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JVC J20 Smartphone Review

Beautiful and solid. New on the market and a thing of beauty: The case of the JVC J20 takes inspiration from Sony and Honor. But what about the hardware? Well, you can learn this and more in our review.
JVC J20

The Japanese manufacturer JVC is known well in the tech world: You can get camcorders, radios and many other audio devices from the manufacturer. JVC has never released a smartphone in the West before, but this changes with the JVC J20. Here, JVC gets some help from the Turkish manufacturer Vestel. The JVC J20 is not a cheap smartphone but is a mid-range device with respectable hardware. 

In this price range, the JVC J20 will have to compete with other mid-range smartphones such as the LG Q7 Plus, Nokia 7 Plus, Samsung Galaxy A8 and the BQ Aquaris X2 Pro. In this review, we shall examine whether the Turkish/Japanese smartphone can go head-to-head with the competition.

JVC J20
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 8 x 2.2 GHz, Cortex-A53
Graphics adapter
Memory
4 GB 
Display
5.65 inch 2:1, 2160 x 1080 pixel 427 PPI, capacitive touchscreen, IPS, glossy: yes
Storage
64 GB eMMC Flash, 64 GB 
, 51.5 GB free
Connections
1 USB 2.0, Audio Connections: 3.5-mm headphone jack, Card Reader: microSD up to 128 GB, 1 Fingerprint Reader, Brightness Sensor, Sensors: motion sensor, proximity sensor, compass, gyroscope, FM radio
Networking
802.11a/b/g/n (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 5.0, GSM (850, 900, 1800, 1900); 3G (900, 2100); LTE (1,3,7,8,20), LTE, GPS
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 7.9 x 149.1 x 72.1 ( = 0.31 x 5.87 x 2.84 in)
Battery
12.9 Wh, 3400 mAh Lithium-Ion, Quick Charge
Operating System
Android 8.0 Oreo
Camera
Primary Camera: 16 MPix dual-camera, dual LED flash, second lens: 5 MP, 4K Video
Secondary Camera: 8 MPix
Additional features
Speakers: mono-speaker on the bottom, Keyboard: virtual keyboard, charger, USB cable, headset, 24 Months Warranty, USB-C, VoLTE, VoWiFi, ViLTE; LTE Cat. 13 (600 MBit/s Download, 150 MBit/s Upload), fanless
Weight
158 g ( = 5.57 oz / 0.35 pounds), Power Supply: 63 g ( = 2.22 oz / 0.14 pounds)
Price
379 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case – The JVC J20 has a slick glass case

You can expect to get a very nice case from a 300-Euro-plus (~$343-plus) smartphone. Here, JVC delivers a very good case: Fans of a somewhat angular design, which can be seen in Sony’s Xperia smartphones, will be very happy with the JVC J20. The edges are slightly rounded and have a chrome finish, which makes the smartphone look very premium. The back has been clearly inspired by current Honor smartphones. It consists of multiple layers of glass, which create a color-shimmering effect by way of light refraction. This cannot be seen in the marketing material. Currently, only the black variant is available in Germany. The gold and the blue variants are coming soon.

The smartphone has a weight of 158 grams (0.35 lbs), which is not very heavy. Nevertheless, it feels very premium in the hand. The JVC J20 uses a display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The bezels are similar in size to other smartphones in this price range. The overall quality is okay for a device with such a price tag. Applying a lot of pressure to the back and the front of the device leads to a slight rippling effect on the screen. When twisting the device, a slight creaking sound is audible.

JVC J20
JVC J20
JVC J20
JVC J20
JVC J20

Size Comparison

158.4 mm / 6.24 inch 75.64 mm / 2.98 inch 9.55 mm / 0.376 inch 186 g0.4101 lbs150.7 mm / 5.93 inch 72.3 mm / 2.85 inch 8.35 mm / 0.3287 inch 168 g0.3704 lbs149.2 mm / 5.87 inch 70.6 mm / 2.78 inch 8.4 mm / 0.3307 inch 172 g0.3792 lbs149.1 mm / 5.87 inch 72.1 mm / 2.84 inch 7.9 mm / 0.311 inch 158 g0.3483 lbs143.8 mm / 5.66 inch 69.3 mm / 2.73 inch 8.4 mm / 0.3307 inch 145 g0.3197 lbs148 mm / 5.83 inch 105 mm / 4.13 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 1.5 g0.00331 lbs

Connectivity – Enough storage space

The smartphone can be charged or connected to a PC via the USB C port on the bottom of the device. USB OTG is supported, but an NFC chip is not provided. The manufacturer claims support for VoLTE, VoWi-Fi and LTE video calling.

