LG K20 V Review: Better Than the K20 Plus or the Same Thing?

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LG K20 V: At First Glance

Since the first release of the LG K20 in 2017, many LG customers and smartphones lovers alike have not been clear on the different versions of the phone.

To clarify that piece of information, there are truly three versions of the LG K20. There’s the K20 Plus sold by T-mobile and MetroPCS, then the K20 by AT&T and the K20 V by Verizon.

This means there are three variants of the LG K20 based on different telecommunication carriers. Now, the big question is, what makes the LG K20 V any different from the other versions.

You’ll find answers in subsequent paragraphs.

LG K20 V: Design, Dimensions and Weight

Just by looking at the LG K20 V, you can tell the Korean company tried its best to deliver a premium design for its price point. To start with, this phone obviously has a plastic body which we can expect for its price.

Even with its plastic body, it’s still desirable to look at and hold as well.

It’s common to have different color variants to choose from when purchasing a device. However, just like the LG K20 Plus, the K20 V has just one color variant which is black.

Not sure why LG would do that but one thing is for sure – it’s not commendable. However, despite its single color, the K20 V comes with the same bronze-like ascent on its edges as the K20 Plus.

Speaking of edges, the exact dimension of this phone is 147.32 x 73.66 x 7.62 mm. Such a dimension makes this phone moderate to use and toss in your pocket.

Furthermore, you’ll find this device lightweight at 133.5g. In comparison, the K20 V is lighter than the K20 and K20 Plus which weigh 142g and 140g respectively.

Asides LGs products, the Huawei P9 and Alcatel X1 weigh similar at 144g and 140g respectively. The Moto G4 however weighs a lot more at 155g.

Apparently, it’s realistic to say that the LG K20 V is a lightweight phone when compared to other smartphones in its range.

Surrounding the dimensions of this lightweight smartphone are both thick and narrow bezels. To be exact, you’ll see the thick black bezels at the top and lower areas of the phone’s surface.

The left and right edges however are narrow. The top bezel has just the front-facing camera at the top-left area.

As for the lower bezel, all you get on there is the LG logo. There’s no Back, Home, and Recent key (navigation key) or front-mounted fingerprint sensor to justify the thick bezel.

Away from the bezels, the left side of this phone is where you’ll see the volume bar. The right side is bare and that’s because there’s no power button on here – another feature is responsible for that which you’ll find out as you read on.

By the lower edges are the Micro USB charging port and headphone jack. You’re probably wondering where the SIM slot is, well, just like the K20 Plus, this phone’s SIM slot is located at the back.

Speaking of the back, on turning over this phone, you’ll see the rear-facing camera way at the top. Followed by it are the LED flash and the fingerprint sensor.

Slightly below those components is the “Verizon” text logo and far below that is the LG logo. By the left corner of the back, just beside the LG logo is the back-facing obvious speaker.

I referred to the speaker as “obvious” because unlike the slim speaker of the K20, that of the K20 V is so obvious and unattractive. Furthermore, just being a back-facing speaker already makes it unattractive.

This is because the location of such a speaker would produce interrupted sound. That said, you should use an earphone if you want to hear some good sounds on the K20 V.

Back to the SIM slot, the back cover of the K20 V can be removed like the K20 Plus without hassle. It’s by removing this cover that you’ll see a single slot.

What appears like a single slot is actually two overlapping slots. One is meant for the nano-SIM while the other is for the microSD card.

A smartphone that can only accommodate a single SIM card is limiting. After all, as we know, most smartphones actually come with two SIM slots or a single SIM slot and another that can double as a SIM or microSD card slot.

Anyway, if you use just one SIM card and you don’t have any reason to add another one, then this may not mean much.

Overall, the LG K20 V is a lightweight device with some admiring looks. Although, having just one color variant and a single SIM slot is not impressive.

Considering those reasons, I will be rating this design section an eight out of ten in this LG K20 V review.

LG K20 V: Display Features

When it comes to its display features, the LG K20 V comes with the typical features you can expect at its price. The display of this smartphone consists of an IPS LCD, HD resolution, and a 5.3″ screen size.

Now, let’s discuss them one at a time. To start with, the IPS LCD is one common display technology you’ll find in low-budget smartphones – unlike the AMOLED display which is found in more high-end smartphones.

Even though it’s found in low-budget smartphones, the IPS LCD is good at color reproduction and enhanced viewing angles. Having good viewing angles means no matter how you tilt the phone, you still get the display in its original form.

However, one disadvantage of the IPS LCD is its battery draining capacity. Even at that, you can trust that the LG K20 V has good color reproduction and viewing angles for your pleasure.

The display resolution of the K20 V is HD (1280 x 720). In the world of display resolutions, the HD is the lowest of them all.

Even though LG wanted to make this a low-budget smartphone, they could have at least opted for an FHD resolution instead. Also, HD resolution is the same resolution type on the K20 Plus and K20 so it’s an intentional move by LG.

Notably, the downside of the HD resolution is that visual information wouldn’t be as crispy clear as you’ll expect. Anyway, if you’re going for this phone with its resolution, you’ll just have to make do with what you get.

Moving on, the LG K20 V has a display screen size of 5.3″. This is pretty much the same size as the other K20 versions.

