LG Velvet review: Double impact

LG suddenly became boring when it comes to design especially with their flagship smartphones. Be it LG G8X, LGV40 and so on. There was hardly any innovation in design since LG G5 which was also not well received in the market.

LG then suddenly started venturing into dual display smartphones which what we understand is LG’s take on the entire foldable smartphone idea, but with an affordable price tag.

The company first introduced the dual-screen accessory with LG G8X ThinQ and then it extended it to other smartphones of the series as well. But that didn’t change the fact that LG smartphones were still boring.

This is where LG Velvet comes to rescue the brand's image with its new design philosophy and features.

With Velvet, the company has not only ditched the entire G and V series lineup but also made the smartphone compliant with modern design philosophy.

LG has priced the Velvet at Rs 36,990, while the smartphone with dual screen accessory cost Rs 49,990. For the price, it’s a pretty decent smartphone and offers almost everything a user might need on a phone, at least on paper.

We used the smartphone with and without the dual-screen accessory for a while and here’s our thoughts about the smartphone and the whole secondary screen idea.

LG Velvet: Design and display

LG Velvet is no doubt a good looking smartphone. It’s not because this phone features the company’s new design philosophy. It’s because LG has started paying attention to details and adding what matters.

The first thought after holding the smartphone in our hand was LG is still in the game. And that's true. The Velvet is unlike any other LG smartphone out there. It’s slim, light and comfortable to hold, thanks to the curved back design.

The new glossy glass back also adds to the premiumness of the phone. What we liked the most is the way LG has planted the camera sensors in the phone.

There’s no camera bump at the back. The primary sensor sticks out a bit but that is so subtle, one can barely notice it. Also, it does not affect the smartphone’s ability to sit stable on the flat surface.

USB Type-C charging port, speaker grille, primary microphone and headphone jack are placed at the bottom of the phone. Yes, you read that right, LG Velvet comes with a headphone jack.

The top has a secondary microphone and SIM card slot.

LG Velvet boasts a 6.8-inch FHD+ P-OLED display with 2460 x 1080 pixel resolution. It’s a bright display with vivid colours and deep black. The contrast level is also among the best we have seen on any smartphone.

Viewing angles are good too and we faced no issue while viewing the smartphone under bright sunlight.

LG Velvet: Performance
LG Velvet is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC. In 2020, the SD 845 is nothing more than a mid-range processor. We think LG could have gone with a relatively newer 700-series processor just like they did with the global variant of LG Velvet.

The two-year-old flagship processor has started showing its age and it can be seen on LG Velvet.

That said, you won’t find anything to complain about in its day to day usages. The performance here can be coined decent as it manages to run almost every app without any noticeable lag or delay. However, we did notice some delay while opening the apps and navigating through menus


Also, we tried playing a couple of games on the smartphone including Subway Surfer, Call of Duty Mobile, etc. Both lightweight games and triple-A titles ran just fine at respectable frame rates.

The smartphone comes with a dual speaker setup and the audio is crisp, loud and clear even at maximum volume.

The software experience on the smartphone is also good. It’s smooth, feature-rich and offers almost everything a smartphone in this price bracket should offer.

Another important thing to note is the in-display fingerprint scanner. The smartphone uses the optical fingerprint scanner which in our test world 9 out of 10 times. It might not be as fast as other smartphones in the market but it gets the job done.

LG Velvet and the dual-screen accessory
Now, the dual-screen accessory is perhaps the most interesting aspect of the phone. The second screen is a part of a case that houses a 6.8-inch P-OLED display similar to LG Velvet’s display and connects to the smartphone via USB Type-C port.

The dual-screen case also comes with a small monochrome OLED display which when closed displays basic information such as time, date, notifications, calls and more.

The addition of a dual-screen accessory adds a little bulk to the smartphone. But, there’s always a price to pay for added functionality.

Opening the flip reveals both the displays and both are bright, have good viewing angles and produce vivid colours as well.

the real question here is how useful the secondary display is? Or, is it just a gimmick?

Well, the answer is both yes and no. It’s, in fact, very subjective.

If you are a power user and want more from your smartphone then it might come in handy. But if you use your smartphone just for regular tasks like watching videos, listening to songs, calls, etc, it might feel like a gimmick.

There’s more. LG has backed in some interesting use cases for the secondary display. For instance, you can open a total of three apps -- two on the primary display and one on secondary -- at the same time.

Another important use case we found is while texting or replying to an email. You can place the entire keyboard on the primary display and use the second screen to keep your app.

We have got one more. If you are a gamer and love playing games on your smartphone, then LG has also added a software feature that turns your smartphone into a portable gaming console.

There’s a suite of different controllers suited for different types of games. In addition, you can also customise a controller as per your like or as per the game’s requirement.

Overall, there are plenty of use cases for the secondary display. But, in the end, it all depends on the user.

LG Velvet: Camera
LG Velvet until now seems like a decent smartphone. But, the camera setup here helps it break that Decent tag.

The smartphone is equipped with a triple rear camera setup that includes a 48MP primary sensor with f/1.8 aperture, an 8MP ultrawide sensor with f/2.2 aperture and a 5MP depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture.

The camera can also shoot 4K videos at 20fps.


The primary 48MP sensor captures some good looking shots with plenty of details with accurate colour reproduction. Outdoor shots appear to be vivid and sharp. In low light, the camera also managed to capture good photos too without sacrificing much in quality, thanks to the built-in Night mode.

Ultrawide lens too does a decent job with good dynamic range and minimum distortion.

The front 16MP shooter is also good and does a decent job. Portrait mode also does a decent job of detecting edges of the subject and blurring the background.

The video quality is also good and is good enough for recording regular clips of friends and family. The image stabilisation works fine too.

LG Velvet: Battery
Despite its slim form factor, LG has managed to fit a big 4300mAh battery that supports Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging. The smartphone also supports 25W fast charging, but the smartphone comes with a 16W charger.

LG has also included a magnetic charging dongle to charge the phone while using the dual-screen accessory.

In our test, the smartphone managed to last for around a day under normal usages without the secondary screen.

The charger that comes with the box takes about an hour and a half to completely charge the phone.

LG Velvet: Verdict
LG Velvet with dual display accessory is not a smartphone for everyone. It makes a strong case by offering a host of features and use cases. But it is far from what a truly foldable smartphone can offer. However, the smartphone alone is a good choice and has a lot going for it

It looks good, offers internals that serves most users' needs, a camera setup that has some punch to it and most importantly the battery life is also good.

For the price, it goes neck-to-neck with OnePlus 8, Galaxy S10 Lite, Galaxy S10 Plus, etc which offer better value for money.

So, if you are a heavy user and really want to an extra screen with your smartphone, then LG Velvet is the smartphone for you. Else, there are other good options available.