Gadgetory

you know the drill a new phone is released we all get excited about it then after a couple videos we move on to the next new thing how have phone ages is as important as that initial out-of-the-box experience so let's do something about this let's take a second look at LG's beast of a phablet did it live up to the hype I'm Juan Carlos bag now for pocket now and this is our LG v10 after the buzz LG made some interesting moves in 2015 after facing performance issues on the G flex 2 LG utilized a less powerful but more consistent processor for the g4 and this beast of a phablet having used the v10 since its launch in October this monster is proven to be a satisfying mix of experiments with a few compromises this is a big phone no way around it for a 5.7 inch display even including the top ticker screen this is a hefty piece of tech but this extra material has withstood some pretty brutal use LG rates the v10 is milspec 810g drop in shock resistant and this phone has survived multiple unintentional drops onto these stainless steel rails there's almost no evidence of any impacts though I am on my second glass screen protector and this one is already cracked - the combination of steel sides and grippy back still feels terrific in the hand but the Duras skin used on this back cover started wearing away fairly early into the life of this phone happily for being such a large gadget the rear mounted fingerprint scanner is helpful for unlocking without dancing the phone around in your hand and like Samsung we have a proper screen shrink one-handed mode some very nice ergonomic considerations where the v10 continues to impress is with multimedia and content creation this phone really isn't a gaming powerhouse but thanks to a high-quality DAC and a powerful headphone amp this LG consistently scores top marks for headphone audio performing admirably against Sony HTC and apple and this audio hardware significantly outperforms the current Galaxy s7 s and the built-in headphone jack on the LG g5 we also get the most feature complete stock camera experience built into any phone we've ever reviewed the 16 megapixel shooter still handily competes against newer phones for still photography but we've yet to see any other manufacturer approach the absolutely fantastic options for video complete and total control over every setting one might need to adjust from white balance shutter speed and manual focus to audio source gain and microphone direction to resolution aspect ratio and bitrate there are third-party apps which can deliver most of this functionality but this is seamlessly built into the v10 and you really miss these settings when you don't have them on another device pieces of this phone feel a bit ahead of their time though the several flagships in 2016 now come with always-on displays for notifications but this really wasn't ready for the v10 using an LCD so we get this second ticker display at the top to replicate that functionality it's less elegant but arguably a bit more functional for including shortcuts to things like the flashlights wireless settings and media controls you absolutely don't need it but when you get used to it it's nice to have and while the fingerprint sensor is in a great spot to reach we've seen better implementation using always-on sensors instead of this power button configuration LG's launcher is not a community favorite but this skin avoids some of the more egregious sins and a few offending issues can be fixed by changing out a few widgets or downloading a different theme now battery life is the one significant demerit we can point to especially against newer phones the v10 does not sip juice even after the update - marshmallow if you get this thing cranking you will watch that battery icon drop for all this extra size and larger screen the battery is the same capacity as the g4 which came before it on days where we use this camera a lot it quickly becomes habit to top off at least once in the early afternoon it's difficult to say how this phone might aged over the next year as developers get a taste for faster welcomes and manufacturers seem less concerned about using high silicon or mediatek processors we of course hope to see a follow up v 11 or V 20 but would we recommend buying a v10 a this phablet was in each performer at launch targeting content creators but after almost eight months there are still a few tricks this phone can perform which newer phones can't there's a confidence in using this build without a case and while it's still on the pricier side of the market few phones will match features like 64 gigabytes of built-in storage or still include an IR blaster and a user replaceable battery this is far from one-size-fits-all territory but the v10 remains a fan favorite and it's still a capable option for folks shopping something big as always thanks so much for watching be sure to subscribe to this channel for more videos and reviews like these and hit that thumbs up button for a little extra positive reinforcement for pocket now I'm Juan Carlos now you can chat me up on Twitter and Instagram as some gadget guy and I will catch you all on the next review you