The JVC J20 has 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage, which is usual for a device in this price range. The J20 is a single-SIM smartphone. The storage space can be increased with the help of a MicroSD card. However, SD cards cannot be formatted as internal storage, which means apps cannot be stored on them.

Software – Stock Android with up-to-date security patches

The JVC J20 runs stock Android 8.0 without any additional apps preinstalled. The security patches were last updated on June 1, 2018, which is why they are still quite current. Whether the smartphone will receive timely software updates in the future is still unknown.

Software JVC J20
Software JVC J20
Software JVC J20

Communication and GPS – The JVC smartphone with 802.11 ac and fast LTE

In the more premium mid-range smartphones, support for 802.11 ac is a must, and the JVC smartphone fulfills this requirement. However, the transfer rates that we measured with our reference-grade router Linksys EA8500 are somewhat lower than those of other comparable devices. In particular, the BQ Aquaris X2 Pro is much faster at transferring data via Wi-Fi. The LG Q7 Plus, which only supports 802.11 n, is proof positive that transfer speeds can be significantly lower.

In terms of LTE, the JVC J20 offers good speeds of up to 600 Mb/s. However, it covers only the absolutely necessary LTE bands for the Western countries. Those who travel abroad are likely to end up in places where the JVC J20 cannot utilize local LTE networks. In the German D2 networks, the reception is very good, even inside buildings. We get at least three out of four bars most of the time.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
Adreno 512, SD 660, 64 GB eMMC Flash
346 MBit/s +53%
Nokia 7 Plus
Adreno 512, SD 660, 64 GB eMMC Flash
307 MBit/s +36%
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
Mali-G71 MP2, Exynos 7885, 32 GB eMMC Flash
269 MBit/s +19%
JVC J20
Adreno 508, SD 630, 64 GB eMMC Flash
226 MBit/s
LG Q7 Plus
Mali-T860 MP2, MT6750S, 64 GB eMMC Flash
54.5 MBit/s -76%
iperf3 receive AX12
Average of class Smartphone
  (last 2 years)
376 MBit/s +70%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
Adreno 512, SD 660, 64 GB eMMC Flash
281 MBit/s +27%
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
Mali-G71 MP2, Exynos 7885, 32 GB eMMC Flash
280 MBit/s +27%
Nokia 7 Plus
Adreno 512, SD 660, 64 GB eMMC Flash
247 MBit/s +12%
JVC J20
Adreno 508, SD 630, 64 GB eMMC Flash
221 MBit/s
LG Q7 Plus
Mali-T860 MP2, MT6750S, 64 GB eMMC Flash
42.7 MBit/s -81%
GPS inside
GPS outside

The JVC J20 cannot acquire the user’s location inside a concrete building. Outside, it takes the JVC smartphone a few seconds to determine the user’s location with a margin of error of six meters, which is a good result.

In order to determine how accurate our review device is when it comes to geo-location, we take it with us on a bike ride. During this ride, we are also accompanied by the professional navigator Garmin Edge 500. All in all, the JVC J20 does a good job here: Occasionally, the smartphone takes shortcuts that we did not take and places us outside of our traffic lane, but overall the JVC J20 is a rather good navigator. Geo-location works very well in Google Maps and the compass points in the right direction.

GPS Garmin Edge 520 – overview
GPS Garmin Edge 520 – overview
GPS Garmin Edge 520 – coplse
GPS Garmin Edge 520 – copse
GPS Garmin Edge 520 – bridge
GPS Garmin Edge 520 – bridge
GPS JVC J20 – overview
GPS JVC J20 – overview
GPS JVC J20 – copse
GPS JVC J20 – copse
GPS JVC J20 – bridge
GPS JVC J20 – bridge

Telephony and Call Quality – JVC smartphone with average call quality

The smartphone features the standard Android phone app. Therefore, Android veterans should be right at home with this app.

The ear-speaker offers an okay sound quality. The interlocutor is easy to understand and the volume is also high enough. Having said that, the overall sound reproduction is not very good. The caller’s voice becomes tinny when they speak loudly and the caller is rather difficult to understand when they speak quietly. The sound reproduction in speaker mode also leaves a lot to be desired. Here, the call partner sounds as if they are talking on an old fixed-line telephone and not on a modern smartphone with HD sound quality.

