The LG V10 has a tremendous amount going for it, including its great display, outstanding camera, plenty of battery life, and abundance of features and capabilities. It's among the sharpest phones we've tested, beginning with its 5.7-inch quad HD display, whose 1440x2560 resolution presents photos, videos, web pages, and other objects with more than 500 pixels per inch of detail. While it's unlikely most users will notice the benefits of those extra pixels in everyday use, other V10 features and capabilities will be hard to miss. For instance, it has a separate 2.1-inch (160x1040-resolution) screen that's intended to save battery life since you don't have to turn on the main screen for information, like the time. The screen is located above the main display and can show selected content and apps depending on the whether the main screen is on or off, or what app is open. If the main screen is off, you can see notifications, time, or swipe the second screen to access and launch the camera, flashlight, or more via their relatively tiny icons. When the main screen is on and you're in an app like the browser, you can directly launch another app such as the camera, play music, see upcoming plans, or more. Or, when you're in the camera app, the second screen will show some controls. Also, incoming calls or messages won't interfere or interrupt with what you're doing on the main screen. You can customize what you want to see on the second screen, and you can also just turn the second screen off.
The V10's main 15.9-megapixel camera produced good image quality and very-good 1080p video quality-among the best we've tested in a smartphone. The still images are sharp, the color accuracy is highly accurate, the dynamic range was great, and the quality is good under low-light conditions. The V10 can also record in Ultra HD (2160p) video format, which provides extra clarity when that video is viewed on an Ultra HD TV. The camera's optical image stabilizer improves your chances of taking better handheld photos and videos under low-light conditions. The camera has an interesting manual mode for hands-on adjustments of focus, ISO, shutter speed, white balance, and more, when shooting stills and even video. The V10 has two separate high-resolution front-facing 4.9-megapixel cameras that allow easy standard and wide-angle self-portraits, and they can also record at 1080p. The three separate cameras give the V10 the ability to have an intriguing multi-view mode which lets you takes still images or videos in various views with the two front and rear cameras. This way you end up with, for instance, three images or videos assembled into one combined shot.
Battery life overall is good, and we measured 16.5 hours of talk time, 13.5 hours of LTE data time, and 10 hours of WiFi browsing time. This model has rapid charging capability, which in our tests, took about 30 minutes to bring a drained battery to roughly 50 percent capacity using the included charger. Its removable battery and microSD card slot are other plusses; features which are becoming less common to find in other flagship-type smartphones.
The V10 also has one of the best-laid-out virtual keyboards we've seen. In portrait orientation, the keyboard features five rows (a rarity among phones) with dedicated keys for numbers across the top row, and its height and layout can easily be adjusted to the user's liking. You can even split the keyboard in two, in landscape orientation. It also has a trackpad-like cursor control.
The power and volume controls are on the back of the phone in a cluster below the rear-facing camera lens, instead of the top or sides. LG put them there to be closer to where it says people are likely to rest their index fingers while holding the phone. It also encompasses the fingerprint sensor, which lets you unlock the screen, see locked content, or authorize purchases with your fingerprint. You also don't need to hunt for the power button to wake up or turn off the screen. You can do that by simply double-tapping the display. When playing your own music or videos you can just use the convenient on-screen volume slider bar, though it doesn't work with all apps, such as YouTube. We did find that it took some time to get used to, for instance, when adjusting the volume while on a call. Overall, the V10 delivered top-notch performance in many key areas of our tests, including messaging, Web browsing, and display quality. In addition, the display is easy to see in bright light. The V10 has an abundance of capabilities and features. These include Capture+, a pull-down menu option app that lets you use your finger to scribble notes on anything you see on the phone's screen, from photos, e-mails, and calendar appointments to the home screen itself. The finished "memo" actually becomes a picture that you can easily e-mail or text to others, as well share on social networks. The QSlide feature lets you bring up to two apps, such as a video, messaging, calendar, or calculator as a resizable, transparent, adjustable, window on your screen so that you can perform other tasks. The V10 has an IR blaster and its QuickRemote app, like a universal remote, can be programmed to control compatible TVs, set-top boxes, Blu-ray players, and more. If you find the phone a bit too wide while holding it, you can shrink the dial pad and keyboard and slide them to either side of the phone's screen to bring them closer to your thumbs in portrait mode.
