[LG V20 Questions & Answers] thatisandwas:
Well, here's my thoughts. I've been with Samsung exclusively for a while now. Last non Samsung phone I had was the HTC Evo 3d. Loved that phone. I had the Galaxy s3, the note 3, the s6 edge plus, then the note 7.

First, there is no denying that the Samsung is sexier than the v20. There's really no contest there. The all glass/metal construction of the Samsungs is beautiful. When I got the recall notice for the 2nd time my initial plan was to say "never Samsung again". My coworker had a n7 too, and swapped for a S7 Edge. I held the phone and absolutely loved the look and feel of it. I regretfully decided to give Sam one more chance. I called around to every tmo in Charlotte and finally found one that had two s7e in Stock. My wife also had a n7, we pretty much always have the same flagship device.

We drove across town to get it, and the rep informed me that would have to pay 180 down for EACH new device. I protested saying there is no way in hell I'm paying as multiple tmo reps told me I could just come in and swap, but he wouldn't budge. I left furious.

After calming down I decided to call tmo and just order the two s7e. The rep told me I'd have to go the store again, ugh.... I explained the entire story to her and she took mercy on me saying she would just send the phones to me no money down and I could just return the n7s to my local store. Thank God.

Then she tells me the s7e is on backorder until Nov 28th. This wasn't acceptable. Then it hit me: the universe was pushing me towards LG. I asked if we could just pre-order two v20, and she said of course. We even get the cool headphones.

That was Monday. We received the new phones Wednesday (9 days before launch, nice touch tmo!) and immediately opened them up.

Now, I've never had an LG phone before. Maybe before smart phones, but never a smart LG. So being that I was so accustomed to Samsung I'll admit I was a little disappointed when I first held the phone. It just wasn't quite as "sexy" as the note 7 was. Not even close, really.

But, after using it for a day, I've come to a few conclusions. First, the design on the v20 is much more "industrial", and I don't mean that in a bad way. It definitely feels much sturdier than the Samsungs, and though it's a trade off on looks, it's a win on functionality.

The software, I quickly learned, is the undeniably faster than the n7. I had such a hard time admitting to myself when I had the note that a 900 dollar flagship could be laggy, but It really was. I've been using Samsung so long I apparently grew accustomed to the lag. This is NOT the case with the LG. Even with all my apps installed (and I have a lot) it's not laggy in the least bit. Again, you trade off some of the sexiness of TouchWiz, but get more functionality.

A removable battery? What a novel idea. It's been years since I've had one. This means of course that the phone isn't completely sealed, which again trades sexiness for functionality.

The only thing that really disappointed me was the lack of water resistance. That was a feature I was truly excited about on the Sam, because I love taking photos and the prospect of pulling out my cam in the pouring down rain was a cool one. So one strike there.

I thoroughly enjoyed the "always on" display of the note 7. Functionally wise, the second screen for the LG does the same, in fact more. I'm still getting used to it, but I really love being able to access things like flashlight and settings instantly. This is definitely not a gimmick to me.

The screen? Jury's out for me on that one. The note 7 was absolute dropping, but it's not like the LG is a slouch. I mean really guys, 2k on any screen this small is going to look amazing. I do miss those amoled blacks, though. I'll admit that.

What will TRULY make this phone amazing for me though is if we find out the bootloader is unlocked. I regret deeply that I haven't been able to root my last 3 phones because Samsung keeps everything knoxed up so tight. If I can root and start installing custom ROMs, I'll be like a fat little prick in a snickers factory. I'll be quite happy.

Android 7 is exactly what I expected, amazing.

I can't believe I actually considered iPhone after the n7 debacle. I read reviews from lifelong Android users that switched to iPhone and they all said after a month they were begging for their Androids back. I'm so deeply ingrained in Googles ecosystem that it wouldn't have been feasible. Not to mention my entire smart home/entertainment pretty much requires I have android.

I hope this will help someone. I just realized how much of a rant I went on. Maybe I should copy and paste this as a review. What do you think?