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MagyarLG Velvet 5G Smartphone Review - High-class comeback for the camera mope
The 5G-capable LG Velvet comes with the Snapdragon 765G, 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of expandable storage space. In addition to its symmetric design, the new upper-midrange smartphone from LG features a triple-camera setup and a 6.8-inch P-OLED display with a native resolution of 2460x1080 and an aspect ration of 20.5:9.
The LG Velvet comes to Germany in July in two colour schemes: Aurora White and Aurora Grey. The device has an MSRP of 599 Euros ($683).
Comparison Devices
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Drive | Size | Resolution | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 85 % v7 (old) | 07 / 2020 | LG Velvet SD 765G, Adreno 620 | 180 g | 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash | 6.80" | 2460x1080 | |
| 86.1 % v7 (old) | 06 / 2020 | Realme X50 Pro SD 865, Adreno 650 | 205 g | 256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash | 6.44" | 2400x1080 | |
| 83.5 % v7 (old) | 07 / 2020 | Oppo Find X2 Neo SD 765G, Adreno 620 | 171 g | 256 GB UFS 2.1 Flash | 6.50" | 2400x1080 | |
| 84.2 % v7 (old) | 06 / 2020 | Nubia RedMagic 5G SD 865, Adreno 650 | 218 g | 256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash | 6.65" | 2340x1080 | |
| 82.8 % v7 (old) | 02 / 2020 | Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite Exynos 9810, Mali-G72 MP18 | 199 g | 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash | 6.70" | 2400x1080 | |
| 87.8 % v7 (old) | 05 / 2020 | Xiaomi Mi 10 SD 865, Adreno 650 | 208 g | 128 GB UFS 3.0 Flash | 6.67" | 2340x1080 |
Case - Purest LG smartphone
The LG Velvet does not feel velvety to the touch, but it still has a premium feel. The 3D Arc Design
of the LG smartphone offers bent Gorilla Glass 5 on both the front and the back as well as rounded aluminum sides, which ensure a seamless transition between the front glass and the rear glass. The Korean manufacturer has given a lot of thought to the ergonomics of the smartphone, which comes with an IP68 certification and is compliant with some MIL-STD standards.
The camera module in the shape of a teardrop, which slightly protrudes from the top bezel, is also an appealing design element of the Velvet. The relatively large bezels below and above the OLED panel as well as the noticeable teardrop notch go against the image of a modern mid-range smartphone. The special feature of the LG smartphone is a dedicated Google Assistant button.
Connectivity - LG Velvet with a 3.5-mm headphone jack
Users will be able to watch content from streaming services in HD quality, because the Velvet supports Widevine DRM Level 1 (L1). The smartphone ships with 128 GB of internal UFS storage, of which only 96 GB is available to the user. Thanks to a microSD card slot, the amount of storage space can be expanded up to 2 TB. The exFAT file system is supported.
Software - LG smartphone with Android 10
The LG Velvet comes with Android 10, which is currently the latest version of Android. The LG smartphone uses a proprietary launcher. The security patches were last updated in June 2020.
Communication and GPS - LG Velvet with few LTE bands
The LG Velvet comes with 5G Qualcomm SDX52 modem and Bluetooth 5.1. An NFS chip, which supports Google Pay, is also included.
Although our review device has a Hybrid SIM card slot and can take two nano-SIM cards at the same time, only one SIM card is recognised. The LG Velvet supports all the LTE bands relevant for Germany, including the increasingly important LTE Band 28. In all, however, it only supports 8 LTE bands. This is why using the LG flagship overseas is going to be very problematic - the low number of supported 2G/3G frequency bands should also be mentioned.
When using the home Wi-Fi network, the LG smartphone, which supports Wi-Fi 5 and relies on MU-MIMO technology, provides relatively constant transfer rates. With our reference-grade router (Netgear Nighthawk AX12) the LG Velvet achieves data transfer speeds of almost 700 Mb/s, which is a good result for a device with this price tag.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| Nubia RedMagic 5G | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 | |
| Realme X50 Pro | |
| Oppo Find X2 Neo | |
| LG Velvet | |
| Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| Nubia RedMagic 5G | |
| Realme X50 Pro | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 | |
| LG Velvet | |
| Oppo Find X2 Neo | |
| Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite | |
In order to determine how accurate our review device is when it comes to geolocation, we take it with us on a bike ride. During this ride, we are also accompanied by the professional navigator Garmin Edge 500. At the end of our 12-km (~7.5 mi) ride, there is only a 20-metre (~22 yd) difference between the smartphone’s GPS module and the navigator. The smartphone did a great job mapping our route, which is why we can say that it is fit for use as a navigation device.
