Samsung GS5 to LG V20: Thoughts?

[GodisanAtheist]

Currently using a GS5 that I bought used a number of years ago and it's a great phone that's chugging along just fine, but as I consume more video and use my phone more as a primary computing device in lieu of a laptop (still have a hefty desktop for AAA gaming) I feel like it might be the right time to upgrade.

What I use my GS5 (T-Mobile) for:
- Photos of the kids and home movies (have a DSLR for the big vacations and such)
- Surfing the web.
- Streaming movies from Netflix and Amazon Prime
- Listening to either streamed or locally saved music while running/lifting.
- Standard GPS functionality.

Why the V20 is appealing:
- Removable battery. I love being able to swap out a battery and charger the spare without being tied to an outlet. Additionally, I just feel "safer" buying a used phone knowing I can easily replace the one component that is most likely to degrade.
- Larger screen for movies and surfing. Feels like it would be easier to view material when running or on a machine at the gym.
- Lots of praise for the high quality sound.
- secondary "glance" screen. I notice I turn on my phone a lot just to see if I have any notifications or to check the time. A small screen just for that would save a lot of handling time.
- SD Card slot. Minor as a number of phones have it, but it's a must for me so I don't have to be tied down to the phone's internal storage limits.
-Not that LG has a great track record on this, but they've promised an upgrade to 8.0 Oreo for the device on T-Mo.

I imagine a number of folks have made the jump to the V20 though the years since it looks like the last flagship phone with a removable battery, and I figure a number of those folks came from the GS5.

Any thoughts, feedback, expectations, alternatives, etc that the community could provide would be welcomed.

 

[wilds]

I kept my S5 as an 'iPod' because of the removable battery. I got a 7500 MaH battery for it. The V20 was very appealing to me for the same reason. You will get 2x more RAM, and much better performance, especially when browsing the web.

Because it has a removable battery, I wouldn't be too afraid of buying one used if in excellent condition.

I ended up getting a Note 4 because it was cheap and for that absurd 11,800 mah Battery. But that is not a big boost in performance like the V20 will give.

I say go for it!

 

[nOOky]

I'm sure the Samsung fans will be along shortly to tell you how horrible the display is and everything else that's wrong with it

I have had the V20 for about 18 months. Several months ago, just out of warranty, the battery started to swell. It popped the back almost off. I took it to the store I bought it from (usually I buy online) and they didn't have a new battery so they reimbursed me for one I bought one Amazon, a couple months out of warranty. I was happy, the LG G4 I had before this had the bootloop issue, and they fixed that out of warranty also.

Other than that I like it. It was the only camera I carried when we went up Kilimanjaro, and that secondary wide angle camera was handy. I like the fingerprint reader/power button on the back, the display is good, but not quite as good as Samsung's. Memory, sd storage, removable battery, all are nice. The sound is great if you use wired headphones. Bluetooth seems to be pretty stable, but sometimes I need to turn it off and back on to connect if I leave the phone on without turning it off for a while. Video is good for a phone of that era, playback of video is good enough for a phone, I don't watch movies on mine, just Youtube or FB videos etc.

I have a slim urethane case on it. I am active so it has been thrown in a pack for 100 mile trail races, been used in snow and cold, carried and gotten sweaty during short runs, dropped from waist high with no issues (knock on wood) yet.

I do wish it had dual cameras at the same resolution as the LG G6 does. I also wish it had an OLED display. Wireless charging being absent I am okay with, but if that's desirable it doesn't have it.

 

[Oyeve]

Don;t get it for the sound. Those quad DACs are a bunch of BS and wont even initiate unless you have some very highend high impedance headphones. Regular cans will not initiate the quad dacs.

 

[accguy9009]

Don;t get it for the sound. Those quad DACs are a bunch of BS and wont even initiate unless you have some very highend high impedance headphones. Regular cans will not initiate the quad dacs.

I have never had an issue with the Quad DAC working on my V20. The battery is a little under whelming sure. But being able to swap it out for a fresh one is major plus. I have no issue with the display while realizing it is not the best display by far. I also like the IR blaster. I got the B & O ear bud deal from Verizon. Listening to FLAC is is a pleasure. I have been happy with my $ 574.00 purchase.

 

[nOOky]

The wife just picked up the LG G7 for $450 at Best Buy, I've not played with it much yet, but we couldn't beat the price and she needed a phone right now.

 

[accguy9009]

The wife just picked up the LG G7 for $450 at Best Buy, I've not played with it much yet, but we couldn't beat the price and she needed a phone right now.

That's an awesome price. Been looking at that phone. Also looking at the upcoming LG V35 ThinQ. May have to go over to BB and check it out. On Verizon with an employer discount. Need to run the $ to see if its better to get from Verizon direct. Thanks for heads up!

 

[nOOky]

It is a good price. If you've been looking at the V35 the differences would still swing me towards the G7 especially for the price right now.

