A multitude of camera views; headphone jack; good wired audio
Not the best camera quality; not the best battery life; yet priced to match the best
The LG V40 ThinQ is the LG G7, with more added at every turn. There are more cameras, more screen inches. And the phone costs a lot more, too, as a result.
This pushes it into direct competition with phones like the Huawei Mate 20 Pro and Samsung Galaxy Note 9. The LG V40 ThinQ is an undeniably good phone, but it struggles a little compared to the best Android phones.
The V40’s photos aren’t as clean as the best, the battery only just lasts long enough and the software is arguably the creakiest among the custom UIs. For it to make sense, you had better appreciate that it has a headphone jack and an unusually good DAC.
Great specs
The LG V40 ThinQ has all the hallmarks of a top-end phone. It’s made of metal and glass. And because glass alone apparently isn't enough to impress anymore, the rear has a soft-touch finish. This is similar to the texturing used on the trackpads of expensive laptops.
As this actually reduces friction, you might assume it’d make the V40 even more slippery. However, as the back is mostly flat it’s still nowhere near as slip-prone as the Sony Xperia XZ3. The LG V40 has up to 128GB storage, a good rear fingerprint scanner and IP68 water resistance, prepped for full submersion in water. All the typical features of an expensive phone are here.
Solid sound
However, the LG V40 is in part notable for the ways it doesn’t follow trends. Not only does it have a 3.5mm headphone jack, set to become outright rare in higher end models in 2019, there’s a real focus on “wired” audio quality.
Like the LG V30, the V40 has a Quad DAC, the components that turns digital audio files into the signal delivered to traditional headphones. There’s a switch in Settings that lets you turn the Quad DAC on and off, but, annoyingly, volume is slightly higher when it’s turned on, which has an automatic psychoacoustic effect of making it sound better.
But does it really? Listening closely with a pair of AKG Q701 studio headphones, the bass and mids do seem a little more taut with Quad DAC audio. It’s near impossible to tell whether this difference has been created by LG with software, but that it is fairly subtle suggests LG may not have done so.
The LG V40’s speaker, a single driver on the bottom, is not notable in the same way. But it’s perfectly solid.
Screen and performance
An excellent 6.4-inch notched screen with an OLED panel is just what we’ve expect at the price, even if the V40 ThinQ is only the second LG phone to use an OLED.
The Snapdragon 845 CPU, too, is predictable. This is likely to be one of the last top-tier phones to use the processor, with Snapdragon 855 phones expected in early 2019. But for now it’s the best we can ask for.
Camera
The camera array is where LG has tried to go further than rivals. There are three cameras on the LG V40’s back, two on the front. None are there for a half-hidden, behind-the-scenes purpose. The LG V40 ThinQ has additional 2x zoom and ultra-wide views for the rear camera, and an extra wide view for selfies.
As well as being able to use these views as quick-switch prime lenses, the Triple Shot mode takes all three views in quick succession. You can then turn them into GIFs or videos, with transitions in-between.
Unfortunately, the LG V40 ThinQ does not pull off the triple rear camera concept as well as the Huawei Mate 20 Pro. We’ve been thoroughly spoilt by that phone. The LG V40 ThinQ can take solid photos with all of its rear lenses, but the Huawei has a better zoom, a much better wide sensor, and superior HDR and night modes.
But for pure image quality it’s a tier below the very top handful of phones, like the Google Pixel 3 XL, Galaxy Note 9 and Huawei Mate 20 Pro. The wide-angle camera has a fixed focus, too, so can’t be used as a macro lens.
However, this is still a very versatile camera setup that can handle all lighting conditions. For extremely dark scenes only the Mate 20 is better at brightening-up the image.
Its video is very well stabilised, too. There are some bugs, however. The V40 says it can shoot video with the same “Super Night” sensitivity as its stills. But right now it simply doesn’t. Even at 720p resolution, dark scenes remain dark.
The LG V40 ThinQ camera setup is among the most fully featured, if ultimately not quite a match for the very best on closer inspection.
Read more: These are the best smartphones for any budget in 2021
User interface
Some other elements fall behind more clearly, though. The LG V40 ThinQ runs rapidly ageing Android 8.1.0 software with a custom LG interface. As such, there are none of Android 9.0’s “app limit controls” at launch, which help to keep your use of social media apps in check.
LG’s interface is also one of the least satisfying of the main manufacturer UIs. There’s plenty of room for varying opinions here, of course. This is all about look and feel. But LG’s software seems less slick than those of Samsung or Huawei, less sophisticated-looking than Sony’s.
You have to dig into the settings menu to restore the apps menu. And while we can’t tell how much bloat will be preinstalled on the UK version if the LG V40 ThinQ gets a full release here, this Korean version is jam-packed with extra apps.
Software can be customised. Extra apps can, for the most part, be removed. However, the LG V40 ThinQ’s battery life is what it is. And it is not too impressive.
The LG V40 ThinQ has a 3,300mAh battery. Samsung’s Note 9 battery is 20 pre cent larger, the Mate 20 Pro’s almost 28 per cent larger. Sure enough, the LG V40 ThinQ stamina is only acceptable. It will often last a full day, but stream a little too much audio or video and it can easily check out before you do. The extra buffer for heavier users just isn’t here.
You get fast charging and wireless charging, but then so does every phone at the price.
Verdict
Aside from unimpressive battery life, there’s nothing seriously wrong with the LG V40 ThinQ. However, expectations need to be high at this price. If they are not, what is the point of spending this much on a phone?
The LG V40 ThinQ comes off well on paper, with no less than five cameras, a sharp OLED screen and Qualcomm’s top mobile CPU at the time of release. In reality, Huawei pulled off this camera-packed concept much better in the Mate 20 Pro, and phones like the Pixel 3 XL and Note 9 take better photos much of the time.
Only the headphone jack and high-quality DAC truly set the V40 ThinQ apart at the price. For some who might otherwise still buy a dedicated audio player, this is a valid reason to choose this phone. The rest should probably wait until the phone’s price drops. And top LG phones are often found at tempting prices a handful of months after release.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
