The LG V50 ThinQ boots Android 9 Pie skinned with the LG UX 8.0 - the same UI we saw on the G8. There is a newer version - LG UX 9.0 - that's available on the G8X and it is coming on the V50 sometime in early 2020.
The LG UX 8.0 supports Always-on display, but you can opt out of it, of course. LG's AOD implementation is quite detailed, with various options for skins, music controls, AI information, and even low and high brightness. You can set a timeout interval as usual - say don't show AOD at night.
The fingerprint scanner is over at the back and is always-on and blazing-fast, the V50 unlocks instantaneously upon touch.
The lockscreen • AOD options • AOD skins
Upon successful unlocking, you will see the usual homescreens with apps and widgets. The leftmost pane is Google Feed, but you can opt for LG's Smart Bulletin, or turn this page off.
There is no app drawer on the LG UX 8.0 by default, but you can opt for one from the homescreen settings.
Homescreen • Smart Bulletin • Homescreen • Home options • LG Bulletin or Google Feed
The Notification area has the same logic and toggles as before. The Task Switcher is a 3D rolodex of cards with spilt-screen option.
Task switcher • The Notification center
LG likes to call the area around the notch New Second Screen and claims this is an enhanced version of the second screen from the V10 and V20. No matter the name, the notch is there, and it splits the top of the screen. It fits the usual stuff - notification icons, status items, the clock and network bars. Unlike most other makers, LG gives you the option to embrace the notch and assign custom colors to the horns and pick one of two different corner radiuses.
The Android navigation is done with the tree onscreen keys by default (Back, Home, Tasks), but you can opt for the Gesture and Buttons navigation familiar from previous UX versions.
All LG apps and functions are part of the LG UX 8.0. LG has taken care of the multimedia, too, and you get a Music player, Gallery, there is even an FM radio app and support. LG Heath app is available, and LG's popular QucikMemo+ is part of UX 8.0. The Korean units may even get a TV app that works with the integrated TV tuner.
Gallery • Music • FM radio • QuickMemo+
The LG V50 ThinQ 5G is powered by the Snapdragon 855 (non-plus) chip by Qualcomm. It is the same SoC the LG G8 and G8X had under their hoods, but the version within the V50 also contains the optional 5G modem.
The Snapdragon 855 based on the 7nm node from TSMC and the chip employs an octa-core processor with 1+3+4 configuration - there is a single Kryo 485 Gold core (a Cortex-A76 derivative) clocked at 2.84GHz; three more Kryo 485 Gold cores clocked at 2.42GHz and a cluster of four Kryo 485 Silver cores (Cortex-A55 derivative) ticking at 1.78GHz.
The GPU is Adreno 640, and it's Qualcomm's top-of-the-line graphics processor that can handle pretty much everything you throw at it. And the V50 surely needs a flagship GPU as it has a high-res QuadHD+ screen.
The LG V50 has 6GB of RAM and offers 128GB storage.
Finally, the LG V50 also comes with the Snapdragon X50 5G modem, which is available as an expansion to the regular Snapdragon 855 chip.
The GeekBench CPU test still paints that Snapdragon 855's processor as the champ for multi-core tasks.
Higher is better
Higher is better
But as far as single-core performance is concerned, the newest custom core by Samsung does much better.
Higher is better
Higher is better
The V50 surely has the raw power to ace offscreen graphics benchmarks, but framerates predictably take a hit in onscreen testing. The more pixels of the QHD+ display mean FullHD rivals like the OnePlus 7T Pro and Xperia 5 will post better numbers.
Higher is better
Higher is better
Higher is better
But in reality, only a handful of games support native 1440p resolution, so most games will run on 1080p anyway.
Higher is better
Higher is better
In Antutu, the LG V50 didn't quite put out the same numbers as the OnePlus 7T Pro, which is running on the Plus version of the S855 chip. It still scored an excellent mark on this test, though.
Higher is better
Higher is better
The LG V50 delivers top-notch performance across the board, and it still has one of the most powerful and current chips on the market. Even though the screen resolution is GPU-demanding, most of the games still run on 1080p and the performance won't suffer at all. So, whatever you decide to run or play on the V50, it will blazing-fast without any bottlenecks even when using the Dual Screen case.
Tip us
1.7m 126k
RSS
EV
Merch
Log in I forgot my password Sign up