Database Users

Note 4 or LG G4?

Hi Guys,
I know I am bound to face some bias here, since this is a Note 4 forum, but I am owner of an LG G4, previously G3 and Note 2 and 3, but have also bought a Note 4. Now, of course, I should just sell my LG G4, which I happen to like very, very much. I just can't stand the less than 3 hours screen on time, and am longing for some AMOLED, larger screen, and finger-print scanner goodness on the Note 4.
Still, before I sell away my G4, thought I'd post here and get some of your experiences/opinions on this topic, especially if you have by any chance made the same decision as me?
Thanks in advance for all your advice!

I have had both since June, and honestly it's a tough call. I really like that the G4 is fully up to date, and has Stagefright patched, and overall feels much faster and snappier than the Note 4 after deleting carrier bloat. It's also smaller and lighter and sits in the hand better for me. The only thing I like about the Note 4 is the bigger and AMOLED screen (much better colors to me plus no on-screen navigation taking up space). Also, the G4 camera does better in low light - it captures more detail. With the spare battery, the G4 is fine for me, as I always carried a spare battery for my Note 4, too.

siraltus said:
I have had both since June, and honestly it's a tough call. I really like that the G4 is fully up to date, and has Stagefright patched, and overall feels much faster and snappier than the Note 4 after deleting carrier bloat. It's also smaller and lighter and sits in the hand better for me. The only thing I like about the Note 4 is the bigger and AMOLED screen (much better colors to me plus no on-screen navigation taking up space). Also, the G4 camera does better in low light - it captures more detail. With the spare battery, the G4 is fine for me, as I always carried a spare battery for my Note 4, too.
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Gotcha, thanks for chiming in bud! Have you rooted and custom ROM'd your Note 4? Wondering if that upped the performance on it, like the G4? I know Stagefright is also patched in Custom ROMs? Thanks again for your help!

ProFragger said:
Gotcha, thanks for chiming in bud! Have you rooted and custom ROM'd your Note 4? Wondering if that upped the performance on it, like the G4? I know Stagefright is also patched in Custom ROMs? Thanks again for your help!
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Oh yeah, I'm on rooted, deodexed OG2 (5.0.1) ROM on T-Mobile, all bloatware deleted. It's fast, but not as fast as the G4. I'm sure that once 5.1.1 finally drops for it, whenever that will be, it will be as snappy as the G4, because people who got 5.1.1 (Sprint, and various international variants) report the performance improves vastly with the update.
Stagefright is not automatically patched in custom ROMs as they are based on the unpatched Samsung software, unless the ROM is AOSP/Cyanogen-based as far as I know. But maybe I'm wrong.

I currently own both. Staring at them right now and I can't decide which one to sell. I love them both because they each offer something different that the other doesn't. I am currently using my G4 because refreshing to hold. One of the most comfortable phones I have ever used. The other reason I'm using the G4 right now is because of battery life. Don't know what it is, but the G4 lasts a heck of a lot longer than the Note 4, bone stock and rooted. That's the one thing LG has always been good at, battery life. I remember when I had a G Pro that lasted 2 months on standby just sitting there with wifi and bluetooth on, emails were syncing and everything. Took 2 months to die. My G4 was up for 2 days straight last week when I got it and I got 5hrs of screen time. No video watching, just mostly work, texting, school(Schoology) and XDA.

siraltus said:
Oh yeah, I'm on rooted, deodexed OG2 (5.0.1) ROM on T-Mobile, all bloatware deleted. It's fast, but not as fast as the G4. I'm sure that once 5.1.1 finally drops for it, whenever that will be, it will be as snappy as the G4, because people who got 5.1.1 (Sprint, and various international variants) report the performance improves vastly with the update.
Stagefright is not automatically patched in custom ROMs as they are based on the unpatched Samsung software, unless the ROM is AOSP/Cyanogen-based as far as I know. But maybe I'm wrong.
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I know I am the noob to this community, but fairly certain, the 910T3 firmware especially comes with Android 5.1.1 Stock. I could be wrong though?
Jammol said:
I currently own both. Staring at them right now and I can't decide which one to sell. I love them both because they each offer something different that the other doesn't. I am currently using my G4 because refreshing to hold. One of the most comfortable phones I have ever used. The other reason I'm using the G4 right now is because of battery life. Don't know what it is, but the G4 lasts a heck of a lot longer than the Note 4, bone stock and rooted. That's the one thing LG has always been good at, battery life. I remember when I had a G Pro that lasted 2 months on standby just sitting there with wifi and bluetooth on, emails were syncing and everything. Took 2 months to die. My G4 was up for 2 days straight last week when I got it and I got 5hrs of screen time. No video watching, just mostly work, texting, school(Schoology) and XDA.
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Jammol - Thank you for your response. I love my G4 in form factor and also looks too, I've got the Leather Back model. But my battery life is nowhere near what you said. On the G3, it was stock, debloated, Greenified, and I still could barely hit 4 hours of SOT. On the G4, rooted, debloated, not Greenified, I am barely able to hit 2.5 hours of SOT, and that is WITHOUT gaming, extensive videos and etc. Just WiFi most of the day and long conference calls for work. Example today: 5.5 hours on battery, 4 hours of calls, 1 hour 16 minutes SOT, WiFi, and no videos, I am at 51% already! Care to share your model/variant and battery set up?
Also, you forgot to mention the upside of your Note 4 ? Care to comment on it's performance and etc compared to the G4? Thanks!

ProFragger said:
I know I am the noob to this community, but fairly certain, the 910T3 firmware especially comes with Android 5.1.1 Stock. I could be wrong though?
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True, and there is a "hybrid" 5.1.1 ROM that you can theoretically use on the T variant, but I don't know how stable/reliable it is, given the baseband and bootloader are different.
Pesronally, I only run deodexed stock ROMs that I modify myself to my liking, as I don't like all the extra garbage and ****ty themes that most XDA devs bake into their ROMs, so I'm **** out of luck until Samsung releases the official 5.1.1 update for the T variant.
EDIT: Apparently I am out of the loop. There is Xposed for Samsung for 5.1.1 now: http://forum.xda-developers.com/xposed/unofficial-xposed-samsung-lollipop-t3180960

siraltus said:
True, and there is a "hybrid" 5.1.1 ROM that you can theoretically use on the T variant, but I don't know how stable/reliable it is, given the baseband and bootloader are different.
Pesronally, I only run deodexed stock ROMs that I modify myself to my liking, as I don't like all the extra garbage and ****ty themes that most XDA devs bake into their ROMs, so I'm **** out of luck until Samsung releases the official 5.1.1 update for the T variant.
Plus, there is no Xposed for 5.1.1 on Samsung devices, which is a deal-breaker for me.
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I am super "noob" confused, @siraltus - I thought 910T3 comes with Official 5.1.1 from T-Mobile US/Sammy and TEKXodous comes with Xposed 5.1.1 installer, no?

