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Thoughts on Google I/O 2017

Just some quick thoughts on I/O after catching the event last night. (I totally forgot to post this, haha)

Google Assistant is the next frontier:

Google Assistant (GA) is going to be a huge part of Google's future. With improvements to GA and the sort of new Google Lens (Goggles), I think we'll eventually start to see the shift away from the app paradigm that we're used to. I don't think it will go away completely just yet. Some apps will probably do better being a self-contained one for now (instagram, facebook, messaging apps), but a lot of services can probably do without an app.

I posted about something like this a about 2 years ago (https://axhng.blogspot.sg/2015/08/why-i-think-google-acquired-agawi.html), and basically instead of needing to install an app, like Uber for example, you can just use GA to book a ride, and it can poll various services at the same time and give you the best results. All while just talking/typing to it.

Basically, just like how we normally search for something in Google, and Google just gives us what they think is the best answer. GA might be able to do just that for apps and services. Just tell it what you want (like maybe a ride, food, or whatever), and Google will find you the best solution. All without the need to jump through all the hoops like downloading and trying apps, creating accounts, giving another service your payment information, etc.

From a user stand point, this is great. Instead of looking for the things you need manually from a specific app, you just need to tell GA what you want and it will give you the best answers, be it a taxi, food delivery, booking tickets, etc. GA can become the single most important service on your phone, and be the gateway to multiple apps and services.

BUT, this is heavily reliant on the developer's willingness to do this. For more established services, this would mean that people who traditionally relied on their app, might now have access to more services. So it would mean more competition for them. This is great for consumers because instead of relying on lock-ins, they would really need to improve their services in order to be recommended by GA.

Of course this also gives a lot of power to Google. They need to be as fair as possible and not play favouritism. So that could be a hurdle to getting more services on board too.

GA as a platform:

If the GA does take off, and I have a feeling it will (eventually), Android will probably no longer be as important for Google. Google has always been more about services, and GA allows them to do that. So for a lot of services, I can see them building just for GA instead of building a dedicated app. I mean would you prefer having multiple apps on your phone doing the same thing or just one app that recommends you the best option?

If GA can get enough support, it will also make it way easier for Google to make the transition over to another platform if need be. Like Google's Fuchsia OS for example. I mean with GA now available on iOS too, one can even say that Android might play a smaller role going forward. Becoming just one of the many vessels for GA.

Interestingly, they mentioned 500 million active users on Google Photos, 2 billion active users on Android, and a few more impressive numbers. But I don't remember them mentioning how many people are making use of Google Assistant. I'm guessing the number is probably not big enough for them to want to announce it just yet.

The future of Android:

For now, it seems the goal is reaching the next billion users. Android Go seems to be aa really interesting initiative, not just for budget devices, but maybe as a sort of low power mode too. So really looking forward to having cheap devices that doesn't suck. This would be amazing for first time smartphone buyers, or basic users.

Android O's improvements so far seems to be just adding improvements to android, more importantly to a few of its biggest issue. First being apps slowing down the phone's performance. Second being the efficiency of the OS when it comes to battery life. Third, trying to bring security to a more user facing side with Google Play Protect. Finally slow software updates with project Treble. Might not be terribly exciting, but is what I consider to be essential for the platform.

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Then we have a ton of other things announced here, but really I think the most important one is still Google Assistant. While there isn't really any new products here, I think it's still really interesting to see what Google is working on.

BlackBerry KEYone Musings

While I’ve been focussing more on making video reviews on YouTube (which you should totally subscribe to here), I’ve been kind of neglecting this space over here. Those of you who have known me for a long time, might know that this writing and reviewing mobile tech stuff, really started with my love for BlackBerry devices.

So call it nostalgia, trying to keep this space alive, or just me getting some thoughts out of my head, I’ll like to talk about the BlackBerry KEYone, a.k.a. BlackBerry Mercury.


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We were given a sneak peek at the device a while back at CES 2017, and now we finally have a complete picture of what this device is packing.

