LG Velvet review: is LG rebirth?

In recent months, smartphones from medium-high band have seen a significant increase in performance, which begin to approach those of the top of the range, of the constructive quality and, inevitably, also of the price. Among these we cannot fail to mention also LG Velvet, one of the most beautiful devices ever in this segment.

We have been trying it for a month now, we have had the opportunity to study it in detail and we are ready to answer a question: how does it behave in the medium term? Let's find out together in our full review!

LG Velvet review

Unboxing - LG Velvet

Inside the sales package we find the following equipment:

• LG Velvet;
• wall-mounted power supply with European socket;
• USB cable - USB Type-C;
• pin for the SIM slot;
• manuals.

If you want theLG Dual Screen that must be purchased separately and is not included in the scope of delivery.

Design and construction

L'LG Velvet is a device curate, refined and, probably, among the more beautiful mid-range despite having a simple design. In fact, we find one later back cover in curved glass with a pearly color that has only a small step for the main camera, as the others are flush with the body.

The side profile in aluminum alloy è superfine because also frontally we find a slightly curved glass which, overall, will not improve poco the smartphone grip.

Despite the elongated shape with dimensions of 167.2 x 74.1 x 7.9 millimeters, LG Velvet it holds well in the hand and this also thanks to the low weight of 180 grams. The tapered shape on the sides and the glass on the back cover make it one beautiful touch feeling, but you will have to use it with two hands if you want to make quick operations, as even the notification curtain is difficult to reach with one hand.

In construction there is a certain solidity and there is also the IP68 certification, which makes it resistant to water (for a maximum of 30 minutes up to 1.5 meters deep) and to dust.

Let's not forget that we can also connect the Dual Screen, although it will spoil the aesthetics of the smartphone. They are objectively two different styles, but if you have to use it for productivity it is probably a matter that goes into the background.

This is characterized by a second display OLED da 6.8 inches to use two apps simultaneously, or to play with a virtual pad. In short, the uses are truly varied, from business to leisure, and also has compatibility with pens with AES technology to write and draw more accurately.

Below we find the system speaker with the USB Type-C input, the 3.5 mm jack and the main microphone, unlike the opposite side on which the second microphone and the SIM + microSD slot lie.

On the right side there is the power button, while on the left there are the volume rocker and the button for Google Assistant.

Display

L'LG Velvet owns a Cinematic FullVision OLED display da 6.8 inches with resolution Full HD + (2460 x 1080), density of PPI 395, support HDR10 +, protection Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and compatibility with active AES pens.

Small parenthesis also for theLG Dual Screen who also owns a OLED Display FullVision da 6.8 inches with resolution FullHD + e monochrome external OLED display for notifications.

 

Since we are talking about LG it is almost needless to say that the panel and of ottima qualità thanks to beautiful and faithful colors, an excellent minimum and maximum brightness, an excellent touch sensitivity and many customization possibilities.

It starts with the color calibration and ends with the choice of many always-on display available. In fact, you can choose between a vastness of static images and GIFs, as well as the different types of clock. Let's not forget the night mode, reading, one-handed operation, the video amplifier, the possibility of changing characters and much more.

Unfortunately we find a standard refresh rate a 60 Hz and not a higher one as on the competition. We put it on the negative side because given the price we expected more, although the quality of the panel is excellent.

Hardware and Performance

The beating heart of this LG Velvet it's a chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, which is inclusive of an octa-core processor with a maximum clock frequency of 2.4 GHz, a GPU Adreno 620, 6 GB di RAM LPDDR4X e 128 GB di internal memory UFS 2.1 expandable up to 2 TB.

We have had the opportunity to test this chipset on other smartphones belonging to the same range and we know how good the performances are. The opening of the app is very fast and the gaming is more than satisfactory thanks to a reproduction of the titles with maximum details, even the heaviest ones!

Unfortunately, the software is still a bit immature and this can be seen due to some slowdowns, small bugs and more that we will see later in the appropriate section.

Cameras

The photographic sector of LG Velvet consists of a main sensor from 48 mega-pixels (79 °) with f / 1.8 aperture and Quad-Binning technology, one from 8 mega-pixels with lens ultra-wide-angle da 120° with opening f / 2.2 and one from 5 mega-pixels is preferably used for depth of field with aperture f / 2.4. Optical stabilization in favor of that is absent digital, while we find the single LED flash.