ProFragger said:
I am super "noob" confused, @siraltus - I thought 910T3 comes with Official 5.1.1 from T-Mobile US/Sammy and TEKXodous comes with Xposed 5.1.1 installer, no?
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Yes, T3 comes with 5.1.1, but there is no offical 5.1.1 update for the regular T (not T3) variants, so we can only run a "hacked port" of 5.1.1 taken from the T3. The official update would include a T-variant baseband, bootloader, and other firmware bits (sbin, tz, etc.) that the phone needs matched up to the ROM version for trouble-free performance, the baseband being the most important.
As for Xposed, you're right - http://forum.xda-developers.com/xposed/unofficial-xposed-samsung-lollipop-t3180960 I had no idea.

ProFragger said:
I know I am the noob to this community, but fairly certain, the 910T3 firmware especially comes with Android 5.1.1 Stock. I could be wrong though?
Jammol - Thank you for your response. I love my G4 in form factor and also looks too, I've got the Leather Back model. But my battery life is nowhere near what you said. On the G3, it was stock, debloated, Greenified, and I still could barely hit 4 hours of SOT. On the G4, rooted, debloated, not Greenified, I am barely able to hit 2.5 hours of SOT, and that is WITHOUT gaming, extensive videos and etc. Just WiFi most of the day and long conference calls for work. Example today: 5.5 hours on battery, 4 hours of calls, 1 hour 16 minutes SOT, WiFi, and no videos, I am at 51% already! Care to share your model/variant and battery set up?
Also, you forgot to mention the upside of your Note 4 ? Care to comment on it's performance and etc compared to the G4? Thanks!
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I touch the Note 4 first:
I love it, I really do, but for me when a dev has to release a custom Rom to fix stupid little bugs, that's a huge turn off for me. TekHD Roms are the best so far for the Note 4 and that's what I run. I love my SPen, though I don't use it every single day; I do use it for 2 weeks straight every quarter because of my job. Beats walking around with my laptop or tablet getting readings from machines. AMOLED; I don't get the hype about the blacks. I'm black and I don't even like the colour black that much(LOL, that was a pun). The screen is indeed beautiful and I love it to death, but there's something about an LCD screen that just tickles my pickle!(another one). Last but not least...the amount of Roms; DAMN!
G4:
I think it's your calls that are killing your battery. I have the T-Mobile 8511 version and I turned off VoLTE/HD Voice. It kills battery so bad when you're on a call. I was losing 5% battery for just a 10-15 minute phone call with my wife. That's ridiculous so I turned it off. I am running stock rooted, no bloat removed(there really isn't any), and I use most of LG's apps that are on there. I was using xposed at one point but that was also affecting my battery so I got rid of it.

siraltus said:
Yes, T3 comes with 5.1.1, but there is no offical 5.1.1 update for the regular T (not T3) variants, so we can only run a "hacked port" of 5.1.1 taken from the T3. The official update would include a T-variant baseband, bootloader, and other firmware bits (sbin, tz, etc.) that the phone needs matched up to the ROM version for trouble-free performance, the baseband being the most important.
As for Xposed, you're right - http://forum.xda-developers.com/xposed/unofficial-xposed-samsung-lollipop-t3180960 I had no idea.
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That's interesting bud... I haven't run across any threads saying that people are having trouble with the T variant phones on 5.1.1, maybe you've seen some? Otherwise, I am really not even sure which variant is "better" or to hope for tomorrow when I finally get the phone in hand ! Some say the T3 has a better GPS and feels smoother... I wonder if it's just big time placebo effect? Haha!
Jammol said:
I touch the Note 4 first:
I love it, I really do, but for me when a dev has to release a custom Rom to fix stupid little bugs, that's a huge turn off for me. TekHD Roms are the best so far for the Note 4 and that's what I run. I love my SPen, though I don't use it every single day; I do use it for 2 weeks straight every quarter because of my job. Beats walking around with my laptop or tablet getting readings from machines. AMOLED; I don't get the hype about the blacks. I'm black and I don't even like the colour black that much(LOL, that was a pun). The screen is indeed beautiful and I love it to death, but there's something about an LCD screen that just tickles my pickle!(another one). Last but not least...the amount of Roms; DAMN!
G4:
I think it's your calls that are killing your battery. I have the T-Mobile 8511 version and I turned off VoLTE/HD Voice. It kills battery so bad when you're on a call. I was losing 5% battery for just a 10-15 minute phone call with my wife. That's ridiculous so I turned it off. I am running stock rooted, no bloat removed(there really isn't any), and I use most of LG's apps that are on there. I was using xposed at one point but that was also affecting my battery so I got rid of it.
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Jammol, first of all, really funny response bud! I like a man who is able to take things lightly and joke around :good:! @TEKHD ROMs look like they absolutely, by far have the most users as demonstrated by it's Views and Responses! But, it's also possibly the most complicated ROM thread I have ever seen ! I really love the @TEKHD 's hard work, thank you friend! But I am not sure if it's the ROM for my needs, which, light, battery life, and just need enough tweaks to turn the Status Bar icon to Red, and change Toggle colors, and super bonus if Dialer could be black and red, and I am set! Wonder what kind of AnTuTu scores people get on that ROM?
Reading through, seems like Rapture maybe the best fit for my needs, but I just don't know. Care to share your experiences on different ROMs if you have tried those?
About the G4, I don't think AT&T offers VoLTE, but even if they do, I don't see an option to turn it off in the phone. Not to mention, how would it be working with my data off, any way?
Thanks again for your valuable input!

ProFragger said:
That's interesting bud... I haven't run across any threads saying that people are having trouble with the T variant phones on 5.1.1, maybe you've seen some? Otherwise, I am really not even sure which variant is "better" or to hope for tomorrow when I finally get the phone in hand ! Some say the T3 has a better GPS and feels smoother... I wonder if it's just big time placebo effect? Haha!
Jammol, first of all, really funny response bud! I like a man who is able to take things lightly and joke around :good:! @TEKHD ROMs look like they absolutely, by far have the most users as demonstrated by it's Views and Responses! But, it's also possibly the most complicated ROM thread I have ever seen ! I really love the @TEKHD 's hard work, thank you friend! But I am not sure if it's the ROM for my needs, which, light, battery life, and just need enough tweaks to turn the Status Bar icon to Red, and change Toggle colors, and super bonus if Dialer could be black and red, and I am set! Wonder what kind of AnTuTu scores people get on that ROM?
Reading through, seems like Rapture maybe the best fit for my needs, but I just don't know. Care to share your experiences on different ROMs if you have tried those?
About the G4, I don't think AT&T offers VoLTE, but even if they do, I don't see an option to turn it off in the phone. Not to mention, how would it be working with my data off, any way?
Thanks again for your valuable input!
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Can I ask how come you turn off your data?
I've tried a lot of the other Roms as well but I always went back to Tek's Rom. He does have a very little customized one for the T and T3 models. It's pretty much stock with just a few tweaks to it. I've tried DynamicKat and Pop, both are really awesome but the customization is rather small on the Pop version. Rapture is already also pretty good as well as PopRocks. When it comes to AOSP/CM, I always went with CM12.1 or XenonHD which is AOSP but with a few CM tweaks.

