LG V60 ThinQ targets North America and Europe

LG V60 ThinQ targets North America and Europe

OUHASS    March 07, 2020   

LG Electronics' premium smartphone LG V60 ThinQ 5G revealed its appearance. LG Electronics originally planned to release the LG V60 ThinQ 5G at MWC (Mobile World Congress) 2020. However, as the new Coronavirus (Corona 19) canceled MWC itself, LG Electronics released the product through the LG Global Newsroom.

The reason why the LG V60 ThinQ 5G is a hot topic is that it will change LG Electronics' sales strategy. Earlier on January 30, the earnings announcement (conference call) said, "The V60 will be prepared as a North American, European and global exclusive product, and the Korean premium market will have a mass premium phone with design and reasonable price." This is the first result of the strategy. In other words, the LG V60 ThinQ 5G will not be sold in Korea, but only in North American, European and Asian markets.

Domestic non-launch is talking about, V60 what phone?

The LG V60 ThinQ 5G is a premium 5G smartphone with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 AP, 8GB of RAM, and a Qualcomm X55 5G modem. Unlike the domestic market, which has reached saturation, the overseas market is attracting attention because 5G smartphones are just being introduced and there are few options for 5G smartphones. The display features a 6.8-inch P-OLED full-vision display with a 20.5: 9 ratio and supports FHD + (2,460x1,080, 395ppi) resolution.

Storage consists of 128GB and 256GB, with a micro SD slot that can expand up to 2TB. As the competition for smartphone cameras has heated up recently, the LG V60 ThinQ 5G also has a 64 million pixel standard lens and 13 million pixels wide-angle lens. The camera supports 8K video recording, and four microphones make recording sound clear. The battery is also generously available at 5,000mAh.

Dual screens, a key feature of LG's premium smartphones, also have significant performance. Considering the environment with the main screen, the same 20.5: 9 6.8-inch P-OLED full-vision display is mounted, and the resolution is the same as FHD + (2,460x1,080, 395ppi). It weighs 134g and connects with a 360-degree hinge and a USB C standard.

The US CNN cited audio jacks and cameras as advantages.US CNN wrote a review article titled "LG's V60 ThinQ and 5G landed this spring: a headphone jack and three cameras." The article starts with the announcement of Samsung's 5G smartphone, but now it's LG's turn. Unlike Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics puts its launch models together and emphasizes dual-screen and 5G support.

The authors note that they do not fold like the Galaxy Fold, Motorola Razr, or Galaxy Z Flip, but the screens are separated by dual screens and that they can be used as controllers to run multiple tasks simultaneously or while gaming. The 3.5mm headphone jack is also a big advantage. Overall, the LG V60 ThinQ 5G is a unique smartphone and stated that the conditions for providing dual screens at no additional cost are satisfactory.

TechRadar. Indicated that LG Electronics is looking for its direction. In particular, it was noted that the screen divided into dual screens would be a powerful multimedia device combined with a high-speed 5G network. Instead of an expensive foldable display, it only has a simple extra screen. Its advantages include dual screens, a large capacity battery, and 8K video recording, and the shortcomings include lack of resolution, telephoto lens removal, and dual-screen support for more apps.

9to5Google noted that in 2020, most smartphone manufacturers unplugged the headphone jack and that the LG V60 ThinQ 5G is the only flagship smartphone with an audio jack. LG has consistently satisfied audiophiles with headphone jacks and high-performance DACs. It also supports the Snapdragon 865 and 5G, with a price tag of around $ 1,000.

Dual screen and audio jacks are the keys

According to market research firm Counterpoint Research, 74% of 5G smartphones sold in the U.S. in 2019 were from Samsung Electronics. LG Electronics held a 15% share, while China OnePlus took 11% of the market at an affordable price. Three out of four 5G smartphone users use Samsung Electronics, while the other one uses LG Electronics or OnePlus.

This result implies that it is important to have unique colors of LG Electronics. While endurance issues continue to be pointed out inexpensive foldable smartphones, it should be emphasized that an affordable, stable, dual-screen alternative is an alternative. Besides, while other brands are giving up audio jacks, they need to meet the demand of those looking for audio jacks to utilize expensive audio equipment.

In the U.S., 2019, 5G smartphone penetration was only 1% of total smartphone sales. This year, about 25% of all smartphones will be distributed to 5G smartphones. It is noteworthy whether LG Electronics will succeed in the global market with a dual-screen and audio terminal.

Big pleasure with a big screen and reasonable price, LG Q51

Big pleasure with a big screen and reasonable price, LG Q51

OUHASS    March 05, 2020   

As the movie starring and supporting roles, so is the smartphone. If the flagship smartphone that catches the eye is the main character, a low-end smartphone that plays a quiet role, even though it is relatively unnoticed, can be likened to a supporting role. However, even the supporting role can make a presence, which is possible because of the differentiation.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Q51 launched by LG Electronics is enough to attract attention. It has passed the Pentagon's military standard (Mil-Spec) while having various functions such as a 6.5-inch display, four cameras, and LG Pay at the price of 263$. It's solid price performance.

