The LG V20 that was initially released in the South Korean market last September and was promised to be available internationally within the third quarter of the year is now available since last month. It was said to be LG's most expensive smartphone and had everyone talking about its impressively advanced camera specs.
But shortly after many people were able to get their hands on the LG V20, they were left with disappointment. Now, the LG V20 is getting shipped to more countries. Will the potential buyers from other countries be enticed to buy the LG V20 and see it in a different light, or will they share the same disappointment?
According to ABS-CBN, the "world-class" LG V20 smartphone is now available in the Philippines with its launch event held at the Bang & Olufsen store at Shangri-La Plaza last October 27. In the article, it stated that it was a great phone for music lovers and selfie lovers. The V20's functionality and durability was also showcased there. The V20 runs up to P35, 990 ($739) and comes with a free B&O headset.
The Backlash
In an article posted at Android Central, it talks about the V20's camera. The article then further states that the V20 is intended for "teenagers and young adults who wants to get creative but who isn't keen on wielding the same phone as the rest of her schoolmates." Here is a brief explanation why the V20 is not for everyone according to the article:
The LG V20
First, the V20 promises its owners to give them the necessary hardware and feature to shoot, snap, tweet, record, and everything else that they need to broadcast their life to the world. While the V20 stays true on this, there are some features that still need to be considered before buying it.
No Consistency
While the LG V20 is praised for its cameras, given that it has a 16 MP normal angle and 8MP wide angle back camera, and a 5MP front snapper, it still needs helps from third-party apps to deliver that great quality photos.
Not A Great Low Light Performer
Though it can hold a candle in taking pictures in dark restaurants and poor-lit bars, it struggles to give capture everything in great detail even with a 16 MP camera. According to the article, "There were several instances that photos looked too grainy to lighten after the fact. It's hard to focus the V20 in darker environments without the aid of the manual focus mode and I later discovered that many of the photos that looked fine in the Gallery app were too blurry to even bother stowing away as a memory when viewed on a larger screen."
The 8MP Wide Angle
Even with an 8MP wide angle lens has a drawback. The only drawback is that there is a bit of a fisheye distortion with the landscape shots that makes it harder to crop and edit.
Manual Mode
In the auto shooting mode, it has trouble adjusting exposure levels. In the manual mode however, it leaves you a clean photo and lets you take the photo into a third-party app like Adobe Lightroom to add the finishing touches.
Front Camera
The 5MP front snapper is not as featured as the back camera. But if switched over, it gives access to all the camera features in the app. Also, the wide angle shooting mode is available, too.
Video Quality
According to the article, the V20's 16MP and 8MP wide angle cameras are fine for shooting casual videos. Bu though LG hails the fact that the V20 utilizes Qualcomm's digital image stabilization system, if fails to deliver due to its inconsistency.
Added Bonus
The V20 doesn't really need to download a third-party app that can string together video collages or trim videos. Making you be able to save that extra space and lets you shoot a story mode if you feel like it.
The Verdict
Given that it is expensive and boast of its impressive advanced camera specs (which has its flaws due to inconsistency), overall, to some people who are not really into taking pictures, selfies and recording videos, this is not a smart buy. But if you're a person who wants to be creative with pictures and videos, then the LG V20 is the right smartphone for you.
