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Honor's 'hole-punch' View 20 will get a Moschino edition
Honor's recent teaser event gave away pretty much all the secrets of its new View 20 smartphone: It has a 25-megapixel punch-hole front camera, a 48-megapixel rear camera plus "Link Turbo" function for automatically switching between WiFi and LTE -- or using both, even -- for optimal connectivity. Still, there was no word on the device's other features, appearance nor price; Honor clearly just wanted to announce its "hole screen" technology before Samsung and Huawei. Now that the competition have done their part, Honor has finally done a full unveiling of its View 20 in China earlier today, and it actually looks rather sharp.
Honor View 20 will also feature a punch-hole all-screen design
With Huawei and Samsung already prepping all-screen smartphones with a circular front camera cutout, other companies are bound to join this notch-free party. The latest brand to tease a "hole-screen" device is none other than Huawei's awkwardly linked Honor, with its upcoming View 20 aka V20 said to feature an even smaller hole diameter -- 4.5mm versus the competition's alleged 6mm -- for the front camera at the upper left corner of this "All-View Display." Interestingly, the lens here is mounted "like a diamond" underneath the display, thus maintaining the latter's structure. In Honor's own words: "This hole is not a traditional hole."
LG shrank its dual-screen V20 to make the Q8
If you hankered after LG's V20, but wanted it to be a bit smaller and a bit cheaper, then you should probably take a peek at the new Q8. It's the company's latest mass-market smartphone for the sort of folks who don't want to splash out mad stacks on a flagship. The 5.2-inch device is packing the same notable features as its predecessor, including the ESS Quad DAC, dual cameras and secondary / overflow display.
Pros and cons: Our quick verdict on the LG V20
The LG V20 is one of several flagship phones you can buy right now. And though we like it -- we gave it a score of 82 -- we recommend it with more caveats than usual. On one hand, the phone packs a Quad DAC and support for 24-bit high-resolution audio, making it a great choice for people who care about sound quality. Being a flagship, it also offers top-shelf components and it's one of the only phones available right now that runs Android Nougat. The 5.7-inch Quad HD display is also bright and crisp, though we're not sure the tiny secondary screen really adds much. That all sounds great, but keep in mind that the dual camera setup trails the imaging experience you'll get on rival devices, including the iPhone 7 Plus, Samsung Galaxy S7 or either of Google's Pixel phones. What's more, the V20 isn't waterproof -- a feature we've come to expect on high-end handsets -- and it's also difficult to use one-handed. All told, then, it's a good phone, just not necessarily your best option.
LG V20 review: Great for audiophiles, but who else?
After the unabashed wackiness of its G5, LG had a real conundrum on its hands: Does it keep up the modular streak for its 2016 V-series flagship phone and risk lousy sales, or try something a little more traditional? As it turns out, LG chose the latter and built a more conventional kind of powerhouse: the V20. None of that means the phone is boring, though. Between its stellar audio, a neat dual-camera setup and a second screen, there's theoretically enough charming weirdness here to help the V20 stick out from the competition. The bigger question is whether all those disparate bits come together to form a compelling whole. As is often the case, the answer depends where your priorities lie.
LG's new flagship V20 will retail for $769
We got our hands on LG's Android Nougat-equipped V20 last month and found a solidly built (if somewhat conservative) new flagship device. Now that the V20 is getting ready for its public debut on October 28th, we can finally nail down how much this thing costs: at launch, a full retail price V20 can be yours for a cool $769.
LG's new V20 wants to be the all-in-one flagship the G5 wasn't
When LG unveiled its hardy V10 last year, it was... well, it was a little weird. With a beefy body, a double-selfie camera and a tiny second screen, the V10 was the result of LG taking risks. Lo and behold, the phone was reviewed surprisingly well. Then the G5 happened. Being the first modular smartphone to sell at massive scale, the G5 represented LG fully embracing that weirdness. It was also gutsy, ambitious and ultimately disappointing. The company even admitted the device "failed to generate sales" after replacing some high-level mobile execs. Ouch. Now, though, LG has revealed the V20, and it might succeed where the G5 failed, precisely because it isn't nearly as imaginative.
Google Search on Android can find your info in apps and offline
Since 2013, Android users have been able to use Google Search to find things stored within the apps on their phone, and now that feature is getting an upgrade. Google announced tonight that a new "In Apps" section of the search bar will only show results from apps you have installed, like contact info, specific messages, music, videos and notes. Google also noted that in this case, the searching happens on your phone, instead of in the cloud, so it can work offline.
LG's V20 will sound great... with wired headphones
Some portions of the technology industry would like you to think that smartphones without headphone jacks are the future. LG feels differently, and has teamed up with high-end audio firm ESS to bake in a 32-bit HiFi Quad Digital-To-Analog converter into the forthcoming V20. Unlike standard DACs, this model is promised to cut ambient noise in half and make your tunes sound as if you're listening on some high-end separates. The bit that's worth noting, however, is that this new-fangled audio prowess will only work if you're rocking a set of cabled headphones.
LG's V20 smartphone may be as modular as the G5 (updated)
Just a few days ago, LG revealed that it will introduce its first Android Nougat phone in San Francisco on September 6th. The V20 is said to come with similar dual-screen, dual-selfie camera features as its predecessor, the V10. And now, thanks to OnLeaks and Android Authority, we're getting a first look at purported renders of the device. Most notably, the 5.7-inch V20 appears to have a modular design, based on a button placement reminiscent to that of LG's newly minted G5.
LG unveils the first Android Nougat phone on September 6th
Earlier this month, LG announced its quirky V20 smartphone would be the first to ship with the latest Android 7.0 Nougat operating system, beating the upcoming Nexus refreshes to the nougat-y punch. Now we know the dual-screen, dual-selfie camera successor to the V10 will officially be unveiled in San Francisco on September 6, 2016.
LG's V20 will be the first Android Nougat smartphone
LG will launch the V20 smartphone in September, and it will be the first to get Android 7.0 Nougat. It's the successor to LG's wacky V10 phone, and will have the same dual-screen, dual-selfie camera features (no other specs were revealed). The news means that the V20 will likely be released before any Nexus phones, which are usually the first with the latest Android operating systems. That would be an unusual move by Google, but LG has confirmed the news with Engadget.
Nokia N86 firmware v20 brings exciting new features, improvements
Something like a year and a half ago, every camera manufacturer in the world suddenly decided that face detection was the Next Big Thing -- so naturally, cameraphones were destined to follow down that path. Given that the N86 8MP currently resides as Nokia's undisputed photographic champion, it makes sense that the company would be pushing its awesomest (is that even a word?) camera features that way -- and indeed, the just-released firmware version 20 adds face detection, red eye reduction, improved video quality, and a host of bug fixes and tweaks. Seems like a must-have update, so fire up that NSU client and go to town, won't you? [Via All About Symbian]
Nokia's N95 8GB for North America gets v20 firmware as well
It isn't hard to see to perks to Apple's "one size fits all" approach to software for the iPhone and iPod touch. After making N95-3 (the regular ol' N95 for North America) users wait months to get the software updates of their European counterparts, it took 'em another few days to get the N95-4 (the 8GB version for North America) up to snuff as well. Of course, the N95 8GB already had a few of the software improvements, but this seems to pull it in line with the v20 firmware all the cool kids are rocking. Unfortunately it's not all gravy, you're going to have to do all the heavy lifting of backing up and re-installing your apps, and we've been having trouble getting the update to work at all on our particular 8GB -- we'll let you know how that goes. Still, the speed gains are (probably) worth all the hassle, so fire that sucker up and get updating![Via Boy Genius Report]Update: Problem solved, turned out to be a bum USB port on the PC we were using. You may also run into Vista compatibility issues using Nokia's Software Update app, though we had no problems when we told Vista to front like XP SP2 using the shortcut. Proceed at your own risk!
Pentax introduces 8MP Optio V20 point-and-shoot
Not quite able to squeeze into a size 2 chassis before PMA, Pentax's Optio V20 now has the runway all to itself. This 8-megapixel point-and-shoot isn't anything spectacular, but the 5x optical zoom is a nice complement to the 3-inch LCD monitor, face recognition, blink detection, USB 2.0 connectivity, video out and VGA movie mode. You'll also find a SD / SDHC expansion slot in case 52MB of built-in memory just isn't enough, and the rechargeable Li-ion is said to be good for around 200 clicks on a full charge. On board? Start pinching those pennies now, as this one will set you back $279.95 when it runs aground in May.[Via CNET]