Telephony and Call Quality
The LG Velvet supports Wi-Fi Calling and Voice over LTE (VoLTE), which allows users to make phone calls over the LTE network. The call quality is on a good level and video calling also works very well, thanks to two built-in microphones.
Cameras - LG smartphone with a triple-camera system
The LG Velvet does not have a telephoto lens for taking zoomed-in shots. According to media accounts, the optically stabilised 48-MP main camera is based on either the Sony IMX586 image sensor or the Samsung GM2 sensor – LG does not say which image sensor the smartphone uses. Thanks to 4-in-1 pixel binning, the 12-MP daylight shots offer a lot of detail and appear punchy. However, pictures taken in modestly lit environments are somewhat noisy, which is not uncommon with Samsung sensors. Even though the images turn out to be quite noisy in low-light conditions, they are still well-focused and well-lit.
The ultra-wide angle camera scores some major points with its great colour reproduction and a high level of sharpness in the centre of the image. However, at the edges of the image the sharpness is much reduced and many visual artifacts appear.
The 16-MP front-facing camera also suffers from problems with sharpness. Moreover, photos taken with the selfie camera often turn out improperly lit.
Both the rear and the front-facing camera can record video in 4K at 30 FPS. The 48-MP camera cannot shoot 4K60 video.
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.
WeitwinkelUltraweitwinkelLow LightWeitwinkel5-facher Zoom
Accessories and Warranty - LG Velvet with a Dual Screen case
The box contains the smartphone itself, a USB cable and a 16-watt charger.
The unique feature of the LG Velvet is the second display, which comes in the form of a Dual Screen case (MSRP: 200 Euros ($228). With this case, users can double their screen real estate by opening it. This concept is quite similar to that of the Galaxy Fold. The second display also features a 6.8-inch P-OLED panel (2460x1080, 395 PPI) with a 20.5:9 aspect ratio. Moreover, it supports Wacom styluses.
The smartphone comes with a 24-month warranty.
Input Devices & Handling - LG smartphone with an in-display fingerprint sensor
The 6.8-inch screen responds quickly and reliably to inputs. The LG Velvet comes with a reliable, but not particularly fast, optical fingerprint sensor. There is no FaceUnlock option.
Because of a tall aspect ratio of 20.5:9, reaching the top of the screen, even with large hands, is very difficult. Video content with the aspect ratio of 16:9 or 18:9 on such websites as YouTube is heavily zoomed in when watching it on the LG Velvet in fullscreen mode. The only alternative here is to watch video content with large sidebars.
Display - LG Velvet with a P-OLED screen
The 60-GHz Full Vision P-OLED display has a native resolution of 2460x1080 and a pixel density of almost 400 PPI. The maximum level of brightness is satisfactory, but the screen could have been a bit brighter. With the ambient light sensor enabled, the screen brightness peaked at 591 cd/m² with a pure white background. In the realistically oriented APL50 test, in which the screen displays a pattern of alternating black and white squares of equal size, we measured a good brightness of 757 cd/m². With the ambient light sensor disabled, the screen brightness of the LG Velvet amounts to 481 cd/m².
OLED panels typically use pulse width modulation (PWM) for brightness control. However, the frequencies used are usually quite low (128 to 245 Hz). DC dimming can be enabled for an optimal experience.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 97 %
Center on Battery: 586 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 2.8 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.93
ΔE Greyscale 2.3 | 0.5-98 Ø5.2
95.6% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.01
| LG Velvet P-OLED, 2460x1080, 6.8" | Realme X50 Pro OLED, 2400x1080, 6.4" | Oppo Find X2 Neo OLED, 2400x1080, 6.5" | Nubia RedMagic 5G OLED, 2340x1080, 6.7" | Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite AMOLED, 2400x1080, 6.7" | Xiaomi Mi 10 Super AMOLED, 2340x1080, 6.7" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | -9% | -41% | -93% | -62% | 36% | |
| Brightness middle | 586 | 679 16% | 797 36% | 593 1% | 510 -13% | 786 34% |
| Brightness | 587 | 690 18% | 807 37% | 601 2% | 536 -9% | 791 35% |
| Brightness Distribution | 97 | 97 0% | 95 -2% | 92 -5% | 91 -6% | 96 -1% |
| Black Level * | ||||||
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 2.8 | 3.2 -14% | 5.4 -93% | 8.1 -189% | 6.6 -136% | 1.1 61% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 6.3 | 6.2 2% | 9.2 -46% | 16.2 -157% | 17.56 -179% | 2.2 65% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 2.3 | 4.1 -78% | 6.4 -178% | 7.1 -209% | 2.9 -26% | 1.8 22% |
| Gamma | 2.01 109% | 2.28 96% | 2.27 97% | 2.28 96% | 2.242 98% | 2.26 97% |
| CCT | 6827 95% | 6604 98% | 7245 90% | 7566 86% | 6989 93% | 6315 103% |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 245.1 Hz | ≤ 99 % brightness setting |  |
The display backlight flickers at 245.1 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 99 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting. The frequency of 245.1 Hz is relatively low, so sensitive users will likely notice flickering and experience eyestrain at the stated brightness setting and below. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 17146 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
We use a photospectrophotometer running SpectraCal's CalMAN software to measure the colour accuracy of the display. The deviations for both the mixed colours and the grayscale are well within the norm for a device in this price range. At 6827 Kelvin, the colour temperature of the display can be described as good.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 2 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 1.2 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 11 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 9.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 4.8 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 4.4 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows fast response rates in our tests and should be suited for gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 19 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33 ms). | ||
Outdoors the LG smartphone leaves a good impression. Thanks to a good contrast ratio, the display is easy to read. Even in direct sunlight the screen content is sufficiently readable, when there are no reflections. The viewing angles are also quite good.