Cameras – Front-facing camera okay, main camera so-so

Shot with the front-facing camera
Shot with the front-facing camera

There is a dual-camera setup on the back of the smartphone. The main camera has a resolution of 16 MP and features phase detection autofocus and a dual LED flash. The second sensor has a resolution of 5 MP and is used for depth detection, which works very well. Under normal lighting conditions, the image quality is okay. However, bright areas quickly become overblown. The detail reproduction is very good, and photos rarely look muddy. The camera does a very good job for a smartphone in this price range. That being said, the images appear somewhat dim and blurry when shot under low-light conditions.

Video can be recorded in 4K. However, exposure compensation and autofocus do not work very well: The exposure will have to be corrected after the fact and the focus also has to be adjusted manually if you want it to be correct. Video can also be recorded in quick motion (in this case, video is simply played back faster) and slow motion, and here there are two modes: 4x in 720p and 2x in 1080p.

The fixed-focus front-facing camera takes very colorful and sharp pictures.

Image Comparison

Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.

Scene 1Scene 2Scene 3
click to load images

In our lab, we examine the color accuracy of the JVC J20's camera under controlled lighting conditions. Here, the image is not 100% sharp and the colors look too dim. All in all, the image quality is fine for a mid-range smartphone, but it is not exceptional by any means.

ColorChecker: The reference colors are located in the lower half of each square
ColorChecker: The reference colors are located in the lower half of each square
Shot of the test chart
Shot of the test chart
Test chart - details
Test chart - details

Accessories and Warranty – The JVC J20 comes with a two-year warranty

The box contains a fast charger, a USB cable, a SIM removal tool and in-ear headphones. The manufacturer offers additional accessories on its website. However, these accessories are currently unavailable.

The JVC smartphone has a 24-month warranty. Please see our Guarantees, Return policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.

Input Devices and Handling – Slow fingerprint sensor

The keyboard comes from Google. Therefore, typing messages and emails is easy. 

The touchscreen responds to inputs reliably even at the edges. All in all, it is quite accurate. The hardware buttons on the right side are somewhat small and not optimal to use, because they are located too close to each other. The buttons have a clear actuation point. The soft keys at the bottom of the screen are used to navigate through the menus.

There is a fingerprint scanner on the back, which does not work very reliably. Moreover, it unlocks the smartphone with a slight delay.

Keyboard in landscape mode
Keyboard in landscape mode
Keyboard in portrait mode
Keyboard in portrait mode

Display – JVC smartphone with a dim screen

Pixel arrangement
Pixel arrangement

The JVC J20 comes with a 5.65-inch screen. The BQ Aquaris X2 Pro has the same exact screen size. Both devices also have the same resolution of 2160x1080 and the same aspect ratio of 18:9. This means that there are black bars on the screen when watching traditional 16:9 content. However, this aspect ratio allows for slimmer devices. At 426 cd/m², the JVC J20 has the dimmest display in our comparison group. The display has a mediocre brightness distribution of 82%. This is why solid colors do not appear uniform.

468
cd/m²
406
cd/m²
395
cd/m²
469
cd/m²
411
cd/m²
397
cd/m²
484
cd/m²
404
cd/m²
398
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 484 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 425.8 cd/m² Minimum: 18.9 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 82 %
Contrast: 775:1 (Black: 0.53 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 8.84 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 10.7 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
99.1% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.433
JVC J20
IPS, 2160x1080, 5.65
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
Super AMOLED, 2220x1080, 5.60
LG Q7 Plus
IPS, 2160x1080, 5.50
Nokia 7 Plus
IPS, 2160x1080, 6.00
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
LTPS, 2160x1080, 5.65
Screen
37%
13%
53%
42%
Brightness middle
411
541
32%
431
5%
458
11%
675
64%
Brightness
426
538
26%
419
-2%
463
9%
650
53%
Brightness Distribution
82
96
17%
89
9%
92
12%
92
12%
Black Level *
0.53
0.58
-9%
0.22
58%
0.46
13%
Contrast
775
743
-4%
2082
169%
1467
89%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
8.84
5.8
34%
6.2
30%
4
55%
5.9
33%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
15.08
10.1
33%
7.4
51%
9.5
37%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
10.7
2.7
75%
6.2
42%
4.7
56%
6.6
38%
Gamma
2.433 90%
2.07 106%
2.26 97%
2.19 100%
2.36 93%
CCT
10717 61%
6570 99%
8064 81%
7425 88%
7846 83%

* ... smaller is better

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM detected 2315 Hz ≤ 15 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 2315 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 15 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 2315 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering.

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 17900 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

We observed PWM flickering at 15% brightness and lower. Because the screen flickers with a very high frequency, even susceptible individuals should not experience headaches or eye strain. The black value and the contrast ratio are quite mediocre, which is why colors seem washed-out and the blacks appear grayish.

