LG Velvet in all colors
LGThe evolution of smart phones has reached a strange inflection point. The latest innovations seem to be centered around folding screens, reminiscent of a bygone era of Sidekicks and flip phones. There are two prominent folding phones making their way into the market: folding screens and hinged devices. The LG Velvet is thankfully only partly one of those things, wisely relegating the hinge folding part to an accessory.
Over the past decade I've only owned a handful of phones and when put up against current standards, the LG Velvet immediately stands out. My stepping stones to this point have been a Blackberry, a Motorola Droid Ultra, a CAT S41 and the OnePlus 7T 5G McLaren, the latter being the most comparable to the LG Velvet, with features of the CAT series of phones to consider. While the LG Velvet is currently locked to either AT&T (GSM) or Verizon (CDMA), it still is a 5G-capable phone at a highly competitive price point ($600 on AT&T, $700 at Verizon).
With that basic information out of the way and bench-marking stats ignored (that's not what I do here), let's take a deeper dive into some of the features of the LG Velvet that with the 5G and price point, put it above many other phones on the market (including the Apple iPhone as far as I'm concerned, considering I'm a ride or die for Google Android). As inferred, the LG Velvet has a folding phone trick up its case. Except it's completely optional.
The LG Velvet follows suit of prior LG phones with a LG Velvet compatible case that offers a second screen.
It's the third evolution of this second screen phone case from LG, offering a better fit, sleeker feel and the same screen quality as the phone screen itself. The dual screen case is super tight, requiring the user to shove on the camera lenses to get the phone out. This would seem counter-intuitive, but the phone can handle it.
The LG Velvet is MIL-STD-810G passed, which puts it in a small group of phones, including the LG ThinQ series. Also included in that group are CAT phones, which are thick, rugged phones. To meet that specification while keeping the phone slick and shiny is a more useful technology (IMO) than a folding screen. It's also IP68 Certified, which follows the trend of most top tier phones on the market.
LG Dual Screen case
LGBack to the dual screen. The screen is optimized for dual screen use, rather than cross-screen texting. Which leads into the current marketing push by LG, pitching it as an optimal device for working or schooling from home. The dual screen is intended to mimic two monitors, though obviously a bit smaller. As someone with four monitors who is forced to work while mobile, the option for a second screen is helpful, especially while writing. Notes in one screen, work in the other.
At first, one might roll their eyes at working on mobile (especially during a pandemic) and there was a time where I would have refused to do any work on my mobile device while wandering around Walmart, but now, being connected 24/7 and working from home, it's extremely feasible. Especially with many more sites and apps optimized for mobile use. I find that holding the LG Velvet like a sidekick when using the dual screen is extremely efficient.
Some of the features on the LG Velvet make sense for a phone released in the second half of 2020. It comes with 6GB RAM with 128GB of internal storage and a slot for expandable SD storage (something a lot of current phones lack). There's a responsive (is there any other kind) in-display fingerprint sensor and as-advertised all-day battery life (with a 20% drop in daily battery life if dual-screen is used all day).
The camera is a 48 MP standard with accompanying 5 MP depth and 8 MP ultra-wide angle lenses. This offers a 120-degree ultra-wide angle picture option, something that LG has been at the forefront of developing for a few years. The LG Velvet also carries forward LG's Game Pad application, which optimizes the LG for gaming, working with games such as PUBG and Asphalt 9: Legends. I'm not much for mobile gaming, but a dual screen mimics a Gameboy Advance and we're all familiar with that kind of charm.
The LG Velvet also offers something called Voice Bokeh, a feature that separates human voices from background noise when recording. This type of built-in noise reduction assists creators immediately and limits the amount of post-production on professional recordings. There is also an ASMR setting for recording, if you are into that sort of thing. I’m whispering this text right now.
The smart phone market is a continuously updated pile of rectangles of comparable statistics.
Unless you are trapped in the Apple ecosystem, waiting for an iPhone to finally carry true 5G capabilities, you have true depth of field when it comes to selecting a new smart phone. Most of them are running Google Android and most of them are fragile pieces of pocket glass priced over $1000. It's almost exhausting to choose at this point.
I don't acquire new phones that often, I generally use something until it breaks. Which is why the LG Velvet stands out for me, not only for the 5G and price, but because I don't need to buy a screen protector. I don't need to buy a case and have the option for dual screen if I deem it necessary in any instance. Plus it has a 3.5mm headphone jack (albeit on the bottom of the phone) and comes in multiple colors.
With it’s MIL-SPEC and IP rating and the dual screen possibilities, it’s likely that the LG Velvet will remain in use for quite a while. It’s tough to justify spending upwards of $1000 on a new phone every year, so it’s refreshing to find a 4K OLED phone that has a processor (Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 765G 5G Mobile Platform) that can keep up with updates while the physicality of the phone keeps up with our general phone-related clumsiness.
This folding screen loop that we seem to be caught in, either to further the technology of screens that fold or to capture a nostalgic whim for the flip phone of yore is yet to reach its technological apex. That is to say that self-contained folding phones (with either a folding screen or hinge system) are not really ready for mass-market consumption. We’re still in the first generation of those devices as indicated by constant technical issues and price points. But yet, it’s still a very helpful and neat technology, so having a fully competent (durable) and modern phone with the option for a dual screen sets the LG Velvet apart and above its direct competition.
LG seems to be taking a patient tact with folding phones (though its next phone seems to take a more aggressive stance). This benefits the end user, as it eases us into this next evolution of smart phones. The LG Velvet manages to do this while creating a phone that is affordable, has up-to-date specs for video, camera and audio and doesn’t just come in black. So yeah, it’s a nice rectangle for your money.
The Link LonkAugust 28, 2020 at 02:00AM
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LG Velvet Offers Its Dual Screen As An Accessory, As It Should Be - Forbes
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