Buzz
With many worthwhile upgrades compared to the LG G7 or its predecessor LG V30, but will that be enough to make the LG V40 ThinQ phone catch the eye of tech-savvy users when the product price reaches nearly €848.59 (20 million VND)?
The LG V40 ThinQ phone is a flagship model, one of the two main product lines of LG in the high-end smartphone segment. In 2017, the LG V30 phone proudly claimed to be one of the most feature-packed camera smartphones of all time. This year, LG is taking another step with its newly launched V40 ThinQ phone.
While most other manufacturers only use dual cameras for their smartphones, LG has equipped the V40 ThinQ phone with a total of 5 cameras, with 2 front cameras and 3 rear cameras. In addition, LG's new flagship model also features a premium DAC audio decoder even better than its predecessor, the LG V30. This could be a move to attract tech-savvy users.
So with such improvements, does the LG V40 ThinQ phone justify the nearly 20 million VND price that users have to pay? The answer will be explained by Mytour through the quality review of the LG V40 ThinQ phone below.
About the design of the LG V40 ThinQ phone
If you admired the design of the LG V30 phone, then the latest LG V40 ThinQ is sure to impress you. This device inherits many design elements from the V-series smartphones but comes in a fairly large size, with a whopping 6.4-inch display, promising exceptional entertainment experiences for gaming enthusiasts.
The display on the LG V40 ThinQ phone also features a notch, albeit a small one housing two selfie cameras. For those not fond of this notch design, LG offers an option to completely hide it on the LG V40 ThinQ phone by placing a black strip above it.
The back of the phone bears a striking resemblance to its predecessor, the LG V30, with Gorilla Glass 5 protection, a fingerprint scanner, and a camera module. However, the LG V40 ThinQ phone boasts three cameras, which serves as a distinctive feature making it easily recognizable when someone holds this phone.
On the left side of the LG V40 ThinQ phone is where the power button and SIM card tray are located, while the right side features a dedicated button to activate the Google Assistant, similar to Samsung's Bixby button. Users might not fancy this button as it's prone to accidental presses while holding the smartphone.
Another downside is that the fingerprint sensor on the LG V40 phone operates rather slowly compared to other flagship smartphones. This might cause inconvenience for users during prolonged usage.
However, it's fortunate that LG's latest flagship still retains the 3.5mm headphone jack. While many other manufacturers have completely eliminated this connection port, causing inconvenience for users' music listening experience. The LG V40 ThinQ phone also features external speakers with Boombox resonance, similar to the LG G7 phone, and a USB-C port.
The LG V40 ThinQ phone features a 6.4-inch display with a resolution of 3,120 x 1,440 pixels but defaults to 2,340 x 1,080 pixels. In terms of quality, this screen seems decent, but with a pixel density of 538ppi.
The replacement of the new OLED panel enhances the color display on the screen of the LG V40 ThinQ phone impressively compared to the LG G7 phone. However, the brightness of the OLED screen is lower than the LCD screen of the LG G7 phone. Therefore, users may find it somewhat challenging to use the device outdoors in sunlight.
In return, the display on the LG V40 ThinQ phone also supports HDR10, allowing you to experience content with more colors than standard displays.
About the specifications on the LG V40 ThinQ phone
Like most other top-tier devices in 2018, the performance on the LG V40 ThinQ phone is incredibly impressive. This is understandable as the product is equipped with the most powerful hardware configuration available today, featuring the Snapdragon 845 processor, along with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage.
However, the storage of LG's latest flagship is still relatively modest compared to other high-end smartphones with options like 256GB or 512GB. Fortunately, the LG V40 still supports microSD cards, allowing you to easily expand storage capacity efficiently.
Another issue that users find unsatisfactory about the LG V40 ThinQ phone is its 3,300mAh battery. This capacity is quite modest considering the 6.4-inch display, Quad-HD+ resolution of the V40 ThinQ, and ideally, LG should have equipped it with a 4,000mAh battery similar to the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. Perhaps, this is a significant downside for this smartphone.
Another noteworthy hardware feature of the LG V40 ThinQ phone is LG's renowned 32-bit DAC audio signal decoder. Thanks to this decoder, LG's new generation flagship can deliver higher-quality audio experience than any other smartphone on the market.
The performance of the LG V40 is unquestionable, with impressive scores on Geekbench 4, AnTuTu, and 3DMark.
About the camera on the LG V40 ThinQ phone
As with every device in the V-series, the camera is the most prominent highlight of the LG V40 ThinQ phone.
This year, LG has opted for a 3-camera system on its latest flagship model, comprising a 12MP primary camera with f/1.5 aperture, 78-degree field of view, a 16MP wide-angle camera with f/1.9 aperture, 107-degree field of view, and a 12MP 2x telephoto camera with f/2.4 aperture, 45-degree field of view.
These cameras feature some tricks and special software that allow you to preview all camera angles before shooting to make the best choice. There's even a mode that lets you capture photos simultaneously with all three cameras.
Additionally, the LG V40 ThinQ phone has a special feature called Cine Shot, allowing users to create cinemagraphs (photos with moving elements). This feature is truly intriguing, enabling users to unleash their creativity.
Regarding the front camera, the LG V40 ThinQ phone boasts a standard 8MP lens with f/1.9 aperture and 80-degree field of view, and a wide-angle 5MP lens with f/2.2 aperture for a 90-degree field of view. This allows users to take wider selfies with more people in the frame. Additionally, users can blur the background and apply bokeh effects to selfies after taking them.
Google Lens feature is also integrated into the LG V40 ThinQ phone. With this feature, you just need to point the camera at any object to learn more about it.
Overall, adding another camera to the dual rear camera setup enhances the wide-angle shooting capability of the LG V40 phone. However, there hasn't been any breakthrough or market-leading feature. The triple cameras are not as miraculous as we hoped. Conversely, the image quality captured on the LG V40 phone is considered quite poor, with images lacking brightness and sharpness.
=> Conclusion: Overall, for a smartphone built around camera features, the LG V40 phone is truly disappointing despite having up to 5 cameras and coming with a host of useful software. Meanwhile, its powerful performance and large screen are not convincing enough for consumers, as you could easily buy a much better quality Samsung Galaxy Note 9 that also comes with the 'sacred' S Pen.
Therefore, if it were priced around 15 million VND, this LG V40 ThinQ phone would certainly be a great choice. However, with a price tag of nearly 20 million VND, it's difficult to justify putting the LG V40 ThinQ phone on the list of smartphones to buy, alongside Samsung's Galaxy Note 9 or the newly launched iPhone XS from Apple.