We use a spectrophotometer running SpectraCal's CalMAN software to examine the color accuracy more closely. The spectrophotometer reveals a strong bluish cast. It can be ameliorated via Android’s blue-light filter. No other color settings are available. The colors deviate a lot from the sRGB spectrum. Those who need a color-accurate display should look elsewhere.

CalMAN: Color accuracy
CalMAN: Color accuracy
CalMAN: Color-space coverage
CalMAN: Color-space coverage
CalMAN: Grayscale
CalMAN: Grayscale
CalMAN: Saturation
CalMAN: Saturation

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
16 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 7 ms rise
↘ 9 ms fall
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 32 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.5 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
30 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 15 ms rise
↘ 15 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 34 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.7 ms).

Outside, in direct sunlight, the screen of the JVC J20 is almost unreadable. The smartphone does better in the shade. The viewing angles are good. The screen content is legible from any position.

Outdoor use
Outdoor use
Viewing angles
Viewing angles

Performance – Typical for a mid-range device

Thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630, the JVC J20 can keep up with other mid-range smartphones. However, some competitors, such as the Nokia 7 Plus and the BQ Aquaris X2 Pro, offer considerably more performance. Their CPUs are almost 90% faster in the single-core portion of the Geekbench benchmark. Both devices are also far ahead of the JVC smartphone with the Qualcomm Adreno 508 in the gaming benchmarks. Nevertheless, the JVC smartphone performs just as well as the very popular Samsung Galaxy A8.

