LG V60 ThinQ 5G takes aim at Samsung Galaxy S20 with dual screens, lower price

Dazzled by the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra and its 6.9-inch display, massive battery and 5G connectivity? LG has its own answer to Samsung’s superphone — the LG V60 ThinQ 5G — that rivals the latest, greatest Galaxy in a number of key areas. And LG’s phone is going to cost much less than the pricey S20 lineup.

The V60’s OLED screen weighs in at 6.8 inches with the same aspect ratio as the one in the S20 Ultra, so it’s only a smidge smaller. However, the battery is pound for pound equal in size to the $1,399 Galaxy, at 5,000 mAh. You’ll surely need all the longevity it can offer to keep those 5G radios and the V60’s Snapdragon 865 processor humming along for a day or more.

Here’s everything we know about the LG V60 ThinQ 5G, including price and availability now that carriers have announced what they’re charging for the new phone.

LG V60 price and release date

Though LG took the wraps off the V60 ThinQ 5G in late February, it didn’t announce price and availability for the phone. That responsibility falls to wireless carriers offering the LG V60 ThinQ 5G, and they’ve now let us know just how much the device will cost.

Price and release date for the LG V60 is going to vary depending on which carrier you buy the phone from. AT&T and T-Mobile will offer the LG V60 first, with orders starting on March 20. Verizon starts taking orders for the LG V60 on March 26.

T-Mobile will offer the lowest price on the LG V60, letting you buy the phone for $799, or $33.34 a month for 24 months on an installment plan. Note that the $799 price only covers the single-screen version of LG’s phone. If you want the dual-screen option, tack on another $100 for an $899 price (or $37.50 a month on an installment plan).

AT&T charges $900 for the LG V60 ThinQ 5G with Dual Screen. We don’t have installment plan pricing at this time. Both AT&T and T-Mobile are offering BOGO deals, where you can get a second V60 for free when you buy your first phone on an installment plan.

Verizon charges $949 for the LG V60, with the dual screen included. That’s $39.58 per month on a 24-month payment plan.

Why the staggered release dates? Because Verizon’s version of the LG V60 works with its millimeter wave-based 5G network that delivers fast speeds. The V60 sold through AT&T and T-Mobile works on those carriers’ low band 5G networks, which offer broader coverage but slower speeds.

LG V60 cameras and video

All those aforementioned improvements don’t mean LG has forgotten about the V60’s cameras, and they look to be seriously punched up as well. Gone is the standard 12-megapixel, ƒ/1.5 lens from last year’s LG V50 ThinQ 5G; the V60 gains an all-new 64MP primary sensor and 13MP ultrawide shooter, alongside one of LG’s time-of-flight Z Cameras, designed to accurately measure depth for better portrait and bokeh effects. It can also capture 8K video, another commonality shared with the Galaxy S20 range.

Speaking of bokeh, the V60 has one new feature that certainly uses the term in a way we haven’t seen any phone maker attempt to use it before. Called Voice Bokeh, this mode allows the V60 to single out and prioritize an individual’s voice in a crowded environment, while fading out the rest. It sounds like a helpful feature for those who produce a lot of video, though much like camera features in LG’s previous handsets, it could venture into gimmick territory if it doesn’t make an appreciable difference.

LG V60 specs

LG V60 design

From a design perspective, the V60 hardly rewrites the book for LG’s phones. In fact, it looks to share more in common with the LG G8X ThinQ Dual Screen released last year, in that it sports a teardrop notch and can be used with a new version of the company’s second screen add-on that features the same 360-degree Freestop hinge we enjoyed in the last model.

Especially notable is the fact that LG has preserved the headphone jack on the V60, which will bring joy to people who aren’t ready to move to wireless headphones or wireless earbuds yet. Now that Samsung has notoriously nixed 3.5-millimeter jacks on its latest flagships, LG is the last holdout among major phone makers that still has faith in trusty old wired headphones.

LG V60 battery

LG has fitted the V60 ThinQ 5G with a 5,000 mAh battery. The 5G-equipped V50 had a 4,000 mAh battery but lasted a paltry 8 hours and 27 minutes in Tom’s Guide’s custom battery test last year. The best phones approach 12 hours in that test, and the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra recently clocked 12 hours and 3 minutes while set to its 60Hz display mode. (Samsung’s screen can go up to 120Hz, though our lab results proved the Galaxy S20 Ultra’s battery life suffers for it.)

Unlike the Galaxy S20 line, the LG V60 has a 60Hz screen. While that will make visuals and animations a bit less impressive than on Samsung’s handsets, it should mean good things for battery performance.

LG V60: Outlook

Now that we know the price of the LG V60, it could become a compelling alternative to Samsung’s Galaxy S20 lineup, particularly for people looking for a 5G phone. The cheapest model Samsung offers — the $999 Samsung Galaxy S20 — is still more expensive than the V60. And that accounts for the Dual Screen attachment available for LG’s phone.

Given all the hardware this phone is packing — from that bigger display and battery to Qualcomm’s X55 5G modem — LG’s ability to ship the V60 for under $1,000 with a whole extra screen might mean might the device has what it takes to land on our best phones list. For what it’s worth, the V50 ThinQ 5G debuted at $1,150 last year, so we’re looking at a sizable discount for the upcoming generation.

We’ll soon be able to get our hands on the LG V60 ThinQ 5G to see just how it measures up to the best Android phones available.