APRIL 2020 PCWorld 17compelling feature, especially since LG
has added the ability to use one screen
as a full keyboard like a mini-laptop.
With 5G and a second screen to
power, the V60 is going to need a lot of
battery life, and it certainly has the
capacity at 5,000mAh. That’s a
thousand more milliamp-hours than the
G8X, resulting in an additional eight
hours of use, per LG. In my G8X testing,
I got around 9 hours, which is
acceptable, but 17 hours would be
mind-blowing. LG also claims that a
30-minute charge will deliver 18 hours
of use, but we’ll need to test these
claims, especially with 5G on board.
Speaking of 5G, LG is using the
newest Snapdragon X55 modem, but the
experience will differ across carriers. On
Verizon models of the V60, you’ll get
mmWave and sub-6GHz support. AT&T,
Sprint, and T-Mobile subscribers will only be
able to tap into sub-6GHz networks.
When all is said and done, the main
reason why most people will choose the V
over the S20 or the iPhone 11 is the
headphone jack. LG is one of the only
premium Android phone makers that hasn’t
gone all-Bluetooth. The 32-bit Quad DAC will
be a breath of fresh air for anyone clinging to
their wired headphones.
For audio purists, LG has also added four
“brand-new, high-performance
microphones,” along with a feature called
Voice Bokeh “that minimizes background
noise and boosts the user’s voice, allowing
content creators to place more focus on the
subject while reducing excess noise.”
What we don’t know about the V60 is
how much it will cost. LG did say that the
V60 will come in “under the cheapest
Galaxy S20 with the Dual Screen included,”
so assuming that means $950 or so, that’s a
good deal cheaper than the $1,400 Galaxy
S20 Ultra and one of the cheapest 5G
phones you can buy. That’s even cheaper
than the V50, which started at $1,
without the Dual Screen accessory, so LG is
definitely pushing value with the V60.
Whether it’s worth it, however, might be a
tough sell.The Dual Screen can show two apps side by side, but
interaction between them is limited.