Jammol said:
Can I ask how come you turn off your data?
I've tried a lot of the other Roms as well but I always went back to Tek's Rom. He does have a very little customized one for the T and T3 models. It's pretty much stock with just a few tweaks to it. I've tried DynamicKat and Pop, both are really awesome but the customization is rather small on the Pop version. Rapture is already also pretty good as well as PopRocks. When it comes to AOSP/CM, I always went with CM12.1 or XenonHD which is AOSP but with a few CM tweaks.
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I turn off data because: I am on WiFi, don't have unlimited data, and when not using data, I like to turn off the data radios to save power. Would you agree those are good reasons to turn it off?
I am so tempted to start off with Tek's ROM on my Note 4, but let's see what variant I end up with. What kind of screen on time's have you seen with the Note 4 and which ROM and Battery saving set ups? Some people hear swear by 5+ hours of SOT which would be a dream for me!

ProFragger said:
That's interesting bud... I haven't run across any threads saying that people are having trouble with the T variant phones on 5.1.1, maybe you've seen some? Otherwise, I am really not even sure which variant is "better" or to hope for tomorrow when I finally get the phone in hand ! Some say the T3 has a better GPS and feels smoother... I wonder if it's just big time placebo effect? Haha!4
Thanks again for your valuable input!
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Click to collapse
The T3 variant most likely exists because Samsung changed suppliers for one of the key parts, like the display controller, power management, or one of the radio chips (WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.) which required a separate version of the OS (different drivers, configuration). They did this with the Note 3 before - units manufactured after May 2014 had a different display controller chip that broke things like brightness control in custom ROMs and TWRP.
Functionally, they're most assuredly identical. I have had two T variants, one manufactured October 2014 and one manufactured April 2015 and my GPS has been rock-solid on both, so not sure why people are having issues. The T3 feels smoother not because it's a T3, but because it's running 5.1.1. People who had their international variants and Sprint variants updated to 5.1.1 reported it was much smoother after the update as well.

siraltus said:
The T3 variant most likely exists because Samsung changed suppliers for one of the key parts, like the display controller, power management, or one of the radio chips (WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.) which required a separate version of the OS (different drivers, configuration). They did this with the Note 3 before - units manufactured after May 2014 had a different display controller chip that broke things like brightness control in custom ROMs and TWRP.
Functionally, they're most assuredly identical. I have had two T variants, one manufactured October 2014 and one manufactured April 2015 and my GPS has been rock-solid on both, so not sure why people are having issues. The T3 feels smoother not because it's a T3, but because it's running 5.1.1. People who had their international variants and Sprint variants updated to 5.1.1 reported it was much smoother after the update as well.
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Thanks for the education again, bud. I can't believe the T variant folks haven't freaked out at T-Mobile yet for the lack of 5.1.1 upgrade! Wonder if ATT and sprint have given in their's?

I had this dilemma as well. When my wife broke her s4, I went and got g4 for her (she is a big fan of removable battery, so s6 was not considered, s5 did not make sense, and note is too big). I must say, i fell in love with it once I started setting it up and played with it for a bit. I liked it so much, that I got one myself 2 days later to replace my Note 3. And it was really great, I cannot complain. But. Ended up using Jump and getting Note 4.
So in my case:
- G4 has a great form factor. REALLY comfy to hold. 5.5 seems to be a sweet spot, still big but not too big. Slightly curved shape was great. +1 for g4
- camera is hands down better then N4. Its simply amazing. Manual mode blew my mind. Cant say enough about it. +1 for g4
- g4 felt really fluid. Stock, as is, without screwing with it. Has much less bloat. Happened to love UI a lot, its classier, for a lack of a better word (totally subjective of course). Loved the knock code functionality. N4 has fingerprint scanner, but one-hand unlock is really awkward and difficult in real-life use, so I have it turned off. Now that 5.1 is available for n4, things are better for sure, and there are custom roms star popping up, but if you compare phones as is, out of the box, again, +1 for g4
- Screen/picture quality. Using Sammys phones exclusively for last 5 years (starting from original galaxy), I am too spoiled by super amoled. as great as g4 LCD dispaly is, I found myself missing that extra "pop". +1 for n4
- battery life is not in a same league as n3/n4. By significant and noticable margin. Plus virtually no power saving functionality in OS. +1 for n4
- Sound quality better on N4 to my ears, lot of other people seem to feel this way as well. Also Samsung professional audio makes things like iRig for guitar possible. +1 for n4
- Dedicated vs. on-screen buttons. I am a huge fan of good ol' Home key and I am used to it a lot. +1 for N4
- Multitasking. Even though g4 has it, it has nothing on TW, especially on LP iteration of it, with a swap from a corner. +1 for N4
- I personally did not find myself missing s-pen a lot, but I suppose its still a +1 for N4
So, ultimately, better battery life, better screen/colors, better sound and to a lesser gegree physical keys/multitasking made me go back to Note. Miss G4 camera a lot though.)
Sent from my SM-N910T3 using XDA Free mobile app

ProFragger said:
I turn off data because: I am on WiFi, don't have unlimited data, and when not using data, I like to turn off the data radios to save power. Would you agree those are good reasons to turn it off?
I am so tempted to start off with Tek's ROM on my Note 4, but let's see what variant I end up with. What kind of screen on time's have you seen with the Note 4 and which ROM and Battery saving set ups? Some people hear swear by 5+ hours of SOT which would be a dream for me!
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Click to collapse
Was just curious why you turned it off. That's a good thing to do to save battery. I recommend using Tek's Rom most definitely. I noticed you said let's see what variant you end up with; are you referring to T-Mobile T and T3 or carrier variants? Definitely go with T-Mobile because of the Roms.
Tek's Roms come with the Emotion Kernel. I always use Synapse to tweak the settings to balance out performance and battery. Right now I'm using Intelliactive; sleeps like a baby.
I see someone posted that the G4 has no battery saving settings. That's totally negative. You can turn on battery saver to kick in at 15% or higher than that. Sorry but the G4 lasts a lot longer than the N4 on pure stock no mods on both.
Functionality: Note 4(SPen)
Longevity: G4.
Camera: G4
Roms: Note 4(for now as G4 community is very small at the moment)
Performance: Both
Temperature: G4(BY FAR. Stays way cooler than the Note 4)
This is all based on Stock.
Update: I decided I'm going to take my G4 back to T-Mobile; not because anything is wrong with it and I don't like it, but because I rather have the money. Looking back on my post here I realized I really just got it because I wanted to scratch an itch of having a new device. Started using my Note 4 again starting yesterday and man I did miss it, even if I gotta charge it up before the end of the day! Lol. I'm a very impulsive person when it comes to smartphones, it's the only thing I don't mind shelling out a ton of money for but then later I think back about the amount of money and just would rather have it. I can always borrow my wife's and use hers for a few days if I get the itch.