AnTuTu v6 - Total Score (sort by value)
JVC J20
67408 Points
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
83284 Points +24%
LG Q7 Plus
44064 Points -35%
Nokia 7 Plus
117165 Points +74%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
115834 Points +72%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (44128 - 73617, n=12)
68642 Points +2%
AnTuTu v7 - Total Score (sort by value)
JVC J20
89279 Points
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
116746 Points +31%
LG Q7 Plus
52855 Points -41%
Nokia 7 Plus
141701 Points +59%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
140875 Points +58%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (87300 - 90674, n=11)
89396 Points 0%
PCMark for Android
Work performance score (sort by value)
JVC J20
5762 Points
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
5916 Points +3%
LG Q7 Plus
3969 Points -31%
Nokia 7 Plus
6825 Points +18%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
6332 Points +10%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (4948 - 6264, n=13)
5632 Points -2%
Average of class Smartphone (10884 - 19297, n=2, last 2 years)
15091 Points +162%
Work 2.0 performance score (sort by value)
JVC J20
4836 Points
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
5214 Points +8%
LG Q7 Plus
3080 Points -36%
Nokia 7 Plus
6077 Points +26%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
5965 Points +23%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (4636 - 5987, n=12)
4968 Points +3%
Average of class Smartphone (9101 - 12871, n=4, last 2 years)
10872 Points +125%
BaseMark OS II
Overall (sort by value)
JVC J20
1483 Points
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
1993 Points +34%
LG Q7 Plus
855 Points -42%
Nokia 7 Plus
2369 Points +60%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
2394 Points +61%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (1152 - 1570, n=13)
1479 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone (411 - 11438, n=165, last 2 years)
5745 Points +287%
System (sort by value)
JVC J20
3288 Points
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
4358 Points +33%
LG Q7 Plus
1407 Points -57%
Nokia 7 Plus
4976 Points +51%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
5048 Points +54%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (1763 - 3319, n=13)
3147 Points -4%
Average of class Smartphone (2376 - 16475, n=165, last 2 years)
9678 Points +194%
Memory (sort by value)
JVC J20
1159 Points
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
2275 Points +96%
LG Q7 Plus
800 Points -31%
Nokia 7 Plus
2503 Points +116%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
2494 Points +115%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (838 - 1405, n=13)
1199 Points +3%
Average of class Smartphone (670 - 12716, n=165, last 2 years)
6250 Points +439%
Graphics (sort by value)
JVC J20
1470 Points
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
1331 Points -9%
LG Q7 Plus
631 Points -57%
Nokia 7 Plus
2298 Points +56%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
2279 Points +55%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (1409 - 1523, n=13)
1494 Points +2%
Average of class Smartphone (697 - 58651, n=165, last 2 years)
14101 Points +859%
Web (sort by value)
JVC J20
862 Points
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
1195 Points +39%
LG Q7 Plus
751 Points -13%
Nokia 7 Plus
1101 Points +28%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
1146 Points +33%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (666 - 936, n=13)
859 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone (10 - 2145, n=165, last 2 years)
1494 Points +73%
Geekbench 4.4
64 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
JVC J20
879 Points
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
1526 Points +74%
LG Q7 Plus
639 Points -27%
Nokia 7 Plus
1646 Points +87%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
1579 Points +80%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (710 - 885, n=13)
853 Points -3%
Average of class Smartphone (934 - 9574, n=91, last 2 years)
5228 Points +495%
64 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
JVC J20
4220 Points
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
4431 Points +5%
LG Q7 Plus
2135 Points -49%
Nokia 7 Plus
5867 Points +39%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
5856 Points +39%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (2246 - 4234, n=13)
4009 Points -5%
Average of class Smartphone (2630 - 26990, n=91, last 2 years)
14045 Points +233%
Compute RenderScript Score (sort by value)
JVC J20
3681 Points
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
3680 Points 0%
LG Q7 Plus
2084 Points -43%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
5688 Points +55%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (2910 - 3956, n=12)
3718 Points +1%
Average of class Smartphone (2053 - 18432, n=72, last 2 years)
10872 Points +195%
3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value)
JVC J20
16948 Points
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
14779 Points -13%
LG Q7 Plus
9710 Points -43%
Nokia 7 Plus
26610 Points +57%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
26175 Points +54%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (15466 - 17032, n=13)
16750 Points -1%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value)
JVC J20
18471 Points
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
15262 Points -17%
LG Q7 Plus
9656 Points -48%
Nokia 7 Plus
29333 Points +59%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
29306 Points +59%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (16508 - 18635, n=13)
18279 Points -1%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
JVC J20
13153 Points
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
13306 Points +1%
LG Q7 Plus
9903 Points -25%
Nokia 7 Plus
20085 Points +53%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
19050 Points +45%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (12437 - 13217, n=13)
12963 Points -1%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 (sort by value)
JVC J20
1344 Points
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
1001 Points -26%
LG Q7 Plus
120 Points -91%
Nokia 7 Plus
2035 Points +51%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
2059 Points +53%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (1315 - 1374, n=13)
1341 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone (712 - 7285, n=50, last 2 years)
3766 Points +180%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Graphics (sort by value)
JVC J20
1257 Points
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
879 Points -30%
LG Q7 Plus
96 Points -92%
Nokia 7 Plus
1895 Points +51%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
1938 Points +54%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (1234 - 1289, n=13)
1258 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone (618 - 9451, n=50, last 2 years)
4186 Points +233%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Physics (sort by value)
JVC J20
1770 Points
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
1946 Points +10%
LG Q7 Plus
1029 Points -42%
Nokia 7 Plus
2734 Points +54%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
2638 Points +49%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (1687 - 1816, n=13)
1746 Points -1%
Average of class Smartphone (1093 - 4525, n=50, last 2 years)
3082 Points +74%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) (sort by value)
JVC J20
830 Points
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
729 Points -12%
LG Q7 Plus
101 Points -88%
Nokia 7 Plus
1332 Points +60%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
1361 Points +64%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (809 - 839, n=13)
825 Points -1%
Average of class Smartphone (286 - 7890, n=104, last 2 years)
2767 Points +233%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Graphics (sort by value)
JVC J20
721 Points
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
618 Points -14%
LG Q7 Plus
80 Points -89%
Nokia 7 Plus
1161 Points +61%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
1196 Points +66%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (704 - 729, n=13)
718 Points 0%
Average of class Smartphone (240 - 9814, n=104, last 2 years)
2765 Points +283%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Physics (sort by value)
JVC J20
1765 Points
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
1950 Points +10%
LG Q7 Plus
1031 Points -42%
Nokia 7 Plus
2749 Points +56%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
2628 Points +49%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (1631 - 1822, n=13)
1734 Points -2%
Average of class Smartphone (858 - 4679, n=104, last 2 years)
3168 Points +79%
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value)
JVC J20
28 fps
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
31 fps +11%
LG Q7 Plus
16 fps -43%
Nokia 7 Plus
48 fps +71%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
51 fps +82%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (25 - 31, n=13)
29.2 fps +4%
Average of class Smartphone (22 - 165, n=183, last 2 years)
84.6 fps +202%
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value)
JVC J20
29 fps
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
34 fps +17%
LG Q7 Plus
17 fps -41%
Nokia 7 Plus
50 fps +72%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
46 fps +59%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (29 - 30, n=13)
29.7 fps +2%
Average of class Smartphone (19 - 791, n=183, last 2 years)
247 fps +752%
GFXBench 3.0
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value)
JVC J20
13 fps
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
15 fps +15%
LG Q7 Plus
6.8 fps -48%
Nokia 7 Plus
22 fps +69%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
22 fps +69%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (11 - 15, n=13)
13.8 fps +6%
Average of class Smartphone (6.8 - 165, n=185, last 2 years)
72.2 fps +455%
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value)
JVC J20
14 fps
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
16 fps +14%
LG Q7 Plus
7.1 fps -49%
Nokia 7 Plus
23 fps +64%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
23 fps +64%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (13 - 14, n=13)
13.8 fps -1%
Average of class Smartphone (9.2 - 363, n=185, last 2 years)
140.6 fps +904%
GFXBench 3.1
on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value)
JVC J20
9.2 fps
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
9.6 fps +4%
LG Q7 Plus
4.5 fps -51%
Nokia 7 Plus
15 fps +63%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
14 fps +52%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (5.3 - 11, n=13)
9.36 fps +2%
Average of class Smartphone (3.7 - 158, n=185, last 2 years)
60.9 fps +562%
1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value)
JVC J20
9.7 fps
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
9.9 fps +2%
LG Q7 Plus
4.7 fps -52%
Nokia 7 Plus
14 fps +44%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
15 fps +55%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (5.2 - 10, n=13)
9.38 fps -3%
Average of class Smartphone (6.2 - 279, n=185, last 2 years)
99 fps +921%
GFXBench
on screen Car Chase Onscreen (sort by value)
JVC J20
5.2 fps
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
5.8 fps +12%
LG Q7 Plus
2.4 fps -54%
Nokia 7 Plus
9.1 fps +75%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
8.6 fps +65%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (4.3 - 6, n=13)
5.48 fps +5%
Average of class Smartphone (5 - 117, n=185, last 2 years)
43.4 fps +735%
1920x1080 Car Chase Offscreen (sort by value)
JVC J20
5.5 fps
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
6 fps +9%
LG Q7 Plus
2.5 fps -55%
Nokia 7 Plus
8.3 fps +51%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
9.1 fps +65%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (5.3 - 5.6, n=13)
5.48 fps 0%
Average of class Smartphone (2.9 - 166, n=185, last 2 years)
59.9 fps +989%

