Smartphone Product Reviews And News
Smartphones are like miniature super computers in your pocket these days, with the ability to get serious productivity work done or kick back with some media consumption and gaming on the go. Smartphones are also more and more serving as life moment-capturing devices with fantastic digital still image shooting and video recording capabilities. Want to know what's the best hardware or latest news for Android or iOS? Tune in here...
If you are looking for a bit more intelligence in your "smart" phone, the LG G8 ThinQ may have a few additional tricks up its sleeve. LG is aiming to create a more intuitive and automated experience by embracing artificial intelligence processing care of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 855 SoC and their own in-house algorithms. The LG G8 ThinQ is more than just clever silicon and software, of course, and it boasts a premium build quality and expanded camera features to match. Beyond its Snapdragon 855 mobile platform, the G8 ThinQ runs with 6GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 128GB of UFS 2.1 flash storage. If you record a ton of video or have other significant storage needs, you can also slot in a card like the...
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LG is at the ready again with its latest V-series smartphone, the V40 ThinQ. Like its predecessors, the LG V40 ThinQ is a large-screen device that’s outfitted with some high-end internal hardware and an array of innovative features meant to distinguish it from the competition. In the case of the LG V40 ThinQ, in addition to its beautiful 6.4” OLED display and svelte exterior, the phone is equipped with a total of five cameras – two in front, and three in back – and the ability to do some interesting and useful things with those cameras, including creating cinemagraphs and multi-shot GIF animations. Before we drop in for our detailed evaluation, we have a quick video tour...
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LG debuted the G7 ThinQ in early May and certainly turned some heads with the promise of a 1000 nits capable display, an AI-powered camera, and its Boombox Speaker features. On the surface, if you consider some of the salient features consumers are looking for in a modern smartphone, the marketing folks at LG had their ears to the ground, so to speak. The new LG G7 ThinQ checks many of the key feature boxes consumers look for in a handset, and it strikes a nice size balance as well, in a thin-bezel 6.1-inch form factor. However, what makes true smartphone success is practical usability and how some of those key features translate in terms of overall user experience. We've been...
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If there's a sleeper phone that's been on our radar for a while here, it's the LG V30. LG has been teasing this phone for what seems like an eternity. We actually got our first hands-on time with it a couple of months ago in August. However, LG has been conservative with its last couple of handset roll-outs, taking the same preview tease approach with the LG G6, where we got an early look prototype unit and firm rules of engagement with it before final production units arrived. The G6 was one of the first generation thin bezel phones on the market at the time and LG wanted to make doubly sure it was ready for prime time when it shipped. The same can be said for the new V30, as this device feels...
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If you keep a pulse on the premium smartphone arena, you probably have a line on the fact that there might be something special about the forthcoming LG V30. Set for an official IFA 2017 unveiling, the new handset has been leaked, rumored and even teased by LG itself. LG in fact has been on a consistent marketing blitz, releasing bits and pieces of LG V30 features to keep the buzz factor and discussion of its new device at peak volume. Regardless, with a complement of features that may not be earth-shattering, but when combined add up to what could be handset nirvana for many, it's beginning to feel like LG may truly have something compelling in hand for Android power users with the V30....
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There's absolutely no question about it. LG obviously launched the new LG G6 right in the middle of the marketing buzzsaw that is Samsung's Galaxy S8 launch. And while it's fair to compare the G6 against the backdrop of the Samsung dynamic duo, some of the reviews I've seen so far, in my humble opinion, are unnecessarily critical of LG, largely due to timing I think. Since when did we become so jaded, like undercover restaurant critics in our own inner circle, that we can't judge a product based on its own merits? I'm not calling anyone out but I'm here to tell you that the LG G6 is likely a very competent alternative to the Samsung Galaxy S8. No doubt there are caveats, as there will be with...
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After months of leaks, the LG G6 has finally been officially unveiled. LG has gone completely back to the drawing board versus its predecessor, the questionably modular LG G5. In its place is a sleek, amazingly compact and efficient aluminum unibody design with a large 5.7-inch display. It's a truly premium flagship device and we got some quality hands-on time with it in New York last week. That display is the main focal point of the G6, and it has a rather unorthodox 18:9 screen ratio, which LG says allows the device to fit better in your hand. The thin bezels of the new flagship also give the LG G6 an 80 percent screen to body ratio. LG notes the aspect ratio is being adopted...
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Lenovo introduced the Google Project Tango Augmented Reality-infused Phab 2 Pro smartphone back in June and the product marked a number firsts for both the manufacturer and the industry as a whole. The Phab 2 Pro is the first consumer retail device to support Google Project Tango AR technology, with a multi-camera and sensor array that gives the smartphone the ability to sense and "see" the environment around it, and then map and render virtual augmentations in the environment for the user. The Lenovo Phab 2 Pro is also one of the largest Android smartphones on the market currently, with a ginormous 6.4-inch IPS display and a footprint exceeding 7-inches at its tallest point. Without question,...
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Android 7, aka Nougat, has been rolling out primarily to Google's Nexus and new Pixel phones, as well as a few Motorola handsets, but a new Nougat contender has entered the fray, hot off the press from LG. The LG V20 is the follow-on to last year’s LG V10 and a current follow-up to the modular LG G5 that we reviewed recently. LG’s V series focuses on high quality, premium, larger-format designs that are feature-rich and the new LG V20 very much sticks to that mantra. Sporting a large 5.7-inch QHD display with 2560X1440 resolution and powered by Qualcomm's venerable Snapdragon 820 SoC (System on Chip), the V20 brings with it a few tried and true tricks from LG's V's series, coupled with a...
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Now, more than ever, manufacturers are exploring alternative ways to differentiate smartphones. One savior to the oversaturated smartphone market, that is rife with products with similar specifications, may come in the form of modularity. The promise of a modular phone, is an ability to adapt to a user’s needs in the moment. Purchasing a smartphone is traditionally a long-term investment. What might perfectly address day-to-day use, however, could come up short under specific use cases. We already took a close look at the Moto Z family and see promise in Moto Mods, but modular smartphones are not easy. The long promised modular smartphone program from Google, dubbed Project Ara, which helped...
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As we head into the holiday shopping season, there are a number of really great smartphones on the market for buyers to consider. Among this group is LG’s latest flagship Android superphone, the V10. As the first phone in LG’s new V Series, the V10 has a number of unique features including dual displays, two front-facing cameras, a removable battery and a manual video mode. The V10 also features high-end hardware, as you’d expect from a top-end model, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 64 bit hexa-core processor, 5.7-inch QHD main display, 64GB of storage, 4GB of RAM and even a secondary display. The V10 also features high-end hardware, as you’d expect from a top-end model, including a...
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Calling the smartphone market "mature" is likely misguided, even if you consider its increasing saturation levels. In the U.S., however, much has changed over the past half-decade, but more important perhaps is what has become commonplace. While the initial players all jockeyed for their share of the smartphone pie, companies such as Kyocera and Sony have all but vanished, while Apple and Samsung are the only two options that some mainstream users even consider. LG's mobile CEO is aware of the current landscape, stating recently that it hopes to sell around 8 million G4 handsets by the end of 2015. Apple sells 8 million iPhones in a good month, so the scale and scope is well-defined. The LG G4,...
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LG officially lifted the veil on their G4 flagship Android phone this week and the buzz has been fairly strong in anticipation for how it measures up versus stiff competition from Samsung and Apple. LG's display prowess is well known, along with their ability to pack a ton of screen real estate into a smaller frame with very little bezel, as they did with the previous generation G3. However, what's under the hood of the new LG G4 is probably just as interesting for some folks, as the build quality and display of LG's new flagship. On board the LG G4 is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 808, the six-core little brother of the powerful and power-hungry Snapdragon 810 that's found in HTC's One M9. The One...
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LG is probably getting a little tired of scraping for brand recognition versus big names like Samsung, Apple and yes, even Google. However, the company is also likely taking solace in the fact that their smartphone sales figures are heading for an all-time high in 2014, with an estimated 60 million units projected to be sold this year. Part of that success probably comes from private label sales of devices like the LG-made Google Nexus 5, though the LG G2 certainly sold its fair share as well. So, at the end of the day, LG is sort of the "sleeper" of smartphone makers and as a major OEM display manufacturer, they've got the chops to compete with the best of breed in the race for superphone...
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