad-core (2x2.15 GHz Kryo & 2x1.6 GHz Kryo) |
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Adreno 530 |
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Memory |
microSD, up to 256 GB (dedicated slot) - single SIMmicroSD, up to 256 GB (uses SIM 2 slot) - dual SIM |
microSD, up to 256 GB (dedicated slot) |
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32/64 GB, 4 GB RAM |
32/64 GB, 4 GB RAM |
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Camera |
Dual 13 MP (f/1.8, OIS, 3-axis, phase detection AF) + 13 MP (f/2.4, no AF), dual-LED flash |
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2. Design
Some people favor the appearance of LG G6 due to the combination of glass and metal as well as the screen nearly filled the entire front. However, other prefers the V20 appearance as it is more practical with bigger screen area and the secondary display seemed "kinda nifty".
Actually, both devices have their strengths and weaknesses.For example, LG G6 seems more elegant and it is more likely to appeal to both genders. LG G6 is narrower but not slippery so that it fits better in the hand, making users navigate through the UI with less effort. But the weakness is that its power button and fingerprint scanner are placed on the back.
When it comes to the LG V20, it is a manly device as it comes with a tough look and it is as graceful as an army vehicle.The body of LG V20 is much wider than LG G6, making it more difficult to operate with a single thumb. Due to the unwieldy size, it is easy to drop from you hand. However, the greater screen area is good for playing Android games or watching videos.Another aspect I would like to highlight is the durability. LG G6 is waterproof, carrying an IP68 rating – the highest smartphones can go nowadays.Its internal structure can withstand drops and resist bending. The LG V20 is not water-resistant but it can endure more tumbling.
3. Interace and Functionality
Both LG G6 and LG V20 run Android 7.0 Nougat, with a UI (user interface) tweaked by the manufacturer. Both of them do not use the app drawer and apply a more iOS-like app organization approach. But you still can bring it back. You can rearrange the on-screen navigation buttons and add new ones, for example, the extremely useful button for bringing down the notifications shade.Both LG G6 and LG V20 support split-screen multitasking. You can modify the size and layout of the on-screen keyboard.
LG G6 has a much more refined user interface. In fact, it is a bit more visually polished, and a goal of the UI's design team has been to make the best use of that 18:9 aspect ratio. But the differences vs the V20 aren't all that striking. For example, G6 does get Google's new Assistant out of the box, but the V20 can access the feature through a software update.The G6 has a slide-down gesture that displays a search panel for data-digging within your apps, but the V20 has this functionality too in the form of an app. True, the G6 is better suited for side-by-side multitasking, but the scope of that feature is still quite limited, so I find myself using it very rarely.
4. Camera
It seems that LG G6 and LG V20 is equally capable in terms of taking photos and shooting videos because both of them come with dual main cameras of identical configuration – a high-quality main cam complemented by a secondary wide-angle camera.But you will find that they are different as you dig more into the specifications and configurations of their camera.
The LG G6 is equipped with two identical 13MP image sensors while LG V20 has a 16MP main camera and an 8MP wide-angle shooter. LG G6 sticks to PDAF only while the LG V20 has a 16MP main camera and an 8MP wide-angle shooter. The LG G6 has a handy new camera roll design, with your last 5 images appearing as thumbnails right on the screen. The new Square mode allows you to take fun collages once you figure out how to use it.
5. Multimedia and Sound Quality
LG prompted LG V20 as a smartphone made for content creater. And the company deemed this flagship to be the best smartphone for recording audio. Both phones come with LG's versatile HD Audio Recorder app, giving the user control over things like low-frequency cutoff and microphone gain. In addition, LG V20 supports high-quality output formats (FLAC, up to 24bit, 192kHz) and allows you add audio to existing recordings in Studio Mode.Through sound testing, I find that the sound out of the G6 was of acceptable quality, but the V20 picked up more detail and sounded clearer.
When it comes to audio reproduction, both LG G6 and LG V20 is equipped with a standard, 3.5-mm audio jack for headphones. However, only the LG V20 has the fancier Quad DAC, a module that converts digital signals into analog audio. Every phone has one, but the Quad DAC in the V20 guarantees superior sound.
On the topic of audio, both LG G6 and LG V20 have bottom-firing loudspeakers with similar qualities. They're both okay, one slight difference being that the one on the G6 is a bit clearer in the vocal region.
6. Battery
LG G6's 3300mAh non-removable battery can last through a day to a day and a half of regular usage, and that with having the always-on display enabled. LG V20 has a removable battery, which cannot last for two days even though it is fully charged. Therefore, when it comes to battery life, I'd say that the G6 is a little bit better than LG V20. And one more thing: both the G6 and the V20 recharge super quickly. About an hour and a half is enough to bring either from empty to 100% full.