The photos fully reflect the mid-range, as in the daytime we have good photos characterized by a good level of detail and fairly faithful colors. In the macro you will have to keep your hand firmly in order not to bring the micro-shake photos, but the result will be very good thanks to a nice bokeh.

Good lighting management, while the wide angle lens loses quality and there is distortion on the sides, but for sharing on social media it can be.

In the evening, the level of detail inevitably drops and in close-up photos you will have to really hold your hand because it is not difficult to make them move. In general it represents the average quality of the mid-range, but if you think about the price at which it is sold, you could and should have done more. This applies to the sector in general.

The night mode saves us in different situations and makes good shots, but in the wide angle you can easily notice the background noise.

Frontally instead we find a camera from 16 mega-pixels with f / 1.9 opening.

In the daytime the HDR acts well even if it saturates the colors a little too much, but the definition is high even if in some photos I noticed an improved light management. At night with artificial lighting it does not behave badly and there is good detail, but as the light goes down you can notice the background noise.

Videos can be recorded until 4K is 30 fps and, as previously said, there is no OIS, but only EIS with the Steady Cam mode. I have to say that stabilization is good, as well as videos, but I would have expected faster focus.

To mention the ASMR and Bokeh audio functions, in which the first will accentuate certain background noises, just like in ASMR videos, while the second will focus on the voice in the foreground by suppressing external noises. The two modes are very fun and I must say that they also work quite well, take a look at the video for tests and to better understand what I'm talking about.

Connectivity and audio

LG Velvet can count on one stereo audio thanks to the main speaker located on the lower frame and the support speaker in the ear capsule. The two will provide an engaging sound that will immerse us completely in the scene given the very high volume and good frequency management.

In addition we also find the LG 3D Sound Engine that through artificial intelligence will better optimize sounds based on what you listen to.

No problem even with the microphone and the audio on call, which behave very well.

Connectivity side we find full support to 5G, as well as al 4G LTE Cat.16, but unfortunately there is only one SIM slot. Reception is good and I have not encountered any particular problems as I have not encountered any problems with Wi-Fi Dual Band, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC, GPS / A-GPS / GLONASS / Galileo, jack from 3.5 mm e USB Type-C 3.1 with video output.

Present the biometric sensor below the display which is a bit slow in the release and not always precise. We don't find it instead 2D face unlock, pity since they still need around 600 euros to bring it home.

Software

Coming to the software, this LG Velvet It owns Android 10 with proprietary interface LG UX 9, which really presents lots of personalizations and many goodies. This is definitely one of the best aspects of the UI since you can edit fonts, themes, AODs, you can use Dual Screen, Dual App, KnockOn, Capture +, Screen zooming and much more.

Unfortunately, however, I found some slowdown every now and then and some little bug, Such as YouTube forced shutdown, which happened a few times and some gesture problems.

Likewise also with theLG Dual Screen I noticed some compatibility issues with some combo type apps Instagram e Twitch, in more detail about the errors in viewing the stories. However, we are talking about aspects that can certainly be fixed in the coming weeks with updates.

For the rest, an applause should be made to the Korean company, as it offers one of the most complete and customizable software out there.

Autonomy

Under the body of LG Velvet we find a battery from 4300 mAh which allows us to obtain aexcellent autonomy. In fact, with intense use I managed to arrive safely in the evening with still the percentage that can be spent in the morning of the following day.

As for charging, we have support for quick charge to 25W although the power supply is only from 16.2 and in fact the smartphone uses about 2 hours to reach 100%. The good news is that on board we also find full support for the wireless charging.

Conclusions - LG Velvet

Here we are at the conclusions and I would start directly from price, As LG Velvet is officially sold to 649 €, but on Amazon you already find it in 575 € with a historical minimum of 549 €.

From an aesthetic, material and construction point of view, this LG it could be a great one top of the range, also considering the excellent display (which however does not have 90 Hz), waterproofing and wireless charging. However, the hardware and the camera say more and despite the good performance we are in the middle of it middle band.

Overall we are faced with a good device that 549 € it already becomes more palatable, especially taking into account the fact that it needs some software adjustments.

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