Legend

 
JVC J20 Qualcomm Snapdragon 630, Qualcomm Adreno 508, 64 GB eMMC Flash
 
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018 Samsung Exynos 7885, ARM Mali-G71 MP2, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
LG Q7 Plus Mediatek MT6750S, ARM Mali-T860 MP2, 64 GB eMMC Flash
 
Nokia 7 Plus Qualcomm Snapdragon 660, Qualcomm Adreno 512, 64 GB eMMC Flash
 
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro Qualcomm Snapdragon 660, Qualcomm Adreno 512, 64 GB eMMC Flash

The JVC smartphone does not shine when it comes to Internet-surfing: Here, the comparison devices are considerably faster. However, in practice things are not as tragic: Websites load very fast and images do not take a lot of time to load.

JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
Average of class Smartphone (last 2 years)
104.3 Points +269%
Nokia 7 Plus (Chrome 60)
53.9 Points +91%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro (Chrome 67)
49.4 Points +75%
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018 (Chrome 64.0.3282.137)
49.07 Points +74%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (27.4 - 30.8, n=12)
28.3 Points 0%
JVC J20 (Chrome 68)
28.25 Points
LG Q7 Plus (Chrome 67)
18.69 Points -34%
Octane V2 - Total Score
Average of class Smartphone (4633 - 89112, n=212, last 2 years)
33588 Points +556%
Nokia 7 Plus (Chrome 60)
10945 Points +114%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro (Chrome 67)
9582 Points +87%
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018 (Chrome 64.0.3282.137)
9350 Points +83%
JVC J20 (Chrome 68)
5117 Points
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (4398 - 5202, n=13)
4963 Points -3%
LG Q7 Plus (Chrome 67)
3422 Points -33%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
LG Q7 Plus (Chrome 67)
13671 ms * -42%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (8396 - 10257, n=13)
9702 ms * -0%
JVC J20 (Chrome 68)
9660 ms *
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018 (Chrome 64.0.3282.137)
4275 ms * +56%
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro (Chrome 67)
4094 ms * +58%
Nokia 7 Plus (Chrome 60)
3937 ms * +59%
Average of class Smartphone (388 - 9999, n=173, last 2 years)
1595 ms * +83%
WebXPRT 2015 - Overall
Nokia 7 Plus (Chrome 60)
168 Points
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro (Chrome 67)
159 Points
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018 (Chrome 64.0.3282.137)
156 Points
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (86 - 117, n=10)
105.9 Points
LG Q7 Plus (Chrome 67)
70 Points

* ... smaller is better

Our review device does very well in terms of write and read rates: Both the SD card reader and the internal eMMC flash memory perform as expected. We use our reference-grade MicroSD card Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 to test the SD card reader.