The V10 provides easy access to all main functions via a highly responsive touch screen that supports up to seven home screens of apps, programmable shortcuts, as well as back, home, and recent apps keys. You can even change the order or add up to five keys including a notifications and Capture+ key. There is also an EasyHome mode, which provides a simpler interface and layout as well as larger font sizes, for beginners. The V10 also has an extra "G" labeled Smart bulletin home screen showing customized info, that can be turned on or off. It contains LG Health and Smart tips providing useful smart phone guide tips. LG Health helps you manage and monitor overall health with steps, distance and more. The recent apps key launches a stack of screen shots of your most recently used apps, and the Dual window. Tap any one of them, and you can jump to that app. The Dual Window feature splits the screen to use two apps on the same screen including drag and drop interaction, and more. Pressing and holding the home key launches search. The V10 provides a straightforward way to add apps, widgets, or change wallpaper. You simply press and hold a blank spot on the screen to summon a Lazy Susan-style buffet of home screens, apps, widgets and other customization options. Pressing and holding the recent apps key gives you another way to access settings, and adding apps and widgets to the home screens. You can also launch the phone, messaging, browser, camera, and more directly from a locked screen without the need to first unlock the screen. You do this by swiping upward on any one of app icons that are visible on the locked screen that you customize to do so. The plus and minus volume buttons can also be used as shortcuts to the camera and Capture+ apps from a locked screen. Smart settings let you change settings profiles when you're home or away, or when using an accessory. For instance, WiFi or Bluetooth will automatically turn on or off when you're at home, and the music app will launch when earphones are plugged into the phones jack. The V10 though lacks Smart screen mode, which uses the front-facing camera to monitor your eyes so the screen won't time out while you're reading a Web page or other document, found in other LG smartphones.
The V10 lets you perform Google searches by voice command, and lets you download applications, services, and games, and more from the Google Play Store. Its multi-touch screen lets you zoom in and out of photos or Web pages using two fingers (for instance, your thumb and index finger). Capture plus lets you selectively capture a Web page with just a few taps. It also has a handy on-screen drop-down status bar that alerts you to and takes you to new messages, upcoming appointments, and other items that need your attention, even when your screen is locked. Its Android OS offers better text editing tools and controls for managing data usage, and enhanced voice-activated navigation and dictation.
The V10 supports Near Field Communication (NFC), a short-range wireless communication technology that allows the phone to read "smart" tags, or other items that have NFC capability in them. Though the technology is not yet widely deployed for mobile phone users, it could ultimately allow you to pay by phone at the register. The V10 supports a "4G" LTE network, allowing fast streaming, downloading, and uploading of high-definition videos and other large files. The fast network also facilitates better Web browsing experiences. The WiFi connection provides another way to access the Web, e-mail, and other Internet-based content, without using your data plan allowance.
