LG V10

Introduction

The LG V10 has a lot going for it - it's a flagship, a phablet, a camera phone, a rugged phone, a Hi-Fi phone and the first of the new V-series. It's a feature-packed device and its signature feature is the secondary always-on display and a dual selfie camera.

Key specifications

• 
  5.7"1440x2560 pixels
• 
  16MP2160p
• 
  1.82GHzSnapdragon 808
• 
  4GB RAM32/64 GB memory
• 
  3000mAhLi-Po

LG issues a serious challenge to other makers on the camera and audio battlefields with the V10. The phone is also LG's first to feature a fingerprint reader since 2009's GW820 eXpo (not counting the Google-designed Nexus 5X).

Design and build quality

The LG V10 is an exercise in rugged design and premium engineering. The chassis, which LG has dubbed Dura Guard, is built out of 316L stainless steel (which is harder and heavier than aluminum). Stainless steel is covered with chromium oxide and when scratched, the chromium underneath reacts with oxygen from the air and heals the scratch, preventing further damage.

Weight: 192gWhat's this?

Thickness 8.6mmWhat's this?

The second part of the equation is Dura Skin, an elastic, silicone-like material that is twice as resistant to scratches as plastic and 10x better than aluminum. Anyway, if you were hoping for some LG bezel magic, the V10 doesn't deliver. It fits well enough in the hand for its screen size and given its size the weight doesn't feel overwhelming. Still, it could have been more compact and a lot lighter.

In the hand the V10 feels big, though manageable. As we saw earlier, it's on the higher end of the size spectrum for a device with a 5.7" screen and the stainless steel frame contributes adds extra width, which does have an effect on handling.

LG's trademark back button arrangement is back, but with a new member joining the team. The Power button (that splits the volume buttons) is now also a fingerprint reader and it works quickly and reliably.

Display

The screen below that Gorilla Glass 4 is a 5.7" Quantum display. Besides that the LG V10 has a small secondary screen strip above the main screen. The secondary display can be left on 24/7 and serves for notifications and shortcuts.

Photo camera

The LG V10 camera uses the same basic hardware as the G4. This means a 1/2.6" sensor with 16MP resolution (widescreen aspect ratio). The sensor sits behind a bright f/1.8 lens, which lets in 80% more light than G3's f/2.2 lens.

It's optically stabilized with optional digital stabilization. OIS helps not only for video shooting but also when the light is low. The V10 has a few more tricks - Laser autofocus for fast, accurate focus locks and a color spectrum sensor that promises accurate color (white balance) rendering even in tricky lighting situations.The image quality is highly impressive. Photos are exceptionally rich in detail and sharp from edge to edge. Colors are fairly accurate, with the extra noise being the only potential issue on a few occasions. The dynamic range is quite good as well.

The dual selfie cameras are quite interesting too, one offering wider field of view than the other. We find the innovative concept great and the image quality is fairly good, though noise reduction hampers their performance and colors come out washed out.