Performance - LG smartphone with the Snapdragon 765G
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G features two Cortex-A76 cores: one Prime core with a frequency of 2.4 GHz and one Gold core with a clock speed of 2.2 GHz. It also packs six Cortex-A55 cores with a clock rate of 1.8 GHz. The built-in Adreno 620 GPU is responsible for image rendering. The G
variant of the Snapdragon 765 gets special Snapdragon Elite Gaming features such as Game Fast Loader
.
As with other Snapdragon 765G-based devices, the system feels very snappy and, thanks to 6 GB of RAM, there are almost no stutters to talk about. We only encountered hitches in apps when the system was taxed.
In the benchmarks, the LG smartphone delivers good results. However, it could not keep up with the Find X2 Neo, because it has half the RAM. The Snapdragon 765G is considerably slower than the Snapdragon 865 (in the Xiaomi Mi 10) in terms of both CPU and GPU performance.
| AnTuTu v8 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
| LG Velvet | |
| Realme X50 Pro | |
| Oppo Find X2 Neo | |
| Nubia RedMagic 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G (285731 - 332305, n=14) | |
| Jetstream 2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (13.8 - 387, n=160, last 2 years) | |
| Realme X50 Pro (Chrome 83) | |
| Nubia RedMagic 5G (Chrome 83) | |
| LG Velvet (Chrome 83) | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 (Xiaomi Browser V11.4.23) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G (15.8 - 60.5, n=12) | |
| Oppo Find X2 Neo (Chrome 83) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite (Chrome 80) | |
| WebXPRT 3 - Overall | |
| Average of class Smartphone (38 - 347, n=84, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 (Xiaomi Browser V11.4.23) | |
| Realme X50 Pro (Chrome 83) | |
| Nubia RedMagic 5G (Chrome 83) | |
| LG Velvet (Chrome 83) | |
| Oppo Find X2 Neo (Chrome 83) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite (Chrome 80) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G (20 - 101, n=13) | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (2228 - 100368, n=197, last 2 years) | |
| Realme X50 Pro | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 (Xiaomi Browser V11.4.23) | |
| Nubia RedMagic 5G (Chrome 83) | |
| LG Velvet (Chrome 83) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G (3592 - 19143, n=14) | |
| Oppo Find X2 Neo (Chrome 83) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite (Chrome 80) | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G (2359 - 15230, n=14) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite (Chrome 80) | |
| Oppo Find X2 Neo (Chrome 83) | |
| LG Velvet (Chrome 83) | |
| Nubia RedMagic 5G (Chrome 83) | |
| Xiaomi Mi 10 (Xiaomi Browser V11.4.23) | |
| Realme X50 Pro (Chrome 83) | |
| Realme X50 Pro | |
| Average of class Smartphone (277 - 28190, n=159, last 2 years) | |
* ... smaller is better
| LG Velvet | Realme X50 Pro | Oppo Find X2 Neo | Nubia RedMagic 5G | Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite | Xiaomi Mi 10 | Average 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | 77% | 6% | 37% | -14% | 55% | -9% | 134% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 925 | 1756 90% | 943 2% | 1654 79% | 777 -16% | 1498 62% | 760 ? -18% | 1808 ? 95% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 409.2 | 756 85% | 454.4 11% | 388.4 -5% | 190.8 -53% | 680 66% | 297 ? -27% | 1400 ? 242% |
| Random Read 4KB | 154.3 | 229.4 49% | 160.5 4% | 201.6 31% | 132 -14% | 207 34% | 152.9 ? -1% | 272 ? 76% |
| Random Write 4KB | 135.9 | 252 85% | 143.8 6% | 193.6 42% | 142 4% | 215.9 59% | 131.6 ? -3% | 302 ? 122% |
| Sequential Read 256KB SDCard | 77.8 ? | 73.5 ? -6% | 76 ? -2% | |||||
| Sequential Write 256KB SDCard | 60.3 ? | 59.8 ? -1% | 59.6 ? -1% |
Gaming - LG Velvet with the Adreno 620
The Adreno 620 GPU, which is integrated in the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, is capable of running even demanding 3D games from the Google Play Store. The midrange GPU can achieve playable frame rates in such titles as Real Racing 3
and PUBG Mobile
on high settings.
