LG V60 ThinQ 5G with Dual Screen: An awfully long name for a phone short on innovation

Update 2/26: LG has provided ballpark pricing for the V60.

You don’t actually need to see the LG V60 ThinQ 5G with Dual Screen to know what it is. Based on our experiences during a recent briefing and hands-on opportunity in New York, the V60 clearly looks like LG’s V50, V40, G8, and G7. It has a few gimmicks and some unnecessary carrier compromises. And it has a headphone jack.

In short, it’s an LG phone. It’s not entirely clear whether it will be the only flagship of 2020 from LG, but if there is a G9 in the works, my guess is that the only difference will be screen size. For better or worse, LG has a formula, and it’s sticking to it. I’m not really sure what, if anything, the ThinQ surname even means at this point, but you won’t find the G8’s 3D face unlock or touche commands, nor the V50’s tailored intelligence services in this iteration.

Ben Patterson/IDG

That said, the LG V60 ThinQ 5G is a perfectly fine 2020 phone. With a 6.8-inch screen and more bezel than the Galaxy S20 Ultra has, it’s a bit too big for my tastes, but LG is merely following the big-screen trend line. The Dual Screen case that we first saw on the G8X has some useful features, but it still feels like a very cheap imitation of the Galaxy Fold.

But if you’re looking for an Android phone with premium specs, the V60 checks off most of the boxes. We don’t know yet how much all of those components will cost—one of LG’s irksome carrier capitulations—but it’s certainly ready to go head to head with the S20 on paper:

• Dimensions: 169.3 x 77.6 x 8.79mm
• Display: 6.8-inch Full HD OLED
• Processor: Snapdragon 865
• RAM: 8GB
• Storage: 256GB
• Rear camera: Dual 64MP, f/1.8, OIS + 13MP Ultra Wide (117 deg), f/1.9
• Front camera: 10MP, f/1.9
• Battery: 5,000mAh
• OS: Android 10
• Colors: Classy Blue, Classy White

Those are all perfectly fine specs, though the 1080p 60Hz display will certainly show its inferiority alongside the S20 and upcoming OnePlus 8. LG has lagged somewhat with its smartphone displays, having only recently made the switch to OLED—so the V60 feels a bit behind the times, even with a screen size nearly as big as the 6.9-incher on the Galaxy S20 Ultra.

Ben Patterson/IDG

The same can be said of the design. While the corners are a bit more rounded, the V60 follows the same basic language LG introduced with the G7, and it very much looks like it’s stuck in 2018. The camera cutout at the top of the display is significantly smaller than the G8X’s, but the V60’s sizable top bezel doesn’t do it any favors. The chin is just as large, and the side bezels, while not as big as the top and bottom, are still distractingly thick.

Speaking of thick, the phone is pretty chunky at nearly 8.8mm, though its slight teardrop shape does well to hide it. At 218 grams it’s a bit lighter than the S20 Ultra…