Most def Note4

Note 4 is the right choice.
Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

nib said:
I had this dilemma as well. When my wife broke her s4, I went and got g4 for her (she is a big fan of removable battery, so s6 was not considered, s5 did not make sense, and note is too big). I must say, i fell in love with it once I started setting it up and played with it for a bit. I liked it so much, that I got one myself 2 days later to replace my Note 3. And it was really great, I cannot complain. But. Ended up using Jump and getting Note 4.
So in my case:
- G4 has a great form factor. REALLY comfy to hold. 5.5 seems to be a sweet spot, still big but not too big. Slightly curved shape was great. +1 for g4
- camera is hands down better then N4. Its simply amazing. Manual mode blew my mind. Cant say enough about it. +1 for g4
- g4 felt really fluid. Stock, as is, without screwing with it. Has much less bloat. Happened to love UI a lot, its classier, for a lack of a better word (totally subjective of course). Loved the knock code functionality. N4 has fingerprint scanner, but one-hand unlock is really awkward and difficult in real-life use, so I have it turned off. Now that 5.1 is available for n4, things are better for sure, and there are custom roms star popping up, but if you compare phones as is, out of the box, again, +1 for g4
- Screen/picture quality. Using Sammys phones exclusively for last 5 years (starting from original galaxy), I am too spoiled by super amoled. as great as g4 LCD dispaly is, I found myself missing that extra "pop". +1 for n4
- battery life is not in a same league as n3/n4. By significant and noticable margin. Plus virtually no power saving functionality in OS. +1 for n4
- Sound quality better on N4 to my ears, lot of other people seem to feel this way as well. Also Samsung professional audio makes things like iRig for guitar possible. +1 for n4
- Dedicated vs. on-screen buttons. I am a huge fan of good ol' Home key and I am used to it a lot. +1 for N4
- Multitasking. Even though g4 has it, it has nothing on TW, especially on LP iteration of it, with a swap from a corner. +1 for N4
- I personally did not find myself missing s-pen a lot, but I suppose its still a +1 for N4
So, ultimately, better battery life, better screen/colors, better sound and to a lesser gegree physical keys/multitasking made me go back to Note. Miss G4 camera a lot though.)
Sent from my SM-N910T3 using XDA Free mobile app
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Great analysis and break down Sir, and I mostly agree. I think for now, I will move on from the G4, and perhaps return to LG with the V10.
Jammol said:
Was just curious why you turned it off. That's a good thing to do to save battery. I recommend using Tek's Rom most definitely. I noticed you said let's see what variant you end up with; are you referring to T-Mobile T and T3 or carrier variants? Definitely go with T-Mobile because of the Roms.
Tek's Roms come with the Emotion Kernel. I always use Synapse to tweak the settings to balance out performance and battery. Right now I'm using Intelliactive; sleeps like a baby.
I see someone posted that the G4 has no battery saving settings. That's totally negative. You can turn on battery saver to kick in at 15% or higher than that. Sorry but the G4 lasts a lot longer than the N4 on pure stock no mods on both.
Functionality: Note 4(SPen)
Longevity: G4.
Camera: G4
Roms: Note 4(for now as G4 community is very small at the moment)
Performance: Both
Temperature: G4(BY FAR. Stays way cooler than the Note 4)
This is all based on Stock.
Update: I decided I'm going to take my G4 back to T-Mobile; not because anything is wrong with it and I don't like it, but because I rather have the money. Looking back on my post here I realized I really just got it because I wanted to scratch an itch of having a new device. Started using my Note 4 again starting yesterday and man I did miss it, even if I gotta charge it up before the end of the day! Lol. I'm a very impulsive person when it comes to smartphones, it's the only thing I don't mind shelling out a ton of money for but then later I think back about the amount of money and just would rather have it. I can always borrow my wife's and use hers for a few days if I get the itch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks again buddy. I must be doing something wrong with Synapse, but whenever I try to overclock the phone, somehow, tried many different Governors like Lionheart, Performance and etc, the settings go right back to normal. Do you know what I am doing wrong?

Should I get the v20?

I am currently using a sprint LG G4 which unfortunately I can't root because of the revision that came preloaded on the warranty replacement of my original that had some sort of bootloop defect that I guess never got a recall. But that's a story best left for another time. Suffice to say that since getting the replacement I have not been completely happy with the G4 any more and get increasingly frustrated with it. Should I replace it with a V20 (price $552 [24 monthly payments of $23)? I mainly play games like simpsons tapped out, avenger's academy, and a few similar games. The rest is your typical productivity use and web browsing. Thanks for any feedback.

so no interest for music whatsover?
in that case, I would say no, you should choose a different phone, depending on your budget, say a samsung s8 if your budget doesn't have a roof, or a g6 if you like Lg... or anything of the kind.
the v20 is a mean beast, I love it, but if you don't care for its hifi dac capabilities, why bother?? you get a sd820 SoC, which is the same you had on the Lg G5... If gaming and browsing is all you do, pick something else.
s8 if you want a sleek device with top tier features, or g6 which you could probably have for the same 550 usd you're willing to spend on the v20. g6's screen is technically improved (ratio is different, so that's something you need to consider), soc is slightly better and more efficient, looks better, better grip, no camera bump.
otherwise if the lack of b20 isn't an issue... mi6 its performance/price ratio is awesome!
bottom line: I'm into music, a lot, and I enjoy the big screen for netflix 1080p, so that's why I love my v20, it was the only possible choice I had. if you don't care about music, I think you'd be better off with some other device

You shouldn't get LG V20 because i don't think LG care about LG V20s software update anymore. So please don't get it. All the other phones are getting Android 7.1.2 we are still stuck in 7.0 .

@StoneRyno
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1335245-REG/lg_black_g6_32gb_smartphone.html
lg 6(carrier unlocked gsm cdma) plus watch 600
https://swappa.com/buy/lg-v20
used v20 starting from 250
I paid 400 for my v20 bran new back on december I wouldn't pay 552 now

like my v20.
removable battery
fast. no lag.
good battery.
great camera
second screen rocks
I chose this over G6
(my 2 cents)

iemwatiem said:
You shouldn't get LG V20 because i don't think LG care about LG V20s software update anymore. So please don't get it. All the other phones are getting Android 7.1.2 we are still stuck in 7.0 .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ehm... just so you know, LG never cared about x.x1 and x.1 updates, so no, 99% we won't see 7.1.2 coming to our phones. but they usually grant 2 major updates, so android O and P should be the ones to keep an eye out for.

