Intro – LG Velvet 5G Review:
Today, the LG Velvet 5G is hitting up shelves in Canada! We are looking at LG's most prominent smartphone, which is looking at shaking up the mid-range market in Canada. My review will focus on my personal experiences. Ready to dive into my LG Velvet 5G Review?
The Velvet 5G is priced outright at $750 Canadian. It lines up to be at a reasonable price for a mid-range smartphone that also delivers 5G speeds. 5G in Canada is still very new, and you might not see the appeal just yet.
The smartphone that everyone can use is what the Velvet is all about. The LG Velvet 5G isn't a flagship smartphone, LG's did sacrifice a few things, to achieve the price point.
I can say with certainty that the LG Velvet 5G is a smartphone that competes quite well in this market. After spending nearly 2-weeks with it, it did not disappoint me in the slightest.
Design – LG Velvet 5G Review
Adorning a curved glass screen, a sleek, and elegant metal body, you could mistake this phone to be $1000 or more. A big screen, a solid frame, everything you need to enjoy your favourite YouTuber or Twitch channel. Say hello to the in-screen fingerprint scanner as seen from many other vendors, it works well.
On the back of the LG Velvet 5G, we have a different approach to the camera arrays we commonly see in smartphones. The waterdrop camera format catches attention while in the wild. The illusion sunset of the Velvet is what catches my eye. I prefer colours over muted choices.
As is custom, with LG's smartphones, the LG Velvet 5G offers you a headphone jack! There's a little caveat with the Velvet as there's no Quad-Dac. LG's is making use of Qualcomm's DAC built-into the processor, which does give you a better sound on low-bitrate content. A fully immersive audio experience with AI 3D Sound Engine that automatically adjusts sounds settings based on what is playing.
The speakers on this device are decent for most people. There isn't anything groundbreaking with them. As I suggest to most, you're better off getting yourself a good Bluetooth speaker.
I love the Google Assistant button on the left side of the device. It makes using Google Assistance just as effective as the squeeze touch from the Pixel. Hey Samsung! You could learn a thing here.
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Display – LG Velvet 5G Review
This glass delivers a 6.8-inch P-OLED 60Hz HDR screen and a resolution of 1080 x 2460. Sorry folks, there's no 90Hz or more on this bad boy. Noted at the top of the LG Velvet 5G is the teardrop notch that is host to the selfie camera.
Colour representation is pretty spot on, and I enjoy the vivid display in both indoor and outdoor situations. The screen is readily bright when in direct sunlight, I didn't have any troubles throughout my time. You'll appreciate watching content that delivers HDR capability.
Camera & Picture Quality – LG Velvet 5G Review
I've noted that some of my peers have been fierce critics of the cameras on the Velvet. I'm here to tell you that I captured some pretty amazing pictures with 0 effort. Go ahead and do your magic.
We get a 48-megapixel primary camera, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide and a 5-megapixel depth sensor. The LG Velvet 5G uses the Samsung GM2, which is a 48MP sensor, with an f/1.8 lens. The Ultrawide angle camera lets you get some defining pictures which I'll include in the picture gallery for you to enjoy.
When it comes to taking pictures in low-light conditions, like inside a building at night, a bar or outside shots, the Velvet performs decently. You would get better pictures in the evening with Google's Pixel 4.
When you're doing videos, the Steady Cam reduces unwanted motions for smoother-looking content. People won't be able to tell that you're on the go, doing handheld videos. Voice Bokeh allows you to create professional-level content by taking videos that focus on the subject and minimizes background noises.
**Gallery Pictures are hosted in HIGH-RES on my Flickr Profile.
Specs & Performance – LG Velvet 5G Review
Kicking butt with 8GB of RAM and Qualcomm's 765G processor, while the graphic processor is the Adreno 620, the Velvet is, in my opinion, taking names in the evening. Whether you're an avid social media influencer, an Instagram beauty star or just a mobile gamer, the Velvet will quench your thirst.
The LG Velvet 5G comes with 128GB of storage and can take an additional micro SD card for more storage options.
In my daily usage between work, downtime, and fun time I haven't had any issues. My latest rift is playing Darkness Rises, if you haven't given this a try, you should! What can set apart a mid-range smartphone is usually the high-end games. Benchmark doesn't always give you a good idea of how the smartphone will perform in the real world. It's often best to load the game you want to test it with and see.
Software – LG Velvet 5G Review
Out of the box, the Velvet is running Android 10. I'm surprised by the choice since Android 11 is currently in its beta testing phase, which will be released shortly as the default OS on Pixel devices. LG has put its little twist on certain aspects of Android 10. Most of it is cosmetic, look and feel that aligns well.
Swiping the home screen to the right will reveal the Google feed, which is what I'd expect from any Android device, but this isn't always the case. Keeping things in line with how it was meant isn't something that most manufacturers tend to do. LG has done quite well with keeping the core and providing a way to them the device with wallpapers, icons, and always on display goodies.
I'm attempting to get LG to confirm their software update cycle and support for the LG Velvet 5G. So far, at the time posting this review, LG has not gotten back to me their software updates, OS updates, and how long they'll support the LG Velvet 5G.
Battery Life – LG Velvet 5G Review
With a 4300mAh battery, the LG Velvet 5G is on the long-lasting side of this dilemma. It varies greatly based on your usage, and since everyone's usage is different, it's going to affect the battery in many ways. The following is the representation of the usage I make.
Being outside, playing video games, and viewing content on your device is a factor that will significantly drain the battery. Don't sweat it! The LG Velvet comes with a 25W charger.
From the screenshot of the battery details, you can clearly see I got a total of 30-hours of usage, and 7-hours of screen time. I'm a power user, and I suspect that most could likely achieve similar long-lasting battery usage.
Final Thoughts – LG Velvet 5G Review
The LG Velvet 5G is a well-rounded device that is capable of giving you a balance. Paired with Qualcomm's 765G processor, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a versatile array of cameras, the Velvet delivers. Bell offers the LG Velvet 5G for only $750 outright, which is the lowest price I've observed. There's nothing you can't do.
Hopefully, my LG Velvet 5G review was insightful. Let know, if there's anything else you'd like to know.
Canadian Availability: Bell, Eastlink, Fido, Freedom Mobile, Koodo, Rogers, SaskTel, Telus, Videotron, Virgin, Best Buy, TBooth Wireless Etc. (Costco), The Mobile Shop, The Source, Visions, Wal-Mart, Wireless Wave, WOW and Xplore Mobile. Visit https://www.LG.ca/velvet5g to learn more.
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