Basically, this is a mid-high range smartphone, in the traditional BlackBerry physical QWERTY form factor. Before we talk about the specs, let’s talk about the price. It’s US$549, and I want you to keep that price in mind while I talk about the specs of the phone.

It uses the less powerful, but more power efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon 625, with 3GB of RAM, and 32GB internal memory (w/microSD slot). It also has a gigantic 3,505mAh battery on it. It’s a combination that has been well-received on the Moto Z Play, known for its frugalness with battery consumption, and decent performance.

With that QWERTY keyboard taking up about a quarter of the phone’s front, if you’re interested in this phone, your main usage of the phone is not going to be playing games, or consuming media. So as long as that processor, and BlackBerry Mobile’s software can keep up, I think it’s a good trade-off to get better battery life, as well as keep the price a bit lower.

I know what you’re thinking, these specs at US$549 is still a bit steep isn’t it? Even if it does pack one of the best camera sensor in the market now (Sony IMX378, 12MP, f/2.0, 1.55um, PDAF), which is same sensor the Google Pixel is using.

Yeah. Totally. Considering the OnePlus 3T is packing flagship level specs, and going for just US$439. But the KEYone does have something going for it that you can’t get on other Android devices (aside from the BlackBerry Priv). The BlackBerry experience.

Hear me out.

When you look at phones like the Google Pixel, HTC U Ultra, Huawei Mate 9, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, LG V20, Moto Z, etc. They’re all decent high end Android devices. One device might be better at doing some things compared to others. If you’re a regular consumer, the way you use these devices are probably going to be largely similar. If you’re a power/business user, you might be able to tweak the software a little to make things work a bit faster for you, but you’re largely tied down to the same user paradigm.

This is where the BlackBerry experience comes in with their expertise in being productive on a mobile OS. I’ve used everything from from BlackBerryOS 5.0 to BlackBerry 10.3, and of course the BlackBerry Priv too. And, I think the KEYone could offer that unique experience in the Android ecosystem.

The main components of this experience are the physical keyboard and the software. So other than the obvious being that physical keyboards provides a more tactile typing experience, the important thing is that it augments the experience of how you use the phone.

You can program up to 52 different shortcuts (normal button press, or long press) on the keyboard. It’s a feature already found on the Priv, but this time, there’s no need to slide open the keyboard first. You can make it launch an app, call someone, create a message to someone, etc.

On a traditional touch screen device, you’ll have to open an app, or tap on things to make this happen. With a physical keyboard, muscle memory will help you get to where you want to be a little bit quicker.

The second component would be software. You have the typical BlackBerry suite of enhancements like BlackBerry Hub, a few tweaks to a largely stock Android interface (like the shortcuts mentioned above), and the security-focused enhancements. Which again, makes it a great device for the productivity focused or for business needs. Of course that is provided the software is well optimised and smooth to use.

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So yeah, like with the BlackBerry Priv which I was pretty excited for, I think it’s going to be an interesting device. I’m not sure if it’ll be any good, or whether it’ll be worth the price that TCL and BlackBerry is asking for, but at least it offers something different in the Android ecosystem.

While the specs of the phone isn’t exactly cutting edge, it looks like a phone with a clear focus on what it wants to be. Hell, the phone is called KEYone, and they probably know that the keyboard, is the one thing that will set this phone apart.

It’s probably going to be a niche product that won’t appeal to the masses, but I’m glad the phone exists, and I can’t wait to try it out myself.

Huawei Mate 9 Review: Ascending into Greatness

Did you know, based on data from the IDC (International Data Corporation), Huawei has been third in terms of smartphone shipment volumes for a while now, with the top two being Apple and Samsung. Most of the shipments are actually in their home market, which is why you don’t really see many people using their devices in Singapore. But with so many people buying them, it has to be pretty good right?