The V20 is a great phone and I do not regret picking this phone once the N7 debacle happened. That being said, if music is not a big focus for you, then the world is your oyster. My apprehension for you getting the v20 now is the cost ($23 for 24mos) and the standstill of development. There is not a lot of development for any LG device, but being this is becoming an "older" device, we will start seeing Devs dropping off to work on new projects for new devices. If you want LG, the G6 is a great phone and is $10 less a month on Sprint. Otherwise, the S8 is a hell of a phone for about the same price as the G6.

buongu said:
so no interest for music whatsover?
in that case, I would say no, you should choose a different phone, depending on your budget, say a samsung s8 if your budget doesn't have a roof, or a g6 if you like Lg... or anything of the kind.
the v20 is a mean beast, I love it, but if you don't care for its hifi dac capabilities, why bother?? you get a sd820 SoC, which is the same you had on the Lg G5... If gaming and browsing is all you do, pick something else.
s8 if you want a sleek device with top tier features, or g6 which you could probably have for the same 550 usd you're willing to spend on the v20. g6's screen is technically improved (ratio is different, so that's something you need to consider), soc is slightly better and more efficient, looks better, better grip, no camera bump.
otherwise if the lack of b20 isn't an issue... mi6 its performance/price ratio is awesome!
bottom line: I'm into music, a lot, and I enjoy the big screen for netflix 1080p, so that's why I love my v20, it was the only possible choice I had. if you don't care about music, I think you'd be better off with some other device
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you should. Lots of folks have gripes (maybe legitimate) but overall the V20 is the fastest and best phone i've ever owned. It's still right up there will phones just coming out. And for audio there's nothing like it. Put Viper on it and you're experiencing music the way it was meant to be.

kaluna00 said:
like my v20.
removable battery
fast. no lag.
good battery.
great camera
second screen rocks
I chose this over G6
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
add ons:
Metal Design (with removable back cover) (military grade protection)
Expandable Storage
Camera (wide angle fun option)
Knock wake / sleep
Removable app drawer
Launcher themes
Fingerprint Scanner (wakes device without pressing)
Android N out of box.
I agree with this list.. I did a ton of research to find a phone that had all the features I wanted... and this one fit almost every bill. I do wish Battery life was a little better.. but QuickCharge is amazing and i could always buy an extra battery to swap in at any time.

Coming from a g4? Absolutely the phone is a beast compared to the g4. The 808 processor is a piece of crap in terms of both performance and thermal.
I would pick the LG v20 if these features are the most important:
- removable battery
- secondary screen
- high quality audio
- want a highly customizable camera experience (lots of options to get that perfect photo)
Yes the processor isn't the fastest of the ones currently available but unless you have both processors in action in front of you you won't notice the difference between them​ in day to day operations.
The LG v20 is probably going to be the last of the removable battery phones if the preview of the v30 is any indication.
Sent from my LG-H918 using XDA-Developers Legacy app

Yeah, $400 to $425 with some looking should get you a new V20.
ricohz said:
@StoneRyno
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1335245-REG/lg_black_g6_32gb_smartphone.html
lg 6(carrier unlocked gsm cdma) plus watch 600
https://swappa.com/buy/lg-v20
used v20 starting from 250
I paid 400 for my v20 bran new back on december I wouldn't pay 552 now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I should add that root is a must given my experience with the G4. The longer development support of roms for whatever device I get the better. Ideally I would only upgrade to a new device about every 5 years. If they could be upgraded internally like PCs can I could get 7-8 years out of them before needing a complete replacement. Also I can't stand laggy software. Currently my experience with the G4 is that several games I play I have to open the recently used apps thing and click clear all so that it doesn't feel like I'm running them on below minimum system requirements. Sometimes it is so bad it's like I'm running the CPU at 200MHz instead of the 1.8GHz.
buongu said:
so no interest for music whatsover?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've almost never used my smartphones for music. And when I do I have high quality headphones I use.
buongu said:
depending on your budget, say a samsung s8 if your budget doesn't have a roof, or a g6 if you like Lg... or anything of the kind.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Budget is flexible. Especially if I can root and there is a lasting development base for updated roms supporting whatever device I get. If this were the case for me with the G4 I'd not even be considering replacement this soon after purchase. But I've not been able to root the G4 because it came preloaded with a not rootable version.
ricohz said:
I paid 400 for my v20 bran new back on december I wouldn't pay 552 now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh wow the way sprint is advertising this it's like it was just released. Given this info I for sure am going to look at my options including shopping for a lower price if I decide to get the v20.
idkwhothatis123 said:
If you want LG, the G6 is a great phone and is $10 less a month on Sprint. Otherwise, the S8 is a hell of a phone for about the same price as the G6.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To date I have had samsung devices. The G4 was my first LG device. The reasoning behind getting it rather than another samsung was it looked like samsung was pulling an apple and doing minor hardware bumps and charging a fortune for them compared to the going price of the previous model. My main objection to getting a G6 is that I'm trading off certain things: removable battery, camera quality, sensors, for only CPU GPU and RAM bumps. All in all if I'm going to upgrade I need the new device to improve upon most everything related to how I use it. I don't take a lot of pictures but enough that a dependable well featured camera be in the device.

Still Worth it A Year Later?

Hey guys, I'm just wondering what your thoughts are on if this phone is still worth it? Especially for right around $300. Or am I better off saving some more money and buying a Pixel/Pixel XL or waiting for the Pixel 2s?

succumbtothegreater said:
Hey guys, I'm just wondering what your thoughts are on if this phone is still worth it? Especially for right around $300. Or am I better off saving some more money and buying a Pixel/Pixel XL or waiting for the Pixel 2s?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's depend what you need overall I am happy with the v20. It's still great phone plus the killer audio if you don't need the new and greatest device. The good are good screen, audio, good for contents consumption, removeable battery. The not so good LG stock ui a little laggy for me sometime, size is not so compact and not much dev support for this phone. For $300 its steal. New phones not much new really they just try to make money from us after few weeks it get old like other phones.

I think so, of course, I just bought one last week...
With the price drops, it's a very good device for the money. Specs haven't been increasing as fast as years past, so devices are quite usable for longer times than before. We can still unlock/root and AOSP based ROMs are getting good. Updates will never be as fast as Google devices like the Pixel, but it's not bad and you don't lose as much waiting it out like we used to. Even Oreo doesn't add that much that I care about for features. The very latest flagships are maybe 20% faster. They also cost 2-3x as much. Value isn't there for me. Maybe it is for you, that's your decision to make.
I'm not interested in Pixel or most new devices right now. I came from a Nexus 6 with a dieing battery. I can replace it, and probably will, but it's annoying to do and runs a risk of destroying the device for a known maintenance part that we know will die. It's a bit like welding the oil plug on a car so you can't change the oil. Eventually it will die, it's a matter of time.
My requirements were: large screen (5.5"+), root, removable battery, SD, headphone jack, TMobile compatibility, value. I would have liked front facing speaker/speakers, but I can live without them. There's nothing out there in this year's devices that interests me. There's nothing wrong with options, but I do wish I had a couple to choose from as well. V20 was pretty much it. On the plus side for it though, tempered glass screen protectors are available that work well. And extended batteries. With the Zero Lemon 10k battery, I have what amounts to unlimited battery life. I'd probably fall asleep before running out. I also really hate the design trend with the camera sticking out from the back, and prefer thicker phones anyway, so it works for me.
If I were to drop removable battery, Axon 7 and OnePlus get more interesting. Though OnePlus doesn't have SD either, putting them lower on the list.
If root is important to you, make sure you know what software version you are getting and check to make sure it can be rooted. Some of the newer ones can't be yet. TMobile 10p, for example, can not.

I've had mine since launch and I still enjoy it. Granted the development support has stagnated lately. But I would completely recommend it. Especially if you get an extended battery.

