Tech Trend 247

Like Samsung, LG releases its flagship line of phones in the spring and a weirder, but still high-end, phone in the fall. The second model acts as a kind of testing ground for more cutting-edge tech.

Last year, LG set up this pattern with the V10. That phone had a signature feature akin to a secondary screen that sits along the top of the main screen. It's kind of like the edge panel on the original Galaxy Note Edge... except, well, lamer.

This year, on cue, we have the LG V20. LG claims the V20 is the world's first smartphone to ship with Android 7.0 Nougat pre-installed. That's not exactly a differentiator — more phones will certainly ship with that same OS very soon — but it's notable.

The V20 also brings back the secondary screen, this time with slightly better brightness, plus a new "signature" feature. Like the original Galaxy Note, the screen can show a word or phrase when not in use, and you can even use the first letter of it to create a wallpaper theme. Cute.

That's just the beginning of the upgrades from the V10. Certainly, there are the specs: it boasts a flagship-worthy Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB of RAM and a Quad HD (2,560 x 1,440) display. But it also has a couple of features that are, dare I say, experimental?

The camera tech is a good example. The rear camera is 16 megapixels while the front is 5 megapixels, which is pretty much standard these days, but both cameras also include a wide-angle button front and center, letting you get a lot more in the shot. Shooting in wide angle will reduce the resolution (to 8 or 1.9 megapixels, depending on the camera), but fans of groufies will love the feature.

The phone also has improved electronic image stabilization, which will try to stabilize all that camera shake when you run alongside your friend as they finish their latest 5K. LG has also included a hybrid autofocus — using laser and phase detection as well as contrast — for lightning-fast image capture.

Audio is also a big deal for LG, and it says the V20 is the first smartphone with a 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC (digital-to-analog converter). It supports all kinds of lossless formats, including FLAC, AIFF and Apple Lossless. There's also an HD audio recorder that's said to capture "studio quality audio" from three ultra-sensitive mics built into the phone.

As a high-end phone, the V20 also looks the part. It has a smooth metal exterior as well as metal buttons (including LG's trademark rear home button). Surprisingly, the metal back of the phone pops off so you can swap out the battery easily. It's not quite as gimmicky as the LG G5's modular design, but it's still rare to see a metal phone with a removable back. It pops off when you press a dedicated button on the side. Nothing could go wrong with that, I'm sure.

After hearing about all the interesting features of the LG V20, I was excited to check it out, but after I actually held it, I wasn't as impressed. This is clearly a bit of a Frankenstein's monster of a phone — LG is throwing spaghetti against the wall with it. I came away admiring certain features (the cameras, the finish), shrugging with some (HD audio recording, wide-angle shows) and rolling my eyes at others (that tiny second screen, tho).

Still, considering all the tech, LG has made an flagship-worthy smartphone here... if you can find it under all the gimmicks.