I was never a huge fan of Huawei devices, and a big part of it was down to its software, EMUI. It can best be described as the bastard love child of iOS and Android. If you have read reviews of Huawei devices in the past few years, the conclusions were largely along the lines of, “nice hardware, poor software”.

While that iOS-esque user interface seems pretty popular in the Chinese market, I prefer a more traditional look for Android. If I wanted iOS, I would have gone for an iPhone. From reviews I have seen from western regions, I don’t think I am alone in this. That was part of the reason I was never too keen on their devices.

Then came the Huawei Mate 9. A high end phablet, with top of the line specifications, with a unique dual camera setup, and a slightly cleaner looking EMUI. This got me really interested in the phone. Especially with the cancellation of the Galaxy Note7, there is now a space in the phablet market to be filled.

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The Huawei Mate 9 is a handsome looking phone. The grey version that I have here comes with an all black front, with a simple Huawei logo at the bottom. The sides are finished with a slightly shiny brushed-metal look with chamfered edges. Round the back there is a sandblasted finish which feels smooth to the touch. The design of the phone is clean, sharp, and understated, just how I like it.

There’s no getting away that this is a bulky phone, and I am reminded of that whenever I pick up the phone. For a phone this size, that heavier weight actually makes the phone feel more weighted in my hand when using it, compared to something like the LG V20.

Like most modern flagship devices, you have a fingerprint sensor to help make unlocking the phone easier. The sensor is placed on the back of the phone, and is one of the fastest fingerprint sensor I have used. A light tap unlocks the phone almost instantly.

Once the phone is on, you’re greeted by a gorgeous looking 5.9-inch display. It is of the LCD variety, and only has a resolution of 1920 by 1080, but this is still a really nice looking display (and I normally prefer AMOLED screens). Since the screen is bigger, I don’t have to use the phone as close to my eyes, so I still don’t see any pixels on the screen. The colour reproduction, the contrast, the deep blacks, and the outdoor visibility on the display is superb as well. So other than the use of VR (virtual reality) headsets, there is really nothing to complain about the display. If anything, that Full HD resolution probably helps with battery endurance.

(This is personal preference not really a flaw, but the display was a little too cool for my liking out of the box. 

I just changed the temperature in display settings and I’m golden.)

With that nice looking display, I find myself watching more YouTube videos on it, even when my computer is right in front of me. But that’s only half the reason. The other half is down to the speakers on the Mate 9.

The phone has a stereo speaker setup that is orientation-aware. So in portrait, the call speaker provides the highs, while the bottom provides the bulk of the volume. In landscape, it distributes the sound a bit more evenly, but even then the bigger bottom speaker still does most of the heavy lifting. It might not sound as good as phones with a proper stereo speaker setup, but it’s definitely better than most of the phones I have tested recently. The audio is clear, and has great volume.

The Mate 9 still has a 3.5-millimetre headphone jack, but is placed at the top of the phone which isn’t my favourite position, especially on a phone this big. The sound it produces are decent as well.

Powering the Mate 9, is Huawei’s in-house HiSilicon 16nm Kirin 960 chipset. It uses the standard ARM Big.LITTLE configuration with four powerful A73 2.4GHz cores, and four power efficient A53 1.8GHz cores. It is accompanied by the newer Mali-G71 octa-core GPU. In comparison, the Exynos 8890 chipset employs the slightly older generation Mali T880. Pair that with 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM, and 64GB of the newer UFS 2.1 storage, the Mate 9 is truly a beast when it comes to performance.

(The Mate 9 does support microSD card, but is sharing the slot with the second SIM card slot.)

From playing graphically intensive games, to simple tasks like opening and switching between apps, the Mate 9 absolutely flies. But we’ve all seen this before. A brand new phone with a fresh operating system performing like a dream, and then it all goes to shit a year down the road.

(I'm not really good at this.)

Huawei is actually saying that the Mate 9 will stay fast in the long run by using intelligent Machine Learning algorithm to optimise both the software, and hardware. I am really not in a position to judge this since I haven’t had the phone for nearly long enough, but let’s hope it’s true.