I've had my v20 for three or four months. Solid phone, can't see any reason to upgrade.
I could buy three of these for the price of a galaxy note 8! Or one of these and a halfway decent laptop!

After this 10p update i'd have to say no. better off getting a v30 when it comes out.

zeruth said:
After this 10p update i'd have to say no. better off getting a v30 when it comes out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any particular reason why? Wasn't that just security patches?

cathain said:
Any particular reason why? Wasn't that just security patches?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, that killed of DirtyCow, that killed off root for the foreseeable future.
If LG hadn't deleted all fastboot commands i'd say yeah get the V20. but now it will be unrootable and uncustomizable for quite some time.

I used the twrp zip 10p bootloader and modem... It completely refreshed my performance.
Getting 70+mbs down and 16 up... Compared to 10k modem I was getting 16 down and 3 up if lucky.
I also still have root (non OTA update).
So if you install update through twrp you still keep root.
I wouldn't ever really upgrade phones unless it's a new device that supports the new 600mhz band and 700mhz.
Had mine for a year.... It's amazing. Once you get it right, camera is good (Lazer focus and resolution replaced dslr), audio with DAC/HiFi/viper is amazing.
Screen and battery is great, sd card is a must for me.
If you can get a pristine/new one for $2-300 it's well worth it.
Only gripe, wish there was water proof case.
Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk

Thanks for the answers guys! But I ended up getting the Pixel XL for the sheer performance and rootability and I'm happy with the decision.

Lg v20 keep or upgrade

So i had my lg v20 since launch and I kept thinking should I upgrade or still keep it. I was hoping you guys could shed some light and give me advice, as I love my phone but feel like i want something different such as huawei p20 Pro or Google pixel 2.

matas17 said:
So i had my lg v20 since launch and I kept thinking should I upgrade or still keep it. I was hoping you guys could shed some light and give me advice, as I love my phone but feel like i want something different such as huawei p20 Pro or Google pixel 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3 of my last 4 phone purchase were V20s
(We have 7 lines)
My wife got an S9 and I don't see any need to get one or spend three times the price on anything that's been released this year.
The pricing has gotten ridicules and really the one plus 6 is the only other phone that has sparked any interest here. And even it is just not worth double the price of a V20 to me.
Sent from my LG-H910 using Tapatalk

matas17 said:
So i had my lg v20 since launch and I kept thinking should I upgrade or still keep it. I was hoping you guys could shed some light and give me advice, as I love my phone but feel like i want something different such as huawei p20 Pro or Google pixel 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
V20 stock is running low, mostly refurbs and used ones out there. If you got the itch, scratch it if you want, but based on the horrible non support of the V20 by LG I'd move on from LG altogether
Sent from my LG-H910 using XDA Labs

My V20 does everything I want/need it to do. Including the removable battery that I've upgraded to the 10k mAh from ZeroLemon. [emoji106][emoji16][emoji367]
Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

I am keeping mine until I can get the Asus ROG Phone.

Stay with it until the phone dies. No way to upgrade. Not all all! This phone is amazing. Good DAC, good camera, good microphones, 3,5mm in, swappable battery, wide angle camera. I'll stay with mine hopefully for years! But I have to admit that I don't give a **** about updates. Had my galaxy note 4, which unfortunately died, for 2,5 years running with kitkat.

I've got the 918. With the LAF root method, FM radio, removable battery, IR Blaster, wired headphone option... I'm not upgrading anytime soon.
Best phone I've had since the HTC Evo Supersonic.

Braaainz said:
I've got the 918. With the LAF root method, FM radio, removable battery, IR Blaster, wired headphone option... I'm not upgrading anytime soon.
Best phone I've had since the HTC Evo Supersonic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What about battery backup.... I m planning to buy it... Please give some advise

bhanu9675 said:
What about battery backup.... I m planning to buy it... Please give some advise
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure what you mean about battery backup.
I am still using stock battery but have a zero lemon extended battery for when it starts to go.
The zero lemon bicycle and windshield mounts are great if you use a protective case with the stock battery btw.

I'm now on my second V20, which just had the vibrato motor die on it, but otherwise works perfectly. My ONLY bones to pick: it can't be rooted because of the last OTA update to Oreo, and if you happen to test a lot of apps as I do, it's a power-hungry beast. If I were to upgrade at this point, I would probably go back to a Note 9, since my V20 replaced my rooted Note 4.
The thing I love most about this phone, however - and its a "biggie", for me - is the fact that it's the last flagship phone on the market with a removable battery. I don't care that it's already two gens behind, simply because it quite capably does everything I need it to do, including music player, photography and video recording, casting, and NFC functions, so until someone comes out with an embedded battery, feature-rich phone that REALLY wows me, I see no reason to upgrade. Hope this helps.
Cheers
Sent from my LG-LS997 using XDA Labs

The removable battery is one of the major reasons why I'll use the V20 indefinitely. Too many people have had to buy a new phone after 2 years because the battery died... or pay a lot for a battery replacement.

Same here on the notion of the removable battery. Maybe it's what you grew up with that determines your preference, but I like a phone that I can work on even if I don't need to. I really love the IR blaster. In fact, that's the reason I went back to it. I fancy controlling the TV in whatever restaurant I go! My only issue is the charging port is going bad and I'd like to de-bloat all Sprint's crap. Currently seeking a "How To" if there is one to be found.

I went from a note 4 to this and I'm very happy.
For me... it was the removable battery, screen ratio and I love the second screen.
Love the fact I can see the time while watching Netflix. Or turn on the flashlight with out messing with the phone.
Screen ratio... Movies/tv shows work without wasted space.
Sure, it's not lightening fast like my wife's s8... But the milliseconds I wait don't add up to much. Except the the big bucks I saved. Camera is pretty good, so much to love about this phone.
Also love the flat screen, so much less prone to breaking. Most of the bloatware can be disabled, even without root. Working hot-spot on sprint (with hack) is priceless too.

Apart from battery being changeable, I like that it is easy to repair. I shifted the thermal paste, and that was an easy task. I don't know any other phone where that would be the case. On top of that, I use the audio on high quality headphones. What a shame that LG stops updating, and then also make it difficult for our developers, too.

henrylar said:
Apart from battery being changeable, I like that it is easy to repair. I shifted the thermal paste, and that was an easy task. I don't know any other phone where that would be the case. On top of that, I use the audio on high quality headphones. What a shame that LG stops updating, and then also make it difficult for our developers, too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tell me more of this thermal paste shift. Why would you do it, where, how... all that good stuff. Or a link

the link is here
https://forum.xda-developers.com/v20/how-to/changed-thermal-paste-h910-t3782765
It did not make a huge difference for me since I am not using my phone for gaming, but the existing paste in my phone were definitely upon for being removed

Thanks for the link. I followed it and several other articles that it links to. It's not really definitive on if it's a good idea or not. Like you, I don't use it for gaming so I think I'll pass on it. At least until I decide to replace the screen. Saw a post about rooting and altering the profile so it can't run that hot... also not doing that.

