The 5.7-inch LG V10 isn’t a small phone. It is thin at just 8.6mm but weighs a substantial 192g. The main display has a resolution of 2560×1440 but isn’t the only screen adorning the front of the device.
Another “ticker” display sits above the primary one, at the top of the V10’s chassis. Measuring up at 2.1-inches and 106×1040 pixels, the ticker acts independently of the main display and can be used to keep information such as news, time and battery level permanently visible, even when the phone is locked and the screen turned off. LG says this shouldn’t impact battery life too much.
During use, the ticker acts as a kind of extra launcher facility, becoming a place to store shortcuts to apps and show alerts for incoming notifications. The ticker is likely to appeal to people who frequently multitask on their phone and like to keep a permanent eye on the world around them.
Selfie fans will also enjoy the V10. It has two 5-megapixel front-facing cameras, although they are not exactly the same. The difference is in the field of view: one is 80-degrees, one is 120-degrees. This allows for super-wide selfie-snapping but unfortunately prevents the two cameras from being used to take 3D photos.
The V10’s body is built from stainless steel covered in a durable silicone skin. LG says it should be able to survive drops that would damage its competitors. Independent tests found it could endure being dropped 48 inches from several different angles.
The phone will debut running Android 5.1.1 Lollipop and will be upgraded to 6.0 Marshmallow at a later date. Google only formally unveiled the new operating system this week so LG hasn’t had time to preload it on its new phone. HTC is still widely thought to be revealing the first third-party Android M handset next month at its October 20 event.
Internal hardware specifications of the V10 are essentially identical to those of LG’s current flagship device, the G4. The V10 sports a hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor, fingerprint sensor, Quick Charge 2.0 support, 3,000mAh removable battery and 16-megapixel primary camera. The RAM has seen an upgrade over the G4 and now sits at 4GB, an amount which even the most intensive user isn’t likely to want more from.
Storage options are limited to just one configuration: 64GB with a microSD card slot. The V10 will not be offered with the leather backs of the G4 and instead comes in Space Black, Luxe White, Modern Beige, Ocean Blue and Opal Blue colours. Pricing and availability are yet to be announced.
