The LG V60 and VELVET Review: A Classic & A Design Restart
by Andrei Frumusanu on July 15, 2020 9:00 AM ESTSystem Performance
System performance of the two LG devices are interesting as they’re one of the first times we’re able to contrast Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765 versus the Snapdragon 865 from the same vendor, using the same software optimisations and design. We’re expecting the S765 to naturally fare worse, but the question is, how much worse is it?
Starting off with the web browsing test in PCMark which is very sensible to performance responsiveness of the DVFS system, we see that the V60 and Velvet both fare quite averagely. The V60 is in line with the OnePlus 8 devices at 60Hz in this test which is pretty much what we’d expect, but that also means it’s also slower than last year’s G8, which seemingly didn’t have an as quite conservative software configuration.
The Velvet isn’t doing well at all and besides of the weirdly behaving S20 Ultra with the Exynos 990 at 60Hz, is the worst performing devices here.
The writing sub-test which is generally more indicative of every-day performance of a device is again also quite contrasting between the two phones. The V60 fares well as is amongst the better performing Snapdragon 865 devices. The Velvet, which certainly not a slouch, compares more alike a 2018 flagship device in the scores.
In the Photo Editing test which makes use of the GPU power, there’s a huge difference in performance between the two phones. Again the V60 is in line with other S865 devices, whilst the Velvet tends to really lag behind the pack with its weaker GPU.
Overall, in PCMark, we see the V60 ending up on par with other 2020 flagship devices, although not quite able to best Samsung’s software optimisations. The Velvet is as expected a lower performing device, but it’s still quite a notable difference in the scores.
In the web-browsing and Javascipt browser tests, things are largely bottlenecked by the single-threaded performance of the CPUs of the SoC. With the Snapdragon 765 using a Cortex-A76 at 2.3GHz peak, the end performance is naturally quite a bit less than the more expensive flagship silicon. Generally, it seems the SoC falls in somewhere between a Snapdragon 845 and 855 in terms of performance, which is right where you’d expect it to be.
Overall Performance
Overall, the LG V60 was a very good performer and offers amongst the best experiences in 2020 – although LG’s lack of a higher refresh rate screen does mean it doesn’t quite give the smoothness that other devices are able to provide – although that’s just a compromise between performance and battery life.
The LG Velvet was actually a bit disappointing for me, and it really reminded me that the processing power of today’s SoCs are actually being fully utilised for daily usage of the phones. It’s not that the Velvet was unusable or a slouch, but I immediately noticed that it wasn’t quite as well of a performer compared to say the V60. In general terms, I would say the phone feels more like a 2018 flagship device in terms of responsiveness.
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s.yu - Wednesday, July 15, 2020 - link
It's supposed to work, out of the box. Are standard so low these days that people expect phones to automatically break once their software is no longer supported? I just pray that updates don't break my phone.Also flagships should generally be expected to be supported for longer, my backup S6E still got a security update this year(not that I asked for it, but as updates go it kept nagging me to accept), and that was a 2015 device.
TheinsanegamerN - Thursday, July 16, 2020 - link
My moto z play hasnt recieved any updates in 2 years, still works perfectly. Hell my note 4 still technically works (without carrier support) and that thing is ancient.eastcoast_pete - Wednesday, July 15, 2020 - link
I am probably not representative of many here, but I find the "non-contemporary" design of the V60 a big plus. Just having a 3.5 mm connector has become rare amongst the so-called flagship phones. The main issue that make me hesitate to buy another LG is the lack of commitment by the company to keep the OS up-to-date until at least 2023. I've been burned by LG before on that. So, LG, put that commitment in writing, and we might have a deal.TheinsanegamerN - Thursday, July 16, 2020 - link
Android phones dont just stop working when OS updates stop, and even Google wouldnt supply updates that long.My note 4 still loads any modern android app, and its running android 5.0. The apps are still updated and get security updates, the underlying framework doesnt relly matter anymore, anything that does has been tied into the play store by now.
Quantumz0d - Thursday, July 16, 2020 - link
Exactly. The OS app support compat is light years ahead of iOS instead of bending over for the new OS update you can control the phone. And the OS itself is downgrading, people should read on Scoped Storage - It removes your access to your own files, apps need to hit share to make it visible to other apps just like iOS, and folders access doesn't exist, File Management is also hit with this, Developers are hit with this by making POSIX I/O libs optimized for generations are thrown out of window for that SAF abomination with performance hit and a total shitshow on copying Apple. The sad part is no Security updates, that could have been done at CTS level or even Playstore modules but no one cares about that which is what many people would be happier to see.The HW is excellent man for this device but no battery replacement unfortunately, Note 4 is the last of that tech, Uv sensor, removable battery, solid performance, it's a great device. I still have my SGS with aftermarket battery for it's DAC chip of Wolfson Audio.
As for the OP's design I agree about how the V60 maintains the old fantastic unique look than the iPhone / Chinese bump riddled ugly tile.
bhupatib - Wednesday, July 15, 2020 - link
1. ToF camera is not 14um it's 1.42. It's not USB 2.0 but USB 3.1 since they are both capable of Desktop Mode which requires 3.1 with displayport spec.
lmcd - Thursday, July 16, 2020 - link
It's 100% possible to max out at USB 2.0 bandwidth, support PD, and support DisplayPort Alt Mode.mrvco - Wednesday, July 15, 2020 - link
My LG V40 is still going strong and it has grown on me quite a bit since I got it shortly after launch at the end of 2018. I received the update to Android 10 and one security update since. I still use it as my day-to-day phone instead of an XS Max. The good news with LG phones is that as long as you are even a little bit patient there is no need to pay list price. I paid $550 for a NIB V40 a month after launch and full price at T-Mobile for the V60 (single screen) is $699.99 now. Without seeing or holding one, at 599€ (and whatever that ends up being in the US), the Velvet is a tough sell though.s.yu - Wednesday, July 15, 2020 - link
>The good news with LG phones is that as long as you are even a little bit patient there is no need to pay list price.Also true for Samsung phones. More people need to see that :)
Actually the only exceptions may be Apple and the Chinese phones, everybody else you can expect discounts through certain channels shortly after shipping.
patel21 - Wednesday, July 15, 2020 - link
Andrei, please post a similar review for A71 if possible.