To me software is the most important thing when it comes to smartphones. The hardware can be amazing, but if the software is shit, it still stinks. The Mate 9 runs EMUI 5 based on Android 7.0 Nougat, and at first glance, things aren’t pretty. The phone has been themed pretty much from the top to bottom with Huawei’s own design language, and iOS-esque, squircle-shaped icons. And, there is no app drawer. The phone is also filled with a bunch of Huawei’s own applications, along with a folder filled with bloatware.

(Pre-installed apps)

After a bit of digging around, and cleaning up though, I finally saw the glimmer of hope that is hiding underneath the filth. Most of the unwanted bloatware can be uninstalled or disabled. The app drawer can be turned on for a more traditional looking Android experience. The out-of-place looking icons can be replaced with a more stock looking set of icons found online. All of these can be done without the need to install a third party launcher.

At this point in time, I started to enjoy the experience on the phone. The quick settings page might not look like stock Android, but works similarly, and I actually quite like the amount of toggles offered. Settings page is largely in a similar layout too, just with the additional EMUI features.

While I still dislike the implementation of the FAB (Floating Action Button) for default apps, I don’t use any of them regularly enough to annoy me.

EMUI 5 is still packed to the gills in terms of customisations and features. While I have most of them turned off, some of them are genuinely useful to have.

Like the ability to lock apps as a secondary layer of protection for apps with sensitive information. Or the ability to duplicate an app so you can use another account on it. Super useful if you have two numbers and need two WhatsApp account. Or using the fingerprint sensor to take a photo, bring down the notification shade, or just browse through photos.

Overall, despite EMUI 5 being on the heavier side for my liking, the overall performance of the user interface is still silky smooth and responsive. Visually, I think EMUI could use a lot more work to get it aligned with Google’s Material Design guidelines, but it’s no longer as intolerable as before. With a bit of work, I could get EMUI 5 to look and work the way I want it to, for the most part.

Before I conclude the software portion of the review, it is also worth noting that EMUI 5 has a lot of features relating to battery optimisations. It offers one of the most detailed battery usage data I have seen, and also some really granular controls over apps’ battery usage.

I can select apps that will be closed automatically when I lock the screen to prevent apps from running in the background. EMUI will also monitor and notify me when an app is using too much power, and I can choose to automatically close them. There is also the usual power saving mode, a more aggressive Ultra power saving mode that simplifies the interface and limit app use, and a setting to lower the screen resolution.

This makes sense when you consider that battery life has always been part of the appeal of the Mate series. When you combine the software optimisations, the lower resolution Full HD display, with the monstrous 4,000mAh battery, you get a phone with great battery endurance. A day of use is pretty much a given for me, no matter heavy use or not.

When it comes to charging the phone, Huawei has a new charging technology called SuperCharge. You’ll need to use the bundled cable and charger, but when you do, Huawei claims that their charging method is cooler than its competitors (Qualcomm’s QuickCharge). It charges at 4.5A/5V, and when battery is on the lower side, it charges up the phone really quickly, giving you a quick boost in a short period of time. However, similar to Oppo’s VOOC or OnePlus’s Dash charging, it’s a pity that you need proprietary charger and cable to utilise this feature. I would definitely prefer an open standard like USB Type C’s power delivery.

When using the Mate 9, it’s easy to see the improvements in EMUI 5 compared to Huawei’s past software efforts. While they might not be at the level that Samsung is at with TouchWiz in terms of design, they are making huge strides towards that. They already nailed the performance part, now they just need to nail the design.

Huawei’s collaboration with camera-maker Leica continues with the Mate 9. There is a main RGB sensor capturing colours, and a monochrome sensor for enhancing details. The main sensor is 12-megapixel with an f/2.2 lens and OIS (optical image stabilisation). The monochrome sensor is 20-megapixel, and also with an f/2.2 lens.