JVC J20Samsung Galaxy A8 2018LG Q7 PlusNokia 7 PlusBQ Aquaris X2 ProAverage 64 GB eMMC FlashAverage of class Smartphone
AndroBench 3-5
22%
5%
36%
23%
63%
1359%
Sequential Read 256KB
270.6
299.9
11%
235.9
-13%
283.1
5%
280.8
4%
Sequential Write 256KB
199.7
104.2
-48%
186.6
-7%
211.6
6%
204.8
3%
176.8 ?(40 - 274, n=201)
-11%
Random Read 4KB
58.3
82.6
42%
35.8
-39%
54.7
-6%
51.3
-12%
Random Write 4KB
6.3
14.69
133%
11.91
89%
19.62
211%
15.43
145%
Sequential Read 256KB SDCard
82.8 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
77.9 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
-6%
81.4 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
-2%
82.2
-1%
83.3 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
1%
Sequential Write 256KB SDCard
63 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
62.3 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
-1%
62.2 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
-1%
62.3
-1%
61.1 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
-3%

Gaming – The JVC J20 is good for gaming

The JVC J20 is absolutely suitable for gaming, and you do not have to lower your expectations too much: The newly-released racing game Asphalt 9 runs without any problems even on high settings. We use Temple Run to see how well the motion sensor and the touchscreen work in games. Here, we have no complaints, because both work very well. The GPU supports all current APIs, which means that it is quite future-proof.

Those who want to play the latest titles at a constant 60 FPS should get a more powerful, and therefore more expensive, smartphone.

Temple Run
Temple Run
Asphalt 9
Asphalt 9

Emissions – The speaker does not impress

Temperature

Under load, the surface temperatures reach up to 44.4 °C (111.9 °F) on the front of the device, which is noticeably hot, especially when you carry the smartphone in your pants pocket. The JVC J20 gets warm even when idle. However, it never reaches critical temperatures.

Max. Load
 44.4 °C
112 F
40.5 °C
105 F
41.2 °C
106 F
 
 43.8 °C
111 F
40.8 °C
105 F
42 °C
108 F
 
 42.5 °C
109 F
40.3 °C
105 F
40.9 °C
106 F
 
Maximum: 44.4 °C = 112 F
Average: 41.8 °C = 107 F
37.2 °C
99 F
38.1 °C
101 F
41.8 °C
107 F
37.2 °C
99 F
39.3 °C
103 F
41.2 °C
106 F
38.5 °C
101 F
39.5 °C
103 F
40.5 °C
105 F
Maximum: 41.8 °C = 107 F
Average: 39.3 °C = 103 F
Power Supply (max.)  42.2 °C = 108 F | Room Temperature 22 °C = 72 F | Voltcraft IR-260
(-) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 41.8 °C / 107 F, compared to the average of 32.7 °C / 91 F for the devices in the class Smartphone.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 44.4 °C / 112 F, compared to the average of 35 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 56 °C for the class Smartphone.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 41.8 °C / 107 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(±) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 33.5 °C / 92 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.
Heat distribution - front
Heat distribution - front
Heat distribution - back
Heat distribution - back

Speakers

Pink Noise
Pink Noise

The mono-speaker on the bottom can get very loud. However, the sound quality is not very good: Even though the lower mids are reproduced quite well, the highs are all out of whack. This becomes a problem when you turn the volume up very high. It is okay if you want to listen to a song or two, but if you want to listen to music for quite some time then you had better get yourself a pair of headphones or external speakers, which can be connected to the smartphone via the 3.5-mm audio jack or Bluetooth. Both the headphone jack and Bluetooth work very well and deliver good sound quality.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2038.138.62537.637.23135.936.44028.130.85028.627.66327.824.18029.824.210030.425.412522.227.216023.9342002041.325019.445.531517.247.840016.454.850016.556.963015.159.680015.161.1100014.662.5125014.467.3160013.772.7200012.373.8250012.173.4315011.871.4400011.767.8500011.761630011.657.8800011.652.11000011.556.31250011.5531600011.642.9SPL66.356.725.981N16.810.40.840.9median 14.6median 56.7median 13.3median 60.9Delta5.79.512.620.135.245.132.940.337.238.231.741.739.642.728.327.327.32926.92726.730.32437.620.942.820.951.919.555.518.560.717.564.617.567.915.769.515.872.316.670.115.872.215.470.815.573.11674.615.876.81670.216.373.716.376.616.273.716.465.716.454.328.6851.162.6median 16.4median 69.52.29.3hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseJVC J20Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
JVC J20 audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (81 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 60.9% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (0% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(-) | nearly no mids - on average 60.9% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (0% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(-) | nearly no highs - on average 60.9% lower than median
(+) | highs are linear (0% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(-) | overall sound is not linear (121.1% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 88% of all tested devices in this class were better, 10% similar, 2% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 96% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 1% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Samsung Galaxy A8 2018 audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (85 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 28.7% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.8% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.6% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (5.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (20.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 27% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 64% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 47% of all tested devices were better, 9% similar, 45% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Battery Life – The JVC J20 lasts for a long time