The sensors and the touchscreen function perfectly well.
Emissions - LG smartphone with stereo speakers
Temperature
The surface temperatures are always quite low, which is why there should not arise any issues related to overheating during daily use.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 34.5 °C / 94 F, compared to the average of 35.1 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 63.2 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 32.2 °C / 90 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 28.8 °C / 84 F, compared to the device average of 32.8 °C / 91 F.
Speakers
The user-facing stereo speakers have a maximum volume of 86 dB(A). The mids are overpresented. However, they are rather faithfully reproduced. At high volume the sound does not become distorted.
Users can connect headphones to the LG Velvet via either the 3.5-mm audio jack or Bluetooth 5.1.
LG Velvet audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (86 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 28.8% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.1% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.8% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (21.4% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 37% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 56% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 37%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 56% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 37% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Oppo Find X2 Neo audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (86.3 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 28.4% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.9% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.9% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (21.9% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 40% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 53% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 37%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 59% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 34% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Battery Life - LG Velvet supports wireless charging
Energy Consumption
It takes 90 minutes for the LG Velvet’s battery to fully charge with the included 16-W USB Type-C charger. 9-W wireless charging is also supported. There are no anomalies when it comes to energy consumption. As a matter of fact, the LG Velvet draws less power than most other smartphones with a Snapdragon 765G.
| Off / Standby |   0.01 / 0.22 Watt |
| Idle |  0.66 / 1.58 / 1.6 Watt |
| Load |
3.3 / 5.46 Watt |
    
| |
| LG Velvet 4300 mAh | Realme X50 Pro 4200 mAh | Oppo Find X2 Neo 4025 mAh | Nubia RedMagic 5G 4500 mAh | Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite 4500 mAh | Xiaomi Mi 10 4780 mAh | Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | -35% | -19% | -41% | -60% | -9% | -26% | -38% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 0.66 | 1 -52% | 0.8 -21% | 1.1 -67% | 0.9 -36% | 0.53 20% | 0.965 ? -46% | 0.898 ? -36% |
| Idle Average * | 1.58 | 1.77 -12% | 2.21 -40% | 1.5 5% | 1.6 -1% | 1.46 8% | 1.899 ? -20% | 1.442 ? 9% |
| Idle Maximum * | 1.6 | 1.86 -16% | 2.23 -39% | 1.71 -7% | 1.9 -19% | 1.52 5% | 2.07 ? -29% | 1.602 ? -0% |
| Load Average * | 3.3 | 4.23 -28% | 3.14 5% | 4.84 -47% | 8.4 -155% | 3.83 -16% | 3.98 ? -21% | 6.3 ? -91% |
| Load Maximum * | 5.46 | 9.13 -67% | 5.44 -0% | 10.42 -91% | 10.3 -89% | 8.89 -63% | 6.19 ? -13% | 9.48 ? -74% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery Life
In our practically oriented Wi-Fi battery test, in which we make sure to limit the display brightness, the LG Velvet with a 4300-mAh battery lasted for 12.5 hours.
| LG Velvet 4300 mAh | Realme X50 Pro 4200 mAh | Oppo Find X2 Neo 4025 mAh | Nubia RedMagic 5G 4500 mAh | Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite 4500 mAh | Xiaomi Mi 10 4780 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | ||||||
| WiFi v1.3 | 741 | 775 5% | 712 -4% | 614 -17% | 904 22% | 662 -11% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict: The Velvet is worth a closer look
With the Velvet, LG has managed to pull off a fascinating comeback into the midrange smartphone segment. A relatively high MSRP on paper is offset by a refined look and such premium features as stereo speakers, an IP68 certification and wireless charging. The Dual Screen case in the style of the Galaxy Fold also raises the LG smartphone above its midrange competitors. We were also positively surprised by the main camera, which takes nice shots in daylight and at nighttime.
We cannot say the same about other camera modules. In fact, the image quality of both the wide-angle and the front-facing camera is disappointing. There is no telephoto lens, which is why zoomed-in shots appear blurry and are poorly detailed. The LG Velvet comes with the 5G-capable Snapdragon 765G, which offers a decent level of performance. Nevertheless, it is much slower than the very powerful smartphones with the Snapdragon 865.
The Velvet is an exciting upper-midrange smartphone from LG.
LG Velvet
-
08/31/2022 v7 (old)
Marcus Herbrich
Price comparison