Other than complementing each other in normal shooting mode using the default 12-megapixel resolution, the dual lens setup with the higher resolution sensor brings with it two interesting features as well.

Firstly, it allows the Mate 9 to have an adjustable aperture mode. It is generally pretty fun to play around with, and can create some nice looking bokeh effect. I did notice that in dimmer lighting conditions, the effect can look a bit more artificial compared to in brighter conditions.

Secondly, it allows for a sort of zoom feature, using that higher resolution monochrome sensor to eke out a bit more details when shooting at the default 12-megapixel. The effect is noticeable, but not fantastic compared to having actual optical zoom. So I tend to avoid it as much as possible.

Image quality wise, I am actually pretty impressed with the camera overall. It’s not quite at the level that Samsung, Apple, or Google is at, but it’s not that far behind. Colour reproduction tends to veer more towards the realistic side most of the time, with good details and contrasts in most shots.

There is a vexing omission of Auto-HDR in the normal shooting mode, with a dedicated HDR mode that you have to select beforehand. But even without using HDR mode, in more challenging lighting condition it still seem to handle the exposure well. I tested a couple of shots with the dedicated HDR mode, and in normal mode. The resulting photos looked similar, so maybe there’s an auto-HDR mode after all, or the sensor’s dynamic range is just that good?

(One with HDR mode, the other on normal auto mode.)

In low light, the only caveat is that you have to hold the camera steady after taking the shot. If not the images are more prone to having camera shake in them. Do as you’re told by the camera app, and the images will turn out just fine.

The way to activate “Pro” mode is easy to access as well, almost like Huawei is urging you to use it more often. Just swipe up. While you can get some decent results if you have the settings right, it’s still too much work for what is essentially a smartphone camera sensor. To me the extra effort required simply doesn’t return you a proportionate amount of gain in quality. Unless all you’re looking for is some artsy light trail shots.

One mode that the phone excels in would be the monochrome mode, which is more fun than I expected it to be. The details that the sensor is able to capture is pretty remarkable.

(Crispy details)

(Zoomed in)

Full resolution images can be found here.

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I wasn’t really expecting much from the Huawei Mate 9 when I bought the phone for review. My past experiences with Huawei’s older EMUI has largely been rather underwhelming. However with the Mate 9, Huawei made great strides forward with EMUI 5, and provided a software experience that is finally able to let the hardware shine through.

And boy did it shine.

The hardware design is right up my alley, with performance that leaves no room for complaint. The media experience is top-notch too with a great display, and very nice sounding speakers. The best part is, with its 4,000mAh battery, you also get great battery endurance.

The software experience could use a lot more polishing in terms of its design, but is no longer a hindrance to the user experience of the phone. The camera performance is not quite at the top, but it’s decent enough for most situations, and can create some really stunning shots.

My only gripe with the phone would be a lack of any sort of water resistance on the phone, which again I preach, should be a standard feature for flagship devices going forward. Even Samsung’s new mid-range A-series devices are rated IP68.

That aside, if you are looking to get a new big screen Android device in the market today, the Mate 9 is definitely worth a look.

LG V20 Review: Everything But the Kitchen Sink

The V Series is basically LG’s do-all, be-all smartphone. It’s a relatively new series, with the V20 being just the second iteration. For the longest time, LG has been looking for an answer to Samsung’s hugely popular Note series. Unfortunately for them, just enlarging their flagship “G” series, and adding the “Pro” or "Flex" moniker does little to boost its popularity.

Rewind back to the October of 2015. LG announced the V10. A utilitarian phablet for power users. At a time where features and controls are being taken away from consumers in the name of “design” and “ease of use”, the V10 goes against the flow by providing users with more features, more control. Two front cameras, two front displays, removable battery, expandable storage, HiFi DAC (Digital Analogue Converter), manual video recording controls, and a MIL-STD 810G certification for shock resistance. The V10 is basically the antithesis to Samsung’s Galaxy Note5, and that’s really part of the appeal of the phone.