Energy Consumption

The power draw of the JVC J20 peaks at 5.9 watts, which is a pretty low result. However, when idle, the power consumption is slightly elevated when compared to the competition. The smartphone draws some power in standby mode, which means that it will discharge faster than the competing devices.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0 / 0.3 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 1 / 1.6 / 2.8 Watt
Load midlight 4 / 5.9 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
JVC J20
3400 mAh
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
3000 mAh
LG Q7 Plus
3000 mAh
Nokia 7 Plus
3800 mAh
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
3100 mAh
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630
 
Average of class Smartphone
 
Power Consumption
26%
8%
-1%
-4%
9%
-4%
Idle Minimum *
1
0.67
33%
1
-0%
0.65
35%
0.63
37%
0.732 ?(0.35 - 1.4, n=13)
27%
Idle Average *
1.6
1.02
36%
1.57
2%
1.76
-10%
2.16
-35%
1.835 ?(1 - 2.31, n=13)
-15%
Idle Maximum *
2.8
1.1
61%
1.64
41%
1.78
36%
2.18
22%
2.16 ?(1.4 - 3.8, n=13)
23%
Load Average *
4
3.86
3%
4.1
-3%
4.47
-12%
4.48
-12%
Load Maximum *
5.9
5.97
-1%
6.02
-2%
9.13
-55%
7.87
-33%
5.62 ?(4.56 - 8, n=13)
5%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

With 3400 mAh, the battery of the JVC J20 has a somewhat bigger capacity than most of the competition. This is reflected in the battery runtimes: The JVC J20 lasts 12 h 6 m in our Wi-Fi test. This is a very good result.

The smartphone supports Quick Charge and takes less than two hours to fully charge with the included charger.

Battery Runtime
WiFi Websurfing
12h 06min
JVC J20
3400 mAh
Samsung Galaxy A8 2018
3000 mAh
LG Q7 Plus
3000 mAh
Nokia 7 Plus
3800 mAh
BQ Aquaris X2 Pro
3100 mAh
Battery Runtime
-11%
-15%
-7%
-17%
WiFi v1.3
726
646
-11%
620
-15%
672
-7%
605
-17%
Reader / Idle
1546
980
1703
1374
H.264
908
455
706
658
Load
260
230
158
145

Pros

+ beautiful design
+ good front-facing camera
+ long battery life

Cons

- dim screen with a strong bluish cast
- less powerful than comparable devices
- mediocre speaker

Verdict – Beautiful mid-range smartphone

In review: JVC J20
In review: JVC J20

There are two possibilities for a new brand in the smartphone market: Either you come up with a completely new concept or you make a solid smartphone and try to win buyers over with it. Vestel and JVC opted for the latter approach. With the JVC J20, they bring a rock-solid smartphone to the market. The advantage for the buyers: There are almost no real shortcomings. The color-inaccurate display and the mediocre speaker are the only blemishes. The battery life, the quality of the front-facing camera and the connectivity options are quite impressive. Moreover, the JVC J20 comes with stock Android without any bloatware.

JVC’s first smartphone for the Western market is a solid mid-range device. The battery life and the case are especially impressive.

Another advantage: There have already been reductions in the price of the JVC J20 – which make the JVC smartphone look like quite a bargain.

JVC J20 - 08/06/2018 v6(old)
Florian Wimmer

Chassis
79%
Keyboard
65 / 75 → 86%
Pointing Device
89%
Connectivity
38 / 60 → 63%
Weight
92%
Battery
95%
Display
72%
Games Performance
41 / 63 → 65%
Application Performance
52 / 70 → 74%
Temperature
85%
Noise
100%
Audio
53 / 91 → 58%
Camera
64%
Average
71%
81%
Smartphone - Weighted Average

Pricecompare

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Florian Wimmer, 2018-08-10 (Update: 2019-02-28)