MESSAGING: The virtual keyboard was excellent to use. In portrait orientation, it features five rows (a rarity among phones) with dedicated keys for numbers across the top row, and the height and layout can also easily be adjusted to the user's liking. You can even split the keyboard in two, in landscape orientation. It supports a method that allows users to type words without lifting a finger-literally. You enter a word by dragging your finger across the screen from letter to letter. Though it's initially awkward to use, we eventually had a lot of success "typing" quickly and accurately. A useful feature is the trackpad-like cursor control on the virtual keyboard which makes it easier to change text. You can move the cursor by just sliding your finger across the spacebar. This phone comes with common preset text messages, and also allows you to create custom preset text messages for your individual special situations or frequent use. If you find the phone a bit too wide while holding you can shrink the keyboard and slide it to either side of the phone's screen to bring them closer to your thumbs in portrait mode, and in landscape orientation you can even split it in two. Excellent e-mail readability and attachment capabilities. If you tilt the phone on its side while viewing e-mail (wide-screen mode), you see a split-view mode. The window on the left shows the e-mail list, and the window on the right shows the selected e-mail. You can adjust the size of the windows, and you can turn off the split-view mode to see the e-mail full-screen. This phone allows you to create and edit Word documents and Excel spreadsheets out of the box, which can come in handy when working on the go. The V10 also supports Microsoft Exchange and Outlook for work e-mail. When connected to Windows or Macintosh computers, this phone can appear on the computer as another drive. You can then transfer data to and from your phone as you could on a regular drive.
PHONE: We tested this phone under a variety of conditions to simulate environments ranging from the quiet indoors to noisy roadsides. We found very good voice quality when talking, good when listening. Talk time, overall, was an ample 16.5 hours. This phone has a very good mixture of controls and features for making and taking calls. Excellent keypad readability under most lighting conditions, even in bright light. If you find the phone a bit too wide while holding you can shrink the dial pad and slide it to either side of the phone's screen to bring them closer to your thumbs in portrait mode. Its voice command allows you to conveniently dial numbers from your phone book by speaking the name, without the usual training. You can also dial numbers by pronouncing the digits. It has Bluetooth for wireless hands-free voice communication. The V10 can simultaneously be on a phone call and an Internet-based connection over the cellular network. Can be used internationally.
MULTIMEDIA: The 15.9-megapixel camera has a very short shutter lag, and produced good quality pictures at ISO settings up to 400. It also did good under low-light conditions. Its optical image stabilizer improves your chances of taking better handheld photos and videos under low-light conditions. Camera has a flash, multi-point autofocus with laser sensor, manual ISO settings, and can record HD video. Its touch focus feature lets you override the autofocus by tapping on any subject on the screen. Its face detection comes in handy when you're snapping pics of babies, toddlers, or other fussy subjects. You can even take a picture by just saying "cheese." The camera's flash and ISO-setting controls also help improve your chances of taking better pictures under low-light conditions. You can also snap a still picture at any moment while shooting a video. In addition to manual mode mentioned above, the camera also has a simple mode, devoid of settings. You can also shoot images in JPG and RAW. The camera took very good 1080p video, on par with what you'd get with the better pocket camcorders. The V10 can also record in Ultra HD (2160x3840) video format which has benefits when viewing on an Ultra HD TV giving you extra clarity. You can also record in slow motion or speed-up. You can also pause a video in record mode and then restart the recording to make one continuous video file. Live zooming lets you zoom in on a portion of a video that is being played to make the preferred section appear larger. The two high-resolution front-facing 4.9-megapixel cameras allow easy standard and wide-angle self-portraits, and can also record at 1080p. The Gesture shot feature when using the front camera allows you to take a picture with a hand gesture, helpful when taking selfies.
The music player has the capabilities and controls of a typical stand-alone MP3 player, including an equalizer, music shuffle and repeat controls and options for sorting music by album, artist, etc. The player's equalizer also has pitch and speed controls. This model also supports Bluetooth stereo headsets, and can download music over the phone network. Its Bluetooth data support enables the phone to wirelessly share pictures, contacts, and other files with compatible printers, computers, and mobile devices.
GPS navigation capability provides spoken turn-by-turn directions and automatic re-routing. The V10 supports the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) standard and Miracast protocol. This lets the phone connect via WiFi to share content with other compatible certified devices such as a TV, printer, and computer. The V10 can act as a mobile hotspot for at least eight WiFi-enabled devices. It has 64GB of built-in memory and can support memory cards of more than 128GB. Its memory capacity is beneficial for storing music, videos, pictures, and other types of files. But the memory card is hard to access.
