LG V60 ThinQ 5G with Dual Screen: An awfully long name for a phone short on innovation

For better or worse, LG has a formula, and it’s sticking to it.

- MICHAEL SIMON

You don’t actually need to see the LG V60 ThinQ 5G with Dual Screen to know what it is. Based on our experiences during a recent briefing and hands-on opportunity in New York, the V60 clearly looks like LG’s V50, V40, G8, and G7. It has a few gimmicks and some unnecessary carrier compromises. And it has a headphone jack.

In short, it’s an LG phone. It’s not entirely clear whether it will be the only flagship of 2020 from LG, but if there is a G9 in the works, my guess is that the only difference will be screen size. For better or worse, LG has a formula, and it’s sticking to it. I’m not really sure what, if anything, the ThinQ surname even means at this point, but you won’t find the G8’s 3D face unlock or touch commands, nor the V50’s tailored intelligence services in this iteration.

That said, the LG V60 ThinQ 5G is a perfectly fine 2020 phone. With a 6.8-inch screen and more bezel than the Galaxy S20 Ultra has, it’s a bit too big for my tastes, but LG is merely following the big-screen trend line. The Dual Screen case that we first saw on the G8X (go.pcworld.com/lg8x) has some useful features, but it still feels like a very cheap imitation of the Galaxy Fold.

But if you’re looking for an Android phone with premium specs, the V60 checks off most of the boxes. We don’t know yet how much all of those components will cost—one of LG’s irksome carrier capitulations—but it’s certainly ready to go head to head with the S20 on paper:

Dimensions: 169.3 x 77.6 x 8.79mm

Display: 6.8-inch Full HD OLED

Processor: Snapdragon 865

RAM: 8GB

Storage: 256GB

Rear camera: Dual 64MP, f/1.8, OIS + 13MP Ultra Wide (117 deg), f/1.9