It has its flaws, but largely due in part to Qualcomm’s lousy showing that year. For a device that was meant to do everything, it was rather underpowered. Which was part of the reason I wasn’t too fond of the phone overall. Things are different this year though. With the V20, I think LG finally has a legitimate response to Samsung’s Galaxy Note, and a phablet that could stand on its own.

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While the V10 was a ruggedised beast of a phone, the V20 takes a page out of the G5 by using a lot more metal in its construction, giving it a much more premium feel. If you think about it, it’s actually a pretty impressive feat considering the phone still has a removable back cover, and maintains its MIL-STD 810G certification.

The front of the phone resembles the BlackBerry Z10, but then again, there’s only so many ways to fit a screen into a rectangular slab. The fingerprint sensor doubles as the power button on the back of the phone. It is a clickable button, but you can simply rest your finger on it to quickly wake and unlock the phone.

That 5.7” QHD LCD display is accompanied by a tiny secondary display on the top right corner. It is somewhat of a hallmark  feature for the V Series. The main display is a pretty great looking display, but still loses out a little to what Apple and Samsung has to offer in terms of colour, contrast, and outdoor visibility. The secondary display is a tiny strip of LCD that allows for additional features and functionality.

My favourite use of the secondary display is mainly just for notifications. Since it’s always on, I can easily glance at what notifications I have when the phone is on my desk. If you multi-task a lot, you can actually put that secondary display to good use by setting it up to show five recently used apps.

It has a bunch of other tools you can customise as well, and some apps like the camera actually makes use of that secondary display to provide more settings. Its usefulness is apparent, but the feature that I think is the most useful can be mostly replicated without the need to actually have a secondary display. Like Motorola’s “Moto Display”, or Samsung’s “Always On Display” with the use of an AMOLED display.

Due to the secondary display, along with large-ish bezels, the phone feels bigger than the Note7, but should be familiar territory for users of plus size iPhones. This is definitely not a phone that you can use one-handed comfortably. 

Being a media power-house, I was half expecting the phone to come with stereo speakers, but sadly it's just a lonely bottom firing speaker. While it sounds decent, it's not the loudest I have heard. If you want good sound quality, what you really need to do is to make use of that 3.5mm headphone jack. 

The V20 comes equipped with HiFi Quad DAC, which promises aural nirvana if you’re into that kind of thing. LG claims that it delivers clearer sound by minimising distortion and ambient noise by up to 50 percent. While I did notice it was louder than most, frankly I don’t have a good enough pair of earphones to hear a big difference. The phone does comes with a pair of B&O Play earbuds worth S$198 which is a nice value-add for buyers. I am neither an audiophile, nor the most technical person, so if you really want to know more about LG’s Quad DAC, this article have you covered.

Audio playback is not the only trick the V20 has up its sleeve though. It also makes use of high AOP microphones that lets me record some really fantastic audio. I tested it with some karaoke app, and recorded some voice overs, and they sound fantastic for a phone recording.

The V20 is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 with 4GB of RAM. It may have been replaced by the slightly updated 821, but performance is still decent nonetheless while playing games. I did notice the phone getting a little bit warm at times, but it’s a cool dragon most of the time. The phone also comes equipped with 64GB internal memory coupled with expandable memory via a microSD card. The V20 also comes with dual sim support which could be convenient for frequent travellers.

The LG V20 is actually the first smartphone launched with Android 7.0 Nougat. So it has all the goodies like split screen multitasking, quick app switching, as well as the under the hoods enhancements. LG is once again taking a heavy handed approach when it comes to customising Android, and not the good kind. Extra functionalities and features aside, the design itself is somewhat of an eyesore. The iconography, the app UI design, the transitions, and the layout, leaves much to be desired.

Some of the additional features are genuinely useful, like the ability to customise the software navigational buttons, and double tap to wake/sleep. There are however also a ton of features that I will probably never use, including a bunch of LG’s own bloatware. LG is pretty much including everything but the kitchen sink in the software, much like the approach they are taking with the hardware.