Despite the short-coming of the V20 such as battery life and say...CPU Throttling for battery/temps (just delete Thermal-engine-8996.conf), and some weird episodes of LCD burn-in (solvable with KCAL kernels like mk2000), this phone still works well. The only hard-limit that can't be solved, through tweaking, is the fact the SD820 only has 4 CPU threads to execute tasks on. Other than that, the day-to-day of the V20 competes with other phones well-enough.

I agree with everybody else in here. In terms of features, the following phone finder search gives you a good idea about what the current alternatives are:
https://www.gsmarena.com/search.php3?nRamMin=4000&chkCameraUltrawide=selected&chk35mm=selected&chkNFC=selected&chkInfrared=selected&chkFMradio=selected&idCardslot=1&idBatRemovable=1
Cookster128 said:
...and I'd like to de-bloat all Sprint's crap. Currently seeking a "How To" if there is one to be found.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't seen any Sprint-specific bloat discussions here, probably since most of the old Sprint-based ROMs are already de-bloated. If you are on an unrootable LS997, then here is a brief discussion on the V20 Subreddit about using adb or a package disabler app to remove bloatware.

C D said:
I haven't seen any Sprint-specific bloat discussions here, probably since most of the old Sprint-based ROMs are already de-bloated. If you are on an unrootable LS997, then here is a brief discussion on the V20 Subreddit about using adb or a package disabler app to remove bloatware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this. I'll have to try it out soon.

Is the V20 still worth buying for <$200 USD

Hi, long time XDA user here. I'm currently using a OnePlus X. I was considering springing for the new OnePlus 6, but I really shouldn't spend that much money right now. I saw that the V20s (a phone I was interested in previously) are very affordable now and I imaging for 200 bucks I can push my upgrade down the road for a bit, maybe until the OP6+ comes out. I've had an LG phone before and liked it , but it's been quite a few years.(Windows Mobile fellas, not even Windows Phone)
1. Is the V20 still viable, does it run well with current apps and networks?
2. How is the ROM support doing nowadays, and is the rooting process in general still possible from the firmware that currently ships on the phone? (I'm not sure what LGs stance on bootloader locking is)
3. Do custom roms make use of the secondary screen at all?
4. What are the phone's weakest points or biggest annoyances today? As in, what hasn't really stood the test of time?
Thanks for any info you can provide me.

Kevin1a said:
Hi, long time XDA user here. I'm currently using a OnePlus X. I was considering springing for the new OnePlus 6, but I really shouldn't spend that much money right now. I saw that the V20s (a phone I was interested in previously) are very affordable now and I imaging for 200 bucks I can push my upgrade down the road for a bit, maybe until the OP6+ comes out. I've had an LG phone before and liked it , but it's been quite a few years.(Windows Mobile fellas, not even Windows Phone)
1. Is the V20 still viable, does it run well with current apps and networks?
2. How is the ROM support doing nowadays, and is the rooting process in general still possible from the firmware that currently ships on the phone? (I'm not sure what LGs stance on bootloader locking is)
3. Do custom roms make use of the secondary screen at all?
4. What are the phone's weakest points or biggest annoyances today? As in, what hasn't really stood the test of time?
Thanks for any info you can provide me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The v20 is basically end of life, bootloader unlocking and root, is dicey depending on the variant you buy, development slowed down to a trickle for some time, common issues include, poor cell reception, screen retention, bad mics, the v20 is still waiting for Oreo and the phone was released over two years ago and probably will never see another os upgrade after that. Currently second screen only works on stock based roms.
Sent from my LG-H910 using XDA Labs

cnjax said:
The v20 is basically end of life, bootloader unlocking and root, is dicey depending on the variant you buy, development slowed down to a trickle for some time, common issues include, poor cell reception, screen retention, bad mics, the v20 is still waiting for Oreo and the phone was released over two years ago and probably will never see another os upgrade after that. Currently second screen only works on stock based roms.
Sent from my LG-H910 using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info. This is exactly what I was looking for.

cnjax said:
The v20 is basically end of life, bootloader unlocking and root, is dicey depending on the variant you buy, development slowed down to a trickle for some time, common issues include, poor cell reception, screen retention, bad mics, the v20 is still waiting for Oreo and the phone was released over two years ago and probably will never see another os upgrade after that. Currently second screen only works on stock based roms.
Sent from my LG-H910 using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't say that with the active development of Lineage OS and Any Kernel.
Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk

cnjax said:
The v20 is basically end of life, bootloader unlocking and root, is dicey depending on the variant you buy, development slowed down to a trickle for some time, common issues include, poor cell reception, screen retention, bad mics, the v20 is still waiting for Oreo and the phone was released over two years ago and probably will never see another os upgrade after that. Currently second screen only works on stock based roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This sums it up. Seems the v20 is dead. Maybe oreo will bring more development but I doubt it since a lot of people have moved on

WhiteWidows said:
I wouldn't say that with the active development of Lineage OS and Any Kernel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh yeah lineage that half baked os that's unofficial and you lose main features of the phone and have to flash constant updates or use work arounds to have basic functionality, yeah that's development right there.
Sent from my LG-H910 using XDA Labs

LG V20 Still A good Phone
Well maybe you would like a different perspective. I fist laid eyes on the LG V20 in a Verizon store about a month ago but they would not sell it to me because it is not made anymore. So I just purchased an unlocked version from B&H in New York. My first attraction to this phone is the second screen which i think is extremely useful. Then i noticed that the LG V20 has a removable back panel so you can replace the battery. I have been looking for that ever since my NOTE 4 bricked two years ago. in the interim I had a Motorola Pure X which took a look for me to part with. SO that was all I needed to make the choice to buy it. now i do not have to carry a battery brick or make sure i am near a charger all day. i can carry a spare battery in my pocket. Next fringe benefit was finding out that this phone has 3 cameras, 1 front facing and 2 rear, one of them being a wide angle lens. But the love keeps getting better... add to that a removable SD card up to 256 GB or more when they come out with one, fingerprint censor, 64 GB phone and you have a pretty serious contender. I love this phone. I love it so much i but another one. Actually at the moment i have 3. Oh and yes, probably one of the only phones left that has both a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a type C charging port. The Audio and DAC units in this phone is better than most high end audio gear that you would find in a music studio, and i am a musician. I have heard of complaints about the camera quality, but to that i say if you want pictures with that kind of quality, go out and buy a Nikon! Also i have heard that manufactures are moving away form 3.5 mm jacks and removable batteries because they want to make the phones more water proof. Bull Hockey!! Are people so obsessed with phones that they cannot leave the thing alone for a 10 minute swim. The real reason is because the manufacturer doesn't want you keeping a phone more than 2 years so they make the batteries last only that long and if you cannot replace the battery, you need a new phone. (or you can go the route of trying to put a new battery in your phone and butcher it to death).
Long story to say do not count the LG V20 out yet. it is a superb phone, has many features that a lot of other phones just do not have. I am very pleased with both of mine and i love the second screen.
The only bad experience i have had is that in order to get Verizon's Visual Voice mail, i had to purchase a Verizon version, and the front camera crapped out after a week. It was supposed to be new, but the box looks like it has been ridden around the world, so i doubt it was new. SO i am sending that back but still have both of my unlocked US996's.