One of the first things that stand out is the display. As mentioned earlier, it offers a 19.5: 9 aspect ratio specification at 6.5 inches. The resolution is limited to HD + (1,560 x 720) due to the price, but it shows a cool screen. Most of all, the top camera part is finished in water droplets to provide a different immersion. The V50S ThinQ offers a similar type of display.

Camera configuration is also more than basic. It has a 13 million pixel camera on the front, and a 2 million pixel depth camera on the 13 million pixels (standard) and 5 million pixels (ultra wide) cameras on the back, so you can take various pictures. Depth cameras are often used to separate backgrounds. Most smartphone cameras are vulnerable to background blurring, which produces some background blurring.

The basic specifications also look faithful. It uses an 8-core (2GHz) processor, also used for the X4 (2019), plus 3GB of memory and 32GB of storage. Besides, capacity can be expanded via micro SD storage media. The battery capacity is also around 4,000mAh, so you can expect to use it for a long time.

There are also a variety of add-ons. Starting with the fingerprint recognition function, DTS: X stereo sound technology is provided, and the stereo speaker supports contents without earphones. Voice commands using Google Assistant are also standard. Also, LG Pay is provided, allowing you to register your card and pay naturally with your smartphone. Even though it is an entry-level type, it seems impressive to secure maximum convenience. The operating system has Android 9.0 (Pie) installed. It would have been better if they also provided a hi-fi quad-DAC (digital-to-analog converter), which was a blessing for LG smartphones.

The beauty of the Q51 is its durability. LG Electronics has been certified by the US Department of Defense Military Standard (MIL-STD) for most smartphones. This time, it obtained 810G certification. This includes vibrations, drops, shocks, dust resistance, altitude, temperature, humidity, and corrosion. Products that pass it are granted the name Mil-spec.

A surprising choice of color also stands out. White and black are no different but add subtle colors. White is blue (so frozen white), black is gray (moonlight titanium).

Secrets of the Galaxy S20 Ultra Camera

Secrets of the Galaxy S20 Ultra Camera

OUHASS    February 28, 2020   

It is no exaggeration to say that the biggest change in the Samsung Galaxy S20 series is on the camera. In particular, the Galaxy S20 Ultra is equipped with 110 million pixels and 100 times digital zoom. This is due to changes in the image sensor. Unlike the existing one, the area has been enlarged and the technology to prevent the deterioration of quality has been widely used. It's still small, but in the end, it was forced to grow in size to improve performance.

The image sensor mounted on the Galaxy S20 Ultra is based on Samsung's recently developed 'Iscell Bright HM1'. It contained 118 million pixels in an area of ​​1 / 1.33 inches. The simple resolution is 12,000 pixels horizontally and 9,000 pixels vertically. The current offering of the largest number of pixels in the 35mm film format is Sony's Alpha 7R Mark 4, which is more than 71 million pixels (9,504 pixels by 6,336 pixels).

A typical image sensor follows a Bayer pattern format in which pixels of red, blue, green, etc. are arranged in a mosaic form. There are some exceptions (Foveon), but most image sensors are designed in Bayer format. In general, RG / GB pixels are grouped to process information. However, all the dots are black and white pixels that only detect brightness, and the actual dots are colored filters on the black and white pixels.

Samsung Electronics has accumulated a total of 180 million pixels. The size of the pixel is 0.0008 mm in terms of 0.8 micrometers. Using this simple calculation, a sensor measuring 9.6mm in width and 7.2mm in length is created. The 1-inch sensor is about 12.8mm wide and 9.6mm long, so it can be measured to some extent.

Although small, the sensor supports effective shooting day and night because of its 'Nonacell' technology. Nona here means 9, and the key is to get 9 more pixels into the sensor to get more light. The larger the light-receiving area, the more advantageous for information processing. Through this, the Galaxy S20 Ultra can obtain a high-resolution output of 18 million pixels or high sensitivity of 12 million pixels depending on the situation.

This raises a small question. Under normal Bayer pattern sensors, it is not possible to make 9 sensors by combining surrounding pixel information by any means. The color filter itself is an immutable physical element. So how did the Isocell Bright HM1 sensor record 18 million pixels and 12 million pixels high sensitivity results?

This can be found in some of the information disclosed by Samsung Electronics. Information in the Samsung newsroom states that the new image sensor achieves high image quality by switching between pixel rearrangement (re-mosaic) and 9-pixel batching (Nona-binning). The high quality of the two approaches is approached in different meanings, but to provide the best quality in each environment.

From here, the ISOCELL bright HM1 sensor is expected to be placed in the form of Nonacell from the outset. Nine RG / GB pixels arranged in pairs. If you need a lot of light in a low-light environment, it will be united as it is, increasing sensitivity, and conversely, if there is enough light to record high-resolution images, each information will be rearranged and converted to 180 million pixels.

The structure chosen for the effective use of small sensors has obvious advantages. One is high capacity but high-resolution recording, the other is a low resolution but the best image quality at night. The advantage is that both provide satisfactory records.

The problem arises not with the 9-pixel grouping but with the pixel reordering process. Increasing sensitivity and recording 12 million pixel images is relatively difficult. On the other hand, the nine pixels that are clustered together require high processing speed and sophisticated pixel array algorithms to produce high-resolution images. How well did Samsung solve this problem? The release of the Galaxy S20 Ultra is getting closer.