The software performance is sadly not as smooth as I would have liked for a flagship device. It’s quick and snappy most of the time, but sometimes you still see some stutters or dropped frames. Sometimes apps just inexplicably take a bit longer to open, pages take a bit longer to load. This is pretty much the same thing I say about LG’s UI on every LG smartphone I have reviewed (outside of the Nexus), and it’s getting a little dreary.

(Rebooting the phone when you insert a new SIM and installing carrier bloat? How is this still a thing?)

(While screen on time is a decent 5 hours, the overall usage time is just over 9 hours.)

Blame it on poor optimisation, or a small battery, but the battery life on the V20 fails to impress as well. At just 3,200mAh, it’s a tiny bit smaller than what other phablets in its class offers. That deficit shows up in the battery life as well, but it should be able to last most people a day of use unless you are a heavy user. While the removable battery is probably part of the reason for the slightly smaller battery pack, it also allows users to quickly swap in a fully-charged battery pack.

The camera on the V20 is genuinely a joy to use. It uses the same dual camera setup like the LG G5 did. The first is a normal optical image stabilised 16-megapixel camera with f/1.8 aperture, and the other is an 8-megapixel camera with f/2.4 aperture which uses a wide angle lens. That 135-degree field of view allows the V20 to capture some really unique shots, and is easily one of my favourite feature of the phone. It does mean a drop in the quality, but the effect is pretty impressive looking.

The camera also uses a hybrid autofocus system that combines laser detection, phase detection, and contrast autofocus. It’s decent enough in most situations, and accurate too, but I still think Samsung’s Dual Pixel system is faster.

In auto mode, the camera makes good decisions about the exposure and whether or not to use HDR mode. But LG’s processing tend to make the photos a little bit more saturated, and the noise reduction and sharpening makes it look a little bit unnatural when pixel peeping. This is especially apparent in low light conditions. Talking about low light, there is something about a choppy viewfinder that bugs me, and sadly it's something the V20 has inherited from the G5 as well.

Full resolution images can be viewed here.

LG V20 can produce some really good looking images. It may not be the best camera around, but it’s not that far off. But what it lacks in auto mode, it makes up for it by having the best set of manual controls on a smartphone camera out of the box. Manual controls for shooting images are not exactly new, but the V20 allows for manual controls while shooting videos too.

This is provided of course you know what you're doing. I tend to stick to auto mode unless the situation calls for it. While this is a feature that most people probably won't make use of frequently, for those who wants more granular control over content creation, the V20's camera is tough to beat. 

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I am sure you can see by now why I chose the title I did for the review. LG pretty much threw in as much as they could into the LG V20. High end processor, removable battery, expandable storage, dual sim capability, premium metal build, HiFi Quad DAC, high AOP microphones, two displays, two rear cameras with 3 types of autofocus system, best manual controls on a smartphone camera, and last but not least MIL-STD 810G certified. The only thing that is perhaps lacking in hardware is any sort of IP (ingress protection) rating against water, so be sure to steer clear of the kitchen sink while using the V20.

While the LG V20 has enough going for it to be a viable option for most users, it is still not able to go toe to toe with Samsung’s Galaxy Note lineup. The phone is undoubtedly packed to the gills with software and hardware features, but it lacks the kind of polish that one would expect from a top tier manufacturer, especially in terms of the software. The V20 is a great showcase of the technologies that LG has to offer, and the individual hardware components on the phone are no doubt great. But as a whole, the phone is lesser than the sum of its part somehow. I find myself loving some of the features the phone has to offer, but loathing the subpar software and its idiosyncrasies.

LG only got some slack partly because the Google Pixel and OnePlus 3T are both not officially available in Singapore, and mostly because of what happened to the Galaxy Note7. If you are looking for the niche set of features that the V20 offers, there is nothing else quite like it. But if you're not, the V20 is only a good option because of the lack of alternatives here in Singapore.