[LG V40 Real Life Review] SaintlySins:
Got the phone on Nov 2nd, replacing my old V20, (and a severely damaged V30 that "mostly" worked)

There's a few things that I've got to get used to that aren't the same on the older V's ... these aren't necessarily complaints, just things I've got to reprogram my brain/fingers because there are two new buttons and the button in the middle-back has changed functionality.

To Start:

The button on the back no longer "button-clicks" to Turns On/Off the screen. It only acts as a Finger Print Scanner. You can program that button to open the phone screen, but it won't close the screen ... to do that you've got to push the button on the right side of the phone. (NOTE: That button will turn on/off the screen as well). After a very long time with the V20/30, this remapping of my fingers is taking longer than I expected. I'm not sure why we can't open and close the screen with the sensor on the back, but I'm certain someone will know/share a hack to make it do both soon. (..and with that hack, include a way to disable that right button screen on/off altogether).

There are now 3 buttons on the Left side, two for volume of course and one for "OK Google". I am well over 6 feet tall and have hands/fingers to match, so this phone fits 'deeply' in my hand and the "OK Google" button intrudes into my grip of the phone and I'm inadvertently activating OK Google too often as it sits too low on the housing. If it were higher, or on the right side with the Power/Screen button that might be a better placement for me ... people with smaller hand/fingers may find the new button orientation a pleasurable new feature ... and I hope that's the consensus ... in the meantime, I'm sure I'll acclimate to the newer ergonomic design soon and this won't be an issue.

Screen: The screen is beautiful. It's not quite as "brightly" (my term for the look of the Sammy screens, as to me the screens almost look 'back-lit') as the Note 9, and that's my preference. I feel the LG gives a more natural colorized screen ... and after adjusting the V40 to the same preferences as my V20/30, the screen is noticeably crisper and clearer.

Speed: When downloading podcasts, the time is greatly reduced. Flipping from one App to another, or when using one App while another is in use streaming music or even a video, the phone has no lag, nor does it slow down as the V20 did. Downloading pictures and videos seem to be quicker too. It's quite noticeable and I'm very happy with the improvements.

Pictures: I haven't done much in the way of taking pictures (yet), but the few I've taken are pretty damn good! ! ! I like the options on what lens to shoot with and there's a host of other options I've yet to explore ... but taking a few of my Asian Leopards in Auto Mod on the Standard Lens, the images are sharp, VERY clear and better than the V20/30. More on this when I get more time with the Camera side of the phone.

Bloatware: Geeeezus ... they've stuffed a lot of crap into the phone. Some of it we can't delete (yet) but we can disable, while some are obvious paid placement; Facebook, but no Instagram, yet they're the same company and no Twitter? Then there are gaming/gambling apps ... I'm no prude and parents need to step up know what's going on in their kids phones, but that kind of App shouldn't come stock in my opinion.

Good Stuff:

Some of the Widgets have upgrades that should've been available a long time ago. You can now set transparencies, excellent 'stock' addition to the Widget options, especially on the Calendar and other large, multi-grid Widgets.

Screen Saver options have increased and include better/customizable options ... including running-app operation abilities.

Sound: I saved the best for last in this review.

My biggest complaint about the V20/30 was the speaker. It NEVER got loud enough! I've experimented with Volume Apps and other tricks, yet couldn't get enough out of it to clearly hear over the tire-noise when driving either the Honda or the 6 Series BMW ... it was mandatory to have earbuds at the office, car or house to hear anything. Sometimes I used an old trick and kept a wide cup around just to put the phone in that to amplify the sound. NOT ANYMORE! ! ! The speaker has power! ! Can't believe I'm about to type these words, but depending on what type of music or Podcast you're listening too ... maybe too much power. Classical and other 'low-base' music can be played at full crank, but any/everything else has to be a click or two lower on the volume buttons or the sound will distort. If you're holding the phone or lay it on a hard surface, it will vibrate too ... on the hard surface that vibration can be part of the distortion, but a few clicks down on the volume button and you've got great, loud, sound.

Whether or not it's stereo seems to be a big convo on the forums ... and unless you're holding the phone up very close to your face, I've never understood how anyone could differentiate a stereo phone from a single speaker phone except for the extra volume. But with the new sound engineered into this phone, only the ultimate, well trained, audiophile will know the difference from 4 feet away.

As for headphone use, the DAC system seems to be the same in this phone as it was in the V20/30. They say they've got a new company tuning it, but after a few hours from Classic Rock, Classical, some old-school hip-hop and some PodCasts, my ears can't tell a difference. I switch between a set of custom molded-to-my-ears wired studio earplugs and the Westone W40's ear buds .... neither could be considered anything less than significantly upgrade ear pieces.

That's my quick, 48 hour review of the V40, on the Verizon Network. I really like the improvements, look forward to getting used to the new ergