With Android Nougat, drop protection, and a superb camera, LG’s V20 already has us excited.

LG is having a tough time this year. Though the LG G5 introduced an innovative system of modules that could augment and transform it, most U.S. phone buyers flocked to Samsung’s shiny, curved Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge — or the iPhone. A while ago, we would have said that the new LG V20 would get swallowed up by Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 … then they started exploding.

With the Note 7 canceled, LG’s latest Android phablet is looking mighty attractive out of the gate.

Like its V10 last year, the V20 is LG’s phone for the millions of us who want a big phone that can withstand our butterfingers. The V20 has a full military drop-test rating, some impressive cameras, and performance that rivals even its burliest competitors — and it’s a triumph of industrial design.

And now, it looks like you’ll be able to start pre-ordering the V20 on October 17. At least, that’s when B&H Photo says the phone will be available.

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From beast to beauty

We really liked the LG V10 last year, but if it had one Achilles heel, it was its plasticky design. The heavy, grippy body let you know that it wasn’t going to break, but didn’t capture anyone’s eye. That, and it was bulky, even by big-phone standards.

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The V20 looks like a whole new phone. Instead of a black rubbery texture on the back, it has a clean-looking shell made of the same strong aluminum alloy used in airplane wings, mountain bikes, and sailboats; it also pops off, so you can easily replace the battery, Nano SIM card, or MicroSD card. Check out our video — this feature is awesome. The top and bottom of the phone also feel like metal but are a Silicone Polycarbonate, a fancy phrase meaning “durable plastic.” LG claims its new plastic can absorb shocks 20 percent better than last year’s phone.

Though it would be nice if the phone were waterproof, too, it’s a relief to know it probably won’t break if we drop it. With the size of phones these days, many people seem to drop them daily.

Thanks to a reduced bezel, the V20 is very comfortable to hold, especially for a device with a massive 5.7-inch screen, and a bonus extra screen up top for notifications. The dual-function power button and fingerprint sensor on the back is in a comfortable position, and the volume rocker is on the left side.

It will come in silver, pink, and titan, which is more of a champagne color. Sadly, none of LG’s snap-on modules for the G5 work with this phone.

A Nougat of a surprise

The V20 is the first new phone to run Android 7.0 Nougat, the newest version of Android from Google. LG has modified the OS a little, but not as heavily as usual, which is a great thing because Android 7 is fantastic looking on its own and has several handy features, like multiple windows, expanded notifications, and more useful quick settings.

One of the best new additions is the little screen that acts as a horizontal ticker above the screen. It measures 2.1 inches diagonally, and has a much larger font size this year, so it’s easier to read. You can customize it, but the basic functions are adding hot contacts, reading notifications, opening select apps, and a few other things. It’s fun and useful, though hard to reach way up on top of the normal screen.

As powerful as Android phones get

The V20 is as powerful as phones come in late 2016. It matches Samsung’s best phones, along with anyone else’s. It will also likely match their high price tags, but that’s another story.

The V20 is LG’s phone for the millions of us who want a big phone that can withstand our butter fingers.

If you need the specifics: The V20 runs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, with a MicroSD slot if you need more. Its 5.7-inch IPS Quantum Display is brighter than a normal LCD screen, covered in Gorilla Glass 4, and has a 2,560 × 1,440 pixel resolution.

Battery life should be good, with 3,200mAh on board, which is a little higher than you sometimes get on a phone this size. LG promises 20 percent better battery life than the V10, but that still means you’ll likely have to charge your phone every day and a half. Thankfully, it includes fast charging (thanks to USB Type-C), so it shouldn’t take too long to juice up. We haven’t used the phone long enough to get reliable readings on battery life, so check back when we can share more.

So many cameras

Like all LG phones for the past couple years, the camera is kickass, but it has a few new abilities. You get two cameras on the back of the phone: a 16-megapixel main lens with a super-fast F1.8 aperture and optical image stabilization, and a slightly weaker 8-megapixel wide-angle lens with an F2.4 aperture, for when you need to fit more in frame. We took a few shots using both views, and they came out amazing (at first glance).

For you selfie-hounds, the 5-megapixel selfie camera on the V20 has a wide angle mode, too.

Autofocus didn’t appear any faster than previous LG phones, but it’s always been fast. The V20 uses a combination of laser, phase, and contrast autofocusing tech to help you focus in low light, indoor light, outdoor light, and even track moving objects. Demos showing it perfectly tracking a moving object were impressive and we look forward to trying it out.

Recording video should also be fairly smooth on the V20. A new Steady Record 2.0 feature leverages some tech on Qualcomm’s chipset and gyro sensors to reduce jitteriness while you’re walking in videos, or moving in other ways. In practice, we need to hit the streets to try it out when we get a full review unit.

LG is also proud of its new high-performance microphones, which should record high-resolution audio, even in loud areas (120-132dB). It can also save it in lossless formats, and thanks to four built-in DACs, it can now play them back much clearer as well, supposedly. We weren’t given any high-res audio samples or headphones to sample that aspect, but LG has pushed audio in its phones for a couple years now.

Conclusion

LG knows what it’s doing. The V20 will likely be one of our favorite phones for the fall, and we’re impressed that it includes the latest version of Android, especially since most phones are lucky to ever get the latest version of the OS (it’s a real problem).

With the Galaxy Note 7 tainted by a massive recall, the V20 looks like the phablet to beat this fall, despite its high price. Both T-Mobile and AT&T have announced pricing and availability of the device, with T-Mobile saying that the phone would launch on October 28 for $830, and AT&T opening pre-orders up on October 7 ahead of an October 28 launch. It will be available for $830 unlocked. However, you will also be able to get the device for $27.67 per month for 30 months or $34.59 per month for 24 months.

On October 17, T-Mobile began pre-sales of the V20, and sweetened the deal by offering a $200 credit toward the phone available to customers who trade in any other working 4G smartphone. In addition, LG V20 purchasers will receive a free pair of H3 by B&O Play headphones, a $149 value. As previously reported, the LG V20 will become available in T-Mobile stores on October 28, and will be priced at $50 down and $30 per month over 24 months.

Just a few days later, on October 21, Sprint began its own pre-orders for the V20 and is pricing the phone at $33 a month with 24 installment billing payments. As an added bonus, Sprint is also offering the same Bang & Olufsen freebie (H3 earphones), as well as a $200 trade-in credit for an eligible smartphone.

As of October 31, you can get the LG V20 from Verizon stores and online along with a $300 credit with a trade-in on monthly bills and, of course, the B&O Play headphones. AT&T, U.S. Cellular, and Best Buy are also selling the handset with some bonuses to sweeten the deal. AT&T is giving customers a $200 credit for an old phone trade-in, U.S. Cellular is offering a $100 gift card, and Best Buy is touting a $200 gift card. All offer the B&O Play headphones too.

As of mid-November, the LG V20 has proven to be one seriously popular handset. The South Korean smartphone maker has already sold 200,000 of its new flagship phone since its October 28 launch. That’s double what the V10 sold in the same time period last year.

Highs

• Won’t crack or break if dropped
• Runs latest version of Android (Nougat)
• Outstanding dual-camera setup
• Top-of-the-line processing power
• Removable battery, MicroSD

Lows

• Not waterproof
• On the expensive end of phone prices

Christian de Looper also contributed to this report. Updated on 11-14-2016 by Lulu Chang: Added news that the LG V20 has been selling at double the rate of its predecessor.

Editors' Recommendations

LG has had its share of ups and downs in the smartphone business, and the company hasn’t made much of an impact in the market lately. The company’s phones have never shied away from taking chances, even if not all of them clicked. It was one of the first companies to feature a flagship with a Quad HD display, introduced a unique rear-button layout, and experimented in modularity with the LG G5.

Apart from solid flagship offerings, LG has robust mid-range and entry-level portfolios, with options along on the price spectrum. It has something for everybody. Here is a roundup of some of the best LG phones you can buy!

Best high-end LG phone: LG G8 ThinQ

The LG G8 ThinQ is the latest flagship phone from the folks at LG. On the surface, it looks much like its predecessor, the LG G7. Inside, however, it’s another story. While the LG G8 has the same display size as the G7 (6.1-inch screen with a 3,120 x 1,440 resolution and a 19.5:9 aspect ratio screen), the LG G8 ditches the old IPS LCD display tech for an OLED screen.

Inside the LG G8 has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor, along with 6GB of memory and 128GB of upgradable storage. The battery is also larger than the LG G7, at 3,500mAh. The LG G8 has an IP68 dust and water resistance rating and comes with Android 9 Pie.

The LG G8 has two rear cameras. The standard lens is now 12MP with a 1.5 aperture and a 78 field-of-view. The second sensor is also a wide angle lens that’s 16MP, with a 1.9 aperture and a 107-degree field-of-view. There’s also an 8MP front-facing camera, but the LG G8 has thrown in what the company calls a ”Z camera” on the front of the phone. It’s a time-of-flight (ToF) camera that can be used with the phone’s machine learning software to create a true 3D model of your face for true facial recognition.

In addition, the LG G8 has another security method called Vein ID. It can create an image of the owner’s hand and see the owner’s blood veins to unlock the phone. LG claims this Vein ID image should be almost impossible to hack. There’s also Air Motion, which can let you unlock the phone with just with the wave of a hand but can be used for other things, like answering calls, taking screenshots and more, without touching the screen itself.

The LG G8 ThinQ is on sale now in the US. Pricing is normally at $819.99 from LG, but you can get the phone at a major discount already if you purchase it from Best Buy, or from one of the major phone carriers. If you have the money, it’s the best of the LG phones lineup.

While the LG G8 is the best high-end phone from LG you can get right now, there are some other phones you might want to consider:

• If you want to be at the absolute cutting edge of mobile technology, the LG V50 ThinQ 5G is the phone for you. Apart from the latest and greatest is specs, you also get to take advantage of blazing fast 5G speeds. This is wholly dependent on network coverage though and it’s far from good at the moment, so do check whether it’ll work for you. Currently available on Sprint, the V50 ThinQ 5G will also make its way to Verizon Wireless soon.
• A great alternative to the LG V50 ThinQ is its predecessor, the LG V40 ThinQ. It has last year’s flagship processing power behind it, but everything else remains similar. If 5G isn’t quite ready for you just yet, the LG V40 gives you almost all the same things.

Best mid-range LG phone: LG Q7 Plus

LG

There are three phones in LG’s Q7 series: the Q7, Q7a, and Q7 Plus. They all look the same, but there are minor differences between their RAM, storage, and cameras. The LG Q7 Plus is the best of the three and the only one released in the U.S. There have been two different phones released with the LG Q8 name, one in 2017 and one in 2018, but neither has arrived in the U.S.

The LG Q7 Plus has a Quad DAC on board, just like the V40.

The Q7 Plus sports a 5.5-inch Full HD+ display and comes with the Snapdragon 450 and 4GB of RAM under the hood. There’s 64GB of storage available, which can be expanded with a microSD card. The phone also features a 16MP rear camera, has a fingerprint scanner on the back, and is IP68 water/dust resistant. It even has a Quad DAC for an improved audio experience, just like LG’s high-end phones.

The handset can’t compare with the LG V40 in terms of specs, but it still has enough power under the hood for the average user. It’s also way cheaper with a full retail price of $380 at Amazon.

While the LG Q7 Plus is the best mid-range LG phone you can get right now, you might want to check out another model as an alternative:

• Want a relatively cheap phone with a stylus? The LG Stylo 4 has an embedded pen for its 6.2-inch Full HD+ display and you can get this phone for as low as $250 on Amazon.

Best cheap LG phone: LG K30

There are loads of cheap LG phones out there, but not a lot of them are available in the U.S. One of the best LG phones on a budget you can get stateside is the K30, which sports a 5.3-inch HD display, powered by the Snapdragon 425 chipset and 2GB of RAM

What is 5G, and what can we expect from it?

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These specs won’t blow your socks off, but they’re fine for average users who just want to check email and social media, browse the web, and watch an occasional video. The great thing about the K30 is that it’s available unlocked in the U.S. — most other cheap LG phones are only available through carriers.

The LG K30 comes with 16GB of expandable storage, an 8MP primary camera, and a 3,00mAh battery. It also has a headphone jack and a fingerprint scanner. It normally retails for $180, but it’s currently on sale over at B&H for $130.

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If you want to get a good budget-themed LG phone that’s even cheaper than the LG K30 then there is an alternative:

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• The LG Zone 4 from Verizon Wireless has a 5-inch screen, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, and you can snap it up now for just $115.

There you have it — these are the best LG phones in our opinion, though there are plenty of other great options to choose from.

Which models would you add to our best LG phones list? Let us know in the comments!