What set the G7 apart when checking them all out was the physical size, the Z2 Force was too big although she wanted the shatter-proof display. The S9 non-plus model didn't have the dual cameras or she would have chosen that (prices being similar), and she won't do an iPhone.

Having played with the phone it's alright so far, really there's nothing spectacular that sets it apart. Well, except maybe the super bright boost, the display gets glaringly bright. The wife never even mentioned the notch, she's not a power user so she doesn't even care.

 

[Raduque]

Why the V20 is appealing:
- Removable battery. I love being able to swap out a battery and charger the spare without being tied to an outlet. Additionally, I just feel "safer" buying a used phone knowing I can easily replace the one component that is most likely to degrade.
- Larger screen for movies and surfing. Feels like it would be easier to view material when running or on a machine at the gym.
- Lots of praise for the high quality sound.
- secondary "glance" screen. I notice I turn on my phone a lot just to see if I have any notifications or to check the time. A small screen just for that would save a lot of handling time.
- SD Card slot. Minor as a number of phones have it, but it's a must for me so I don't have to be tied down to the phone's internal storage limits.
-Not that LG has a great track record on this, but they've promised an upgrade to 8.0 Oreo for the device on T-Mo.

I have a V20 as a backup, but I use Galaxy flagships as my daily drivers and I also used a G6 for as few months. I went from the Galaxy S to the S2, Note 2, Note 3, Note 4, S6, Note 7, S7e, S8 and currently using a Note 8. Never bothered with the S5, as the Note4 was the better device.

Removable battery: I used to bitch and complain about the S6's sealed battery, but it was a tiny junk battery and the phone got terrible battery life. It's still a nice feature on the V20, but I don't actually miss it any. Current devices battery life and charging performance coupled with wireless slow charging and cabled fast charging have, IMO, pretty much eliminated the need for swappable batteries for most consumers' usage patterns.

Larger screen: comes with larger bezels. That might be a plus for you though if you don't like the Edge screens on the Galaxies, but the Note 8, S8+, S9+, LG V30, and LG G7 have a bigger screen in a narrower body, which makes for easier handling. LG G6 has the same size screen in a smaller body.

The Quad Dac is good and definitely improves sound, but if you're going to use Bluetooth, it's not going to be used and the V20 will sound like every other phone would with your headphones. Latest Galaxy flagships also have a "UHQ Upscaler" which increases audio quality as well - it gives a higher dynamic range and a lower noise floor. All LG phones since the V10 have the Quad DAC.

Secondary screen: All Galaxies S7 or newer have Always On Display, which works like the secondary screen on the V20, but a little better, as you can customize it. Clocks, notification types, pictures, etc. LG G6, G7 and V30 have it too and it's just as good but not as customizable as the Galaxies.

SD card slots are a must for me, too. It means basically ignoring every phone from Apple, Google and HTC. It's one of the big reasons why I mainly use Samsung devices.

Promised or not, the 8.0 update for the V20 is not a guaranteed thing. The Galaxy S7 Edge just got the 8.0 update last night on T-Mobile.

Basically, your concerns boil down to the removable battery. It's about the only thing, IMO, that it offers over any of the phones I've use that weren't the Note 4.

The V20 is a good phone, but it's also not without it's problems. Overheating is a big one, which also causes spots on the display. Image retention with the display is another big one. I haven't seen either with my backup, which is an unlocked Verizon phone, but I also haven't used it at a long term, either.

If you're still set on a V20, I would look at getting a US996 model - it's SIM unlocked, bloatware free and you can unlock the bootloader and install any sort of ROM you might want - including roms based on 8.1. It's going to cost you though, $250 on Swappa or around $400-500 anywhere else. US996s are desirable.

The S9 non-plus model didn't have the dual cameras or she would have chosen that (prices being similar)

Samsung's dual camera is a joke. It's for optical zoom, but unless the conditions are 110% perfect, it will never work. I would've much rather had a wide-angle lens instead. Or being able to force the secondary zoom lens. Or not even have it at all. Go S9+ for the bigger battery, bigger screen and more ram, but NOT for the extra camera lens.​

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

I picked up a mint condition V20 off swappa for $185 a few days ago and have been playing around with it.

Seeing how I was coming off a GS5, I think almost any semi-modern phone would have felt like a huge upgrade, but the V20 looks/feels/performs great for my usage patterns so far. I particularly love the touch to wake features (fingerprint when screen is off and locked to jump right back into what you're doing, or double tap screen to bring up lock screen).

The removable battery is more peace of mind than anything else and the secondary screen has some nice functionality.

I use wired headsets for any and the phone does sound great.

Thanks for your recommendations! I'll be back in another 3 years to ask for recommendations on a phone from 2018

 

[Raduque]

$185 is a great price. Glad you're happy with the phone!