Photos and Features

Even at just a glance it is easy to tell that the V10 is an LG phone. It shares a few features that have been in all of the LG G series phones like having the power and volume buttons on the back. That said most people recognize the LG G4 and the new G5 but the V10 isn’t as widely known. Officially it is a touch larger although the screen size is only about ¼ of an inch larger than the G4. The design has the same thin bezel designed that I loved when I spent time with the G3. The V10 is available in Space Black or Luxe White from Verizon, Verizon is who provided the phone so our sample is in the Luxe White. What sets the V10 apart though are its premium features and a great example of that is visible even on first glance with the rose colored metal trim down the sides.

So starting with the front of the V10. Most of the front is covered by the phones 5.7 inch IPS display. This stands out from the white trip at the top and the bottom of the front. Like I mentioned before it does have a very thin bezel, especially on the sides where the glass screen runs all the way to the metal edge pieces. Up top the white houses a chromed metal mesh that is the headset speaker with the light sensor next to it that lets the phone know when you have the phone to your ear to turn off the display and the touch screen so you don’t bump anything when talking. Below the top bezel are two other features that are unique to the V10. First on the left there are actually two different front facing cameras. Other phones only have one but LG felt that the front facing camera is important and doubled up. The sensors are the same but each has different optics, this allows one camera to have a wide angle and the other to be narrow. This way you can skype or take photos and not show your surroundings or if you want it to show everything you can go with the wide angle. The two cameras are hidden behind the glass screen and next to the other unique feature. The V10 has a second screen up on the top, it is only .2” tall but it runs from next to the cameras all the way over. It displays in full color. The idea here is to be able to show notifications without turning on the main screen, saving battery power. Down under the main screen the bezel is much thicker, they use this space to slip in an LG logo but nothing else really as all of the important features in this area are down along the edge and I will get to those next.

The rose finish on the metal side pieces really set the phone apart and my initial impression wasn’t all that good of the finish. After spending time with the V10 the color did grow on me. I love the use of premium materials like metal, especially along the sides where you will be holding the phone the most. There is nothing worse than a poor quality chrome finish on top of plastic in a high wear area like this, they typically wear thin within months of day to day use. The metal pieces run on both sides and because it is an LG phone there are no volume or power buttons on the sides. Down along the bottom edge of the phone we do have the Micro USB port in the middle. On the left is a microphone and headphone port. Then over on the right the wide hole with the mesh is the speakerphone and the tiny hole is the microphone for the headset and the speakerphone. The last picture below is the top edge. Here we have a second microphone port and then a tiny spot for the built in IR blaster! I really wish all phones had an IR blaster, they can be so useful.

Here on the back we can better see that this is an LG phone with the buttons being placed in the middle. Having spent time with multiple LG phones I have grown a lot more used too this configuration, the first few phones I hated it. At this point I have gotten used to it and can see how some people would like it, but I do still prefer the buttons be on the side of the phone. The back of the phone has a plastic finish and it has been heavily textured for a better grip. It’s a little weird really with the phone having metal and glass on the rest of the phone to have such a large plastic area but they did this so that it would be easy to remove. Under the cover you can remove the battery and also get in and install your own micro SD card as well.

They did slip a little metal in around the rear facing camera. The camera is 16 MP with a f/1.8 aperture for better low light performance. It is placed in the middle of the phone with a thick machined ring around it to keep it protected. This is the thickest point on the phone and when you sit the phone down on its back it will sit on the metal ring so without it the lens would be very vulnerable. On the left of the camera is the LED flash and on the right is the light sensor to aid the camera. For the middle mounted buttons the configuration is the same as previous models with the power and unlock button in the middle and the volume above and below it. One big thing is different on the V10 though, the power button now has a built in finger print sensor. This can make unlock and locking your phone a lot more secure and easier as well. Last but not least, down along the bottom on the rear cover the V10 logo as well as the Verizon logo are embossed into the grippy finish.