The phone that the LG G5 should and could have been is finally out. And it couldn’t have come at a better time. The 5.7-inch LG V20, the first device with Android Nougat out of the box, may just be what LG Electronics needs after the G5 “did not meet the expectations of the market” — which is the company’s nicer way of saying the smartphone is not selling well.

The V20 looks nothing like its predecessor, but it does bring back the secondary display and the dual-camera system introduced on the LG V10 in 2015. However, the display’s now brighter with a bigger font and a 16-megapixel sensor is now paired with an 8-megapixel wide-angle camera around the back.

The secondary display’s now brighter with a bigger font and a 16-megapixel sensor is now paired with an 8-megapixel wide-angle camera around the back.

We’re glad LG didn’t take the modular approach here, especially since the Korean manufacturer didn’t execute it that well with the G5. Not to mention, Google has already cancelled Project Ara. We’re happy that it has adopted a more traditional design. The LG V20 has a removable metal back cover, which, when taken out, will let you access the removable battery, SIM card, and microSD card.

Underneath the hood is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal storage. Audiophiles would be glad to know the V20 comes with a 32-bit hi-fi quad DAC (digital-to-analog converter) — which contains four ESS digital-to-analog converters — the first in a smartphone. It’s also the first phone that will ship with a shortcut to Google In Apps search, a feature that will let you look for photos, videos, and contacts, among others, across Android apps like YouTube, Gmail, and Spotify.

Unfortunately, LG hasn’t announced the price of the V20 yet, but we’re sure it won’t be long before it reveals the SRP before the device’s October release.

So, how does the newly launched phone compare with the LG V10 and G5 on paper? Let’s look at the comparison chart below, culled from GSMArena.

My additional take: Can’t I say “the phone that the LG G5 should and could have been” enough?

My partner Ramon Lopez’s take: I honestly don’t know what to think of this new LG smartphone. On a positive note, the Koreans got rid of the partially modular design that the G5 so briefly toyed with. But on a more somber note, we’re looking at another LG flagship with a totally different design than last year’s model. And it’s especially problematic this time around because the V10’s rugged appearance and polish and execution were a winning combination. Hopefully, LG’s attempts to fix what isn’t broken doesn’t backfire the way it did for the G5.

A preview of the LG V20’s UX

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