The one thing today’s smartphone did not address is durability. Specifically, the ability take the beatings of knocks and drops. Unless you are looking at rugged built devices such as those from Caterpillar and the likes, you’d be hard pressed to find one that’s rugged in a way and yet not look like one – until today. Folks, meet the LG V10, a smartphone that strikes a balanced between look and durability, and at the same time, loaded with pretty interesting features. First off, durability. While the V10 may look just like another pretty handset from the South Korea electronics maker, it is in fact clad in Dura Guard frame that composed of surgical stainless steel to protect the most vulnerable areas like the edges and corners.
On the back and the bottom, it gets soft but resilient Dura Skin for added protection against direct impacts. This special skin is said to be highly resistant to nicks and scratches. As a first line of defence against the unfortunate (i.e. drops), the back features a grid pattern that promotes secure grip. ?However, if the worst happen, you know that the V10 will be safe, or at least, that’s what LG claimed. To further reassure you of its toughness, the V10 was tested and certified by independent laboratory, being put through repeated drops at multiple angles from a height of 48 inches – a test which the testing firm found to be “MIL-STD-810G Transit Drop Complaint” for shock.
LG stakes claim on many firsts with the V10 too, including the incorporation of a second screen, which exists as an inset display right above its main 5.7-inch QHD IPS Quantum Display. The scorn display, which is of a 2.1-inch IPS Quantum Display with 160 x 1,040 pixels, can display weather, time, date and battery status, independent of the main display. It can be set to always on, and when the main display is active, it can be used as a dedicated launching area for shortcuts or your favorite apps. There’s also an industry first 5MP dual front cameras to capture 80-degree selfies or 120-degree wide angle selfie, so you can dispense with the need for selfie stick in order to capture more. In addition, multi-view recording allows three cameras to work together to capture different angles and insert the version that looks best.
V10 is also the first smartphone to get manual mode for video that affords adjustment in the area of shutter speed, frame rate, ISO, white balance and focus in the midst of recording. Speaking of video recording, the V10 can records in three resolutions, HD, FHD, as well as UHD, and in two aspect ratios, 16:9 or a cinematic 21:9. Multimedia is also V10’s forte, having an onboard 32-bit HIFI DAC by ESS Technology to handle audio, while Qualcomm’s TruSignal antenna boost technology that optimize signal strength to prevent fewer dropped calls, faster data and better call coverage, regardless of out the phone is held. Knock Code is in the order too, along with a new fingerprint sensor that will unlock the smartphone and turn on the display at the same time.
Other key features include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB onboard storage, up to 2TB expandable storage through microSD card, a 16MP f1.8 rear-facing shooter with OIS 2.0, LTE-A cat. 6, wireless ac, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, a bunch of sensors, and a user-removable 3,000 mAh battery. The LG V10 is set to hit Korea this month, with markets like the U.S., China and “key countries in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East” to follow suit. Pricing and exact availability will be announced nearer to local market launch.
