LG V40 ThinQ review

Package

The package contains an 8V/1.8A power adapter for fast charging, a USB/USB-C cable and a pair of in-ear headphones that are definitely superior to most included headphones and have Anti-tangling fabric cable.

Build and Ergonomics

This LG V40 (Check on Amazon.com) picks up where we left with the V30 (Check on Amazon.com) a device that we liked very much. We have a central block of cameras (along with the fingerprint reader) positioned at the center of the rear glass which is slightly rounded at the sides and fits perfectly into the polished metal of the frame. This year’s novelty is the silk-effect finish that reminded us of the one we loved on the Pixel 3. It’s very nice to the touch and it also has the great advantage of attracting very few fingerprints. The V40 ThinQ is also IP68 certified and resistant to shocks and falls according to the military standard MIL-STD-810G. There is one thing that should not be underestimated: this LG V40 is also the lightest top-of-the-range smartphone of 2018, weighing just 169 grams.

Hardware

The LG V40 ThinQ is a true top of the range in every aspect: we have a 2.7GHz octa core Snapdragon 845 CPU combined with an Adreno 630 GPU, 6GB of RAM and 128GB of expandable internal memory. Connectivity is also great: Dual SIM support, LTE up to 1Gbps, Wi-Fi ac dual-band, Bluetooth 5.0, FM radio and there is also a 3.5mm audio jack. This connector can take advantage of two audio technologies: a 32bit DAC that guarantees high volumes and high fidelity quality, and DTS:X technology that creates a 3D surround effect. There is also an NFC chip, a barometer and GPS assisted by GLONASS and Galileo. And finally, we also have the video output via the USB-C 3.1 port.

Camera

This LG smartphone is equipped with 5 cameras: 3 rear and 2 front ones. The triple rear module has a 12-megapixel ƒ/1.5 main camera, a 12-megapixel ƒ/2.4 2x zoom camera and a 16-megapixel ƒ/1.9 wide-angle camera. The first two also enjoy optical stabilization. The classic LG camera app has few frills, but is now equipped with a couple of interesting goodies. For example, we have the possibility to see a preview of how the photo would look. We also find some nice shooting modes, such as augmented reality (by Google), custom 3D avatars, animated GIFs, portrait mode (which isn’t very precise) and also the AI Cam, which must be activated manually but doesn’t do a convincing work; we prefer to keep it off.

But let’s talk about quality: the images taken with the main sensor are always great. The quality of the other two cameras is as you can imagine a little bit less. They exist in order to let us capture stills otherwise impossible with a single camera. The main camera balances colors very well and offers good image definition. The shooting speed is very good and the focus speed is consistent with other top of the range smartphones, albeit not lightning-fast. Even in low light conditions the photos are still enjoyable, although not at the level of what other flagships can do.

The V40 lets you record good 4K@60fps video. The zoom is fluid and the solid electronic stabilization is combined with the optical one. The quality of the recorded audio is also good. The dual front camera consists of an 8 megapixel ƒ/1.9 sensor and 5 megapixel ƒ/2.2 one. The second is wide-angle and allows you to take better group selfies.

Display

This LG V40 has a notch that interrupts the upper part of the large 6.4-inch display and contains the two front cameras and the capsule headset. The display is a good P-OLED panel with QHD+ resolution (3120×1400 pixels). Supported technologies include HDR10 and Dolby Vision, as well as the ability to activate the always-on feature, double tap awakening and comfort view to protect your eyes.

Software

The LG V40 isn’t updated to Android Pie out of the box. Not the best first impression for a flagship phone in 2019. The custom LG interface doesn’t interfere much with the stock Android experience, and simply adds some features, such as the lateral floating bar for shortcuts, the ability to customize the notification bar to the side of the notch and QuickMemo+ that conveniently lets you take notes on any screen. In addition, we must praise LG for the dedicated Google Assistant button on the left side.

Autonomy

The battery is a 3300mAh unit that supports Quick Charge 3.0 and Qi wireless charging. Despite not being particularly big it always managed to last for a full day.

Price

The LG V40 ThinQ costs (Check on Amazon.com), which is too much.

Final Verdict

The LG V40 is the perfect fusion and evolution of the LG G7 (Check on Amazon.com) and the V30 (Check on Amazon.com). It is beautiful, powerful, fast, light, and with nothing missing. However, its price is prohibitive, at least for now.