cnjax said:
The v20 is basically end of life, bootloader unlocking and root, is dicey depending on the variant you buy, development slowed down to a trickle for some time, common issues include, poor cell reception, screen retention, bad mics, the v20 is still waiting for Oreo and the phone was released over two years ago and probably will never see another os upgrade after that. Currently second screen only works on stock based roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like, how is December 2016 is more that 2 years ago? Kid, are you sane? More so, Shap 820 even didn't existed more than 2 years ago, it is still actual chip not legacy like some 810, and 835 is pretty much == 820 rebranded and repainted
---------- Post added at 06:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:09 PM ----------
Kevin1a said:
1. Is the V20 still viable, does it run well with current apps and networks?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, because it's powered by SD820, not Snap 430 or 600 or something
Kevin1a said:
4. What are the phone's weakest points or biggest annoyances today? As in, what hasn't really stood the test of time?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The weakest point is battery somewhat degraded over time, I could have like 7hrs SOT on Wifi on the start but now after cold winters it shows its age and gives me around 4.5...5 SOT on same router. but battery is exchangeable easily and I hope to buy more fresh one
Some people claim they got screen retention, it's more visible the more southern country you live and more brighter you must set you screen to

I still am keeping it as a backup phone but I am using a different DD. I did take it on a trip though with the 10800 ma battery I have for it. I'm running a stock 918H and it still fairly fast. The SD card and headphone jack are nice too. Still a good buy at $150 or so

I love the second screen and the DAC but being forced to run the stock ROM is a PITA as it's very sluggish. I have a Mi A1 that runs circles around the V20 in terms of performance, which is sad. Meanwhile, if you try to solve the lag, running Lineage OS defeats the purpose and outweighs the benefits of the phone as you won't have the DAC, second screen nor full camera functionality.

Absolutely it is worth it. You can pick up a V30 with a slightly faster processor, and slightly better camera (and that is debatable) for $250. However, you will lose the replaceable battery, the second screen, the IR blaster.
The people that say they are having performance problems have hardware issues. Even stock non-rooted, runs plenty fast, but if you use Alpha ROM, and debloat all the carrier bullsh** then it runs like a beast.
-- Brian

runningnak3d said:
Absolutely it is worth it. You can pick up a V30 with a slightly faster processor, and slightly better camera (and that is debatable) for $250. However, you will lose the replaceable battery, the second screen, the IR blaster.
The people that say they are having performance problems have hardware issues. Even stock non-rooted, runs plenty fast, but if you use Alpha ROM, and debloat all the carrier bullsh** then it runs like a beast.
-- Brian
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have hardware issues. The stock ROM (de-bloated or not) is well known to be sluggish. As I stated in my post, the phone is completely different if running Lineage at the cost of the unique functionality. Aside from many people complaining of the performance under stock as being sluggish, this guy describes it perfectly:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZl2GpxekrQ&t=3s

So I have a slow phone? Holy crap! I had no idea!
Stop spreading FUD, and learn how to do things like disable rctd, ccmd, logging, CPU throttling...
-- Brian

runningnak3d said:
Absolutely it is worth it. You can pick up a V30 with a slightly faster processor, and slightly better camera (and that is debatable) for $250. However, you will lose the replaceable battery, the second screen, the IR blaster.
The people that say they are having performance problems have hardware issues. Even stock non-rooted, runs plenty fast, but if you use Alpha ROM, and debloat all the carrier bullsh** then it runs like a beast.
-- Brian
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
runningnak3d said:
So I have a slow phone? Holy crap! I had no idea!
Stop spreading FUD, and learn how to do things like disable rctd, ccmd, logging, CPU throttling...
-- Brian
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your sarcasm isn't appreciated and I'm not spreading fud - this is fact. I've done lots of tweaking and no amount of it will fix what LG did to the stock ROM. You're acting as if I'm the only person who has pointed out the shortcomings of the V20. The fact is, it is a fantastic phone with bad execution of the OS by LG. To be clear, I still use mine but it will soon be retired to secondary usage as my Mi A1 is way better as a DD.

No, I am sure there are plenty of others out there complaining as well -- that also don't know the first thing about how to get the most out of their phone.
Is the V20 the end-all / be-all? Nope, but it is the last great flagship phone that was released. Everything since is just a waste of money.
-- Brian

We just bought our T-mobile V20's this year. Great phones for about $150 in excellent used (hard to tell they were used) condition. Great photos and DAC, among other things. We couldn't find anything comparable for that price, new or used.

Mine is still great. Stock, unrooted, H990DS with a zerolemon 10000mAh extended battery. The image retention doesn't bother me - it's not permanent. I use the widescreen camera a lot, and charge the device once every 3-4 days. The IR transmitter sees plenty of use too, as does the DAC and the dual SIM.
There's nothing else that fits my needs. Dreading when it dies.

I just got me V20 H918 in excellent condition with 3 batteries and 4 cases for $185 shipped. I've come from G4 which started to have GPS lock issues, sometimes. My LG G3 GPS is no longer working at all. lol. Not sure what's up with that. Was this fixed in v20 or is this just tear and wear on GPS chip or something?
My main attraction point is camera manual controls and i mean white balance K numbers and mic for loud concert recording as well as removable battery and i prefer bigger screens and 5.7 upgrade from 5.5 on G4 is welcomed too. Oh and DAC was other feature that attracted me as well. What's weird that G4 concert recording was terrible but G3 was fantastic. Never distorted. Hoping V20 has great mic like G3 did. Let me know your thoughts.
I will NOT buy a phone if it doesn't have removable battery as i refuse to spend $800 on phone every few years and be forced by manufacturers due to profit.
Don't know any other manufacturer that lets you do white balance in K values. I wish aperture would be f=1.6 or f1.5 but had no complains with 1.8 on G4. Kinda sucks wide angle is f2.4, as it should be 1.8 or lower. It seems ppl use that camera more often. I guess night shots in standard angle is to use.
Thought about pixel but don't have manual control like LG does. If you guys have any suggestions on used phone <$250 that blows V20 out of water please let me know. I use to be Samsung Galaxy lover but since LG introduced manual controls i switched. There was pro photographer article on G4 camera so ppl that think iphone or samsung has better camera u should read that article. But let me know if there is something better.
P.S
In process of rooting it as i need it for kernel auditor for screen colors profiles (Vomer DeepRich) and kernel i/o scheduler control and kin screen and lux too, among few more other apps. Came with 10u so downgraded to 10p, bootloader unlocked already. Next will be laf exploid root method.

I just reflashed the excellent Alpha ROM on my V20 and managed to rid myself of a significant portion of the sluggishness I mentioned by getting rid of Magisk. I'm not sure what was going on but Magisk was definitely slowing everything down on my V20. Recommend if you buy this phone to stay away from Magisk or at least keep this is mind if you intend to root.

im on Mi A1 right now and im planning also to switch to V20.