Earlier today, another LG-branded flagship made its presence known to the world – despite the fact it’s a region-locked handset. It’s called the V34 (14 spots higher than the V20!), and it was unveiled by LG Japan for the Japanese, and only the Japanese, market. It’s a device that shares all the right similarities with the V20, but also makes a few key changes that, I would imagine, would be pretty exciting to customers all over the world.
Let’s go over the basics first. The V34 boasts the same dual-camera system on the back as the V20, and it also features 4GB of RAM, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor under the hood, and there’s Android 7.0 Nougat on board. Like I said, all of the things that LG would want to copy into another device from the V20 have made their way over to the V34.
But there are some changes, including the 3000mAh battery inside the V34 (down from the 3200mAh in the V20), and the V34 is only loaded up with 34GB of built-in storage, while the V20 has 64GB. The display is smaller in the V34, at 5.2 inches, but it’s still a QHD panel with a resolution of 2560×1440.
The key difference? The IP67-rated V34 with its water and dust resistance.
That’s something the flagship V20 doesn’t offer, much to the chagrin of many potential buyers.
I could harp on the benefits of water resistance here, just like I’ve already seen popping up since the V34’s debut, but that’s not actually why the V34 is such a potentially perfect phone in my eyes, as far as compared to the V20. I’ve already scribbled down why I think the V20 is a great device, and why I’d consider it, but I also pointed out that the 5.7-inch display on that handset made me weary, even with the Quad DAC grabbing my attention.
But the V34 even carries over the Quad DAC support for improved audio quality, so this is all of the right pieces of the V20, but making one big change in its size. With the 5.2-inch QHD display equipped in the V34, I really, really wish this handset was launching outside of Japan. I might actually be a bit jealous.
Some folks will love the 5.7-inch display on the V20, but I can’t help but wonder if a more compact device would speak to a lot more smartphone buyers. Then again, maybe now that the Galaxy Note 7 is off the market, the V20 is primed to be the perfect replacement and the V34 is “too small.”
