The end product is LG’s most intriguing smartphone in years, the Velvet. The confusing ThinQ label is no longer present.
The G and V series have been relegated to the dustbin of history. At long last, LG’s designers haven’t taken a look at the most recent phone they drafted and been uninspired. What we’ve been doing will be repeated.
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All You Need To Know About the LG Velvet
A new, fascinating look complements the Velvet’s catchy moniker. But even if you do recall the brand, are you interested enough to purchase one?
Design:
The LG Velvet’s incredible thinness sets it apart from other contemporary LG smartphones. To what extent, though, does it fall short of competing smartphones? It has not lost its strength. It’s modern and airy in design; colourful and full of eye-catching details; and brimming with fresh ideas.
Hyperbole? No. Although the LG Velvet measures in at 7.9mm in thickness, the curved “3D Arc Design” idea makes it feel even thinner in your palm. The body’s elegantly rounded corners and slender profile call to mind the OnePlus 8 Pro.
It’s incredibly light at just 180 grammes. The Velvet is incredibly light in comparison to modern smartphones, many of which weigh over 220 grammes. The Aurora Green colour scheme on my review unit is stunning.
It sparkles and glows in the sun, much like Bentley’s Verdant Green, and reminds me of that colour. Illusion Sunset, one of several other lovely options, is reminiscent of Samsung’s Aura Glow. For a while now, phones have had fantastic colour displays, but it hasn’t been on an LG device. LG, we’re happy to have you in the year 2020.
Even the camera array itself is unique. The two lower lenses and the flash are flush with the body and arranged in a raindrop shape that grows smaller as you move down. The primary upper lens is somewhat protruding.
It’s not hideous, but it would be better if it were flush as well. That the inner lens rim is green to match the body is a nice touch. LG positioned the volume rocker and Google Assistant shortcut key on the other side of the device from the power button.
Ergonomically, it’s not ideal for a right-hander. The Google Assistant button is flush with the phone’s frame, so I never accidentally activate it. I’ve also never pressed it on purpose, which makes me wonder why it’s even there.
The Velvet’s flaw is that it has pointed corners. Phones with sharp corners share a common flaw: they’re uncomfortable to handle. The Velvet is the same way. Holding on to it too tightly is uncomfortable. The design of the phone is otherwise excellent, though. It’s airy, chic, and up-to-date.
Screen and Audio:
The LG Velvet’s 6.8-inch, 2460 x 1,080 P-OLED screen is tall and thin because of its 20.5:9 aspect ratio. This makes it nearly identical to Motorola’s Edge Plus, which features a 21:9 aspect ratio.
There is a significant amount of bezel on top, bottom, and both sides of the phone, thus the screen does not flow over the sides despite the rounded corners. The Velvet can deftly handle HDR10 content from YouTube, despite LG’s silence on the subject in its marketing brochures.
The teardrop-shaped opening in the middle for the selfie camera is a nice touch. This is a nice, understated alternative to the increasingly common large, pill-shaped dual selfie cameras found on premium smartphones.
The audio is played through high-quality stereo speakers. Carfection is the only place I trust for video demos. The bright colours and blazing sunlight are just as significant as the rough V8 and crazy supercharger wail of the Hellcat Redeye.
The Velvet is a visual and auditory delight because of how beautifully it manages both aspects. There is a 3.5mm connection for headphones at the bottom, however it lacks LG’s excellent Quad DAC used in many of the company’s previous mobile devices.
It’s a real shame, because the Velvet’s sound is so much better with wireless headphones than with wired ones. But, if you use headphones that support the AptX HD codec and a Bluetooth connection, you will be able to enjoy the higher quality audio.
When using the LG Velvet in direct sunlight or when watching videos during the day, I found that the brightness setting had to be turned up to its highest level. When holding the phone by its slightly rounded sides, I also noticed that the palm rejection was a little too sensitive. Even so, the LG Velvet has a decent display and excellent sound.
Camera:
The LG Velvet’s rear-facing cameras are positioned in a visually appealing raindrop pattern. There are three separate image sensors included: a 48-megapixel f/1.8 sensor, an 8-megapixel f/2.2 sensor, and a 5-megapixel f/2.4 depth sensor.
Considering that certain mid-range phones are available for less money than the LG Velvet, this doesn’t look promising. Is there evidence that actual performance exceeds these alleged technical restrictions? In a nutshell, not at all, no.
The LG Velvet’s camera isn’t terrible, but it often produces unexpected results. The wide-angle lens captures clear images with a noticeable HDR effect, resulting in vivid blue sky, vivid greens, and vivid reds.
But, when you switch to the camera’s main lens, it ignores that information and produces somewhat underexposed images. It can over-sharpen images to the point where they appear surreal.
Performance and Software
Depending on where you reside, the LG Velvet will come with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G with 5G connectivity. The test device I used had 6 GB of memory. In terms of performance, the Motorola Edge is very similar to the LG Velvet.
Also, I did not observe any appreciable changes in either ordinary performance or games. Standard graphics in Asphalt 9 Legends look amazing, and I had no trouble playing the year 1945.
The Snapdragon 756G is fine for light gaming, but it cannot compete with phones using the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, such as the OnePlus 8, which is a formidable alternative to the LG Velvet. The LG Velvet, like the Motorola Edge, has enough speed for typical use.
It stays cool, it plays light games without a hitch, and it fulfils all my needs without a hitch. The flagship processor is recommended for heavy mobile gamers, but the Velvet is fine for casual users who only want to stream videos, check social media, make phone calls and snap photos.
Unfortunately, I was unable to evaluate the call quality because there is no 5G service in my location. Android 10 with the June 1, 2020, Android security patch is installed on the LG Velvet, on top of which is LG’s custom user interface.
It’s aesthetically pleasing, vibrant, and consistent, resembling Samsung’s OneUI more than Android on a Google Pixel. The excellent gesture control technology works in tandem with the standard app tray and the customarily planned out notification shade.
When opening a folder and subsequently an app, for example, I find the animations to be somewhat sluggish. Coming from a different brand of smartphone, the delay is more glaring.
Power Source and Safety
The Velvet’s display is powered by a 4,300mAh battery, and it supports both cable charging (at 25W) and wireless charging (at 5W). The fingerprint reader is positioned extremely low on the screen.
Face unlock is not available, just like on the LG G8X ThinQ. For ease of use, I like it there; but, the fingerprint sensor here is definitely more secure and, thankfully, quick and dependable.
As a result of these lockdown limits, I have been using my phone for only around two or three hours per day on average, with voice and video calls, apps, and the camera taking priority.
The battery has lasted longer than in other phones, although not all under the same usage conditions. On my most intensive use days, the battery would be at 10% by bedtime, leading me to believe that it wouldn’t survive more than a day without Wi-Fi.
Dual-Display Cover
LG’s G8X ThinQ was the company’s take on smartphones with two displays. LG employs a second screen that is attached to a case rather than committing fully to a folding screen. It’s bulkier and less aesthetically pleasing than Samsung’s Galaxy Fold, but it’s cheaper and (likely) more long-lasting.
Unlike the LG G8X ThinQ, the Dual Screen cover is not included in the purchase price this time around. A second 6.8-inch P-OLED display is added to the Velvet, and the whole thing is encased in a white or black plastic shell with a tiny 2.1-inch display on the front for viewing the clock and notifications.
The LG G8X ThinQ isn’t particularly attractive, so I didn’t mind putting it in a case, but the Velvet is a different story.
Cost and Accessibility
In Europe, the LG Velvet costs 650 euros, which is roughly $735. LG has been known to leave pricing information to local carriers in the past, and this appears to be the case once again.
Even while the phone is now on sale in South Korea and several parts of Europe, its release date in the United States has not yet been announced.