That said, we can say that this smartphone is moderate in size for whatever you view on this screen.

All in all, the display features are average and deserving of an eight in this section of the LG K20 V review.

LG K20 V: Camera Features

The K20 V comes with a 13 MP rear-facing camera and a 5 MP selfie camera. Furthermore, this 13 MP camera has a ƒ/2.2 aperture while the 5 MP selfie camera has a ƒ/2.4 aperture.

Just in case you’re hearing about “aperture” for the first time, it’s an important feature that defines how well or not a camera performs. More precisely, an aperture is how wide the camera lens opens which in turn determines how much light passes through the camera.

Funny enough, the lower the figure, the better the aperture, which means you should always go for a lower aperture.

Starting with the rear-facing camera, it takes good pictures for its price point. It also includes the HDR shooting mode and special effects which enhances picture quality.

This camera takes sharp and colorful images. When it comes to HD video recording, the back camera is impressive for taking videos.

As for the selfie camera, it includes beautification features and a screen-based flash. Since the selfie camera doesn’t have a dedicated LED flash, the screen-based flash enhances shooting in low-light situations.

Overall, the K20 V camera takes decent pictures for its price category. Even though it can’t be compared with what’s in more expensive phones, it takes some pretty good pictures and is far better than the K20.

With that said, the camera section deserves an eight in this LG K20 V review.

LG K20 V: Battery Life and Talk Time

The LG K20 V is powered by a 2800 mAH removable battery. The K20 V is only 100 mAH higher than the K20 Plus but the same as the K20.

Also, both the K20 V and K20 Plus have batteries that can be easily removed. Having a removable battery is a total advantage because it means you can replace the battery yourself without having to send it to the manufacturer.

This also means you can have another battery on the side as a standby in case this 2800 mAH battery disappoints. Speaking of disappointments, the K20 V battery has a good battery life that will serve you a whole day without worries.

Actually, this smartphone has an average battery talk time of up to 32 hours. This is more than twice the talk time of the K20 Plus which has 14 hours of talk time.

As much as you know about the battery life, you’re also probably wondering if you’ll spend ages charging this phone. Well, the LG K20 V doesn’t have a fast charging feature which means you’ll spend over two hours from 0-100% charge.

In brief, this battery is decent and has a good battery life even though it lacks a fast charging feature. Based on all these, I will rate LG K20 V an eight in this battery review section.

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LG K20 V: Storage Options and Performance

The storage on this smartphone is the typical type we are used to. The LG K20 V comes with 16 GB storage which is smaller than the LG K20 Plus with 32 GB.

By smartphone standards, 16 GB is quite small to have on a smartphone. Furthermore, you won’t get exactly 16 GB when you purchase the phone and that’s because system data takes about 6 GB of that storage.

Apparently, 10 GB won’t do any good when it’s time to store up media files on this smartphone. Fortunately, LG made up for such small storage space by expanding the microSD card to accept up to 2 TB.

It’s also worth noting that a microSD card doesn’t come with this phone in the box. Instead, you’ll have to purchase it separately.

Such large storage is a great improvement because most smartphones usually accept maximum expandable storage of 256 GB. Notably, LG has this same feature in the other K20 versions and also the LG X Charge.

With that said, it seems the 2 TB storage is a usual pattern from LG. All the same, you won’t have to worry about running out of storage on this smartphone.

Despite its low storage capacity, the storage expansion is very commendable. For that reason, I will be rating this storage section a nine in this LG K20 V review.

LG K20 V: Security Features and Sensors

Sensors are important features of a smartphone that makes our user experience more interesting. Generally, these sensors include proximity, accelerometer, compass, ambient light, and gyro sensors.

To be exact, the LG K20 V actually comes with an accelerometer, compass, fingerprint, and proximity sensors. It’s impressive to have four sensors on this device compared to the LG K20 which has only two sensors.

For clarity, I’ll explain what these four sensors are and their function. First, the accelerometer is the sensor responsible for screen rotation.

This means, when you tilt the phone, the accelerometer makes sure the phone goes in that direction you want. The second is the compass sensor.

As the name implies, it provides direction whenever you’re making use of an app that needs the function of a compass. The third sensor is the proximity sensor which turns off screen brightness when the phone is close to the face or ear.

Apparently, this mostly happens during a call. The proximity sensor also does well to prevent a strain on the battery.

Finally is the fingerprint sensor which is actually a security feature. This fingerprint sensor makes sure that you’re able to unlock the LG K20 V with your fingerprint.

In addition to its security feature, this fingerprint sensor also doubles as the power button. Now you know why this phone doesn’t have a dedicated power button!

As a whole, this section has some pretty good features that make it well-deserving of a nine in this LG K20 V review.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

In conclusion, the LG K20 V is a good deal for its price tag. It may not tickle your fancy, but it provides satisfying features.

If we are to compare the K20 V with the other three versions, the K20 V is a better deal. Even with its generic and similar features as the K20 Plus, the K20 V is more affordable.

Furthermore, if you’re a simple smartphone user, the K20 V will really suit your needs. Most importantly, don’t forget its limiting single SIM slot which may be a disadvantage if you’re using two SIM cards.

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