LG V20 Officially Unveiled; Galaxy Note 7 Rival Features Dual Rear Cameras, HiFi Audio And Android Nougat

LG has officially announced the V20, the successor to 2015’s V10, and it is the first smartphone that will ship with Android 7.0 Nougat straight out of the box.

The LG V20 comes with a 5.7-inch quad-HD IPS LCD display. Like the V10, the V20 also comes with a small horizontal display above the primary 5.7-inch screen. The smaller screen is where notifications, shortcuts and other features will be displayed on the phone. The unique design makes sure that users will be able to use all of the screen real estate.

Although the LG V20 retained the unique features form the V10, the handset looks more like this year’s LG G5, as pointed out by The Verge. The back of the V20 comes with an aluminum backplate instead of the rubber back that’s found on the V10. Likewise, the steel sides from the V10 are also absent on the new handset.

Under the hood, the LG V20 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage. There’s also microSD card support allowing users to expand storage up to 2TB. The device also has a 3,200 mAh battery that comes with Quick Charge 3.0 support. The battery is also removable, so users can simply swap it out when it dies in the middle of the day.

The cameras on the handset are probably one of the main reasons why users would be inclined to pick the LG V20. On the back it comes with two cameras: one with a standard lens and a 16-megapixel sensor and the other with a wide angle lens and an 8-megapixel sensor. Users will be able to switch between the two cameras when taking photos or recording videos.

Up front, the device has a single 5-megapixel camera which also comes with standard and wide angle modes. This is a way to replicate the two-camera setup on the back while only having a single camera up front.

LG is also touting the V20’s audio capabilities, stating that it comes with 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC. “Powered by ESS SABRE ES9218, the Quad DAC in the V20 delivers clearer sound by minimizing distortion and ambient noise by up to 50 percent,” LG said in a press release.

The Quad DAC technology is also accompanied by a built-in HD Audio Recorder. LG says that the V20 comes with three high AOP microphones letting users record studio quality audio with a wider dynamic frequency.

As of now, the LG V20 looks like a formidable flagship smartphone boasting features that are quite unique and hardware that’s impressive on paper. However, everyone will still have to wait for a final verdict when the handset is finally released. Nevertheless, it's already undeniable that the V20 is a noteworthy competitor to Samsung's Galaxy Note 7.

The LG V20 will be rolled out globally just before the end of September, according to VentureBeat. It will be available to United States carriers like Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and U.S. Cellular, as well as retailers like B&H and Best Buy. LG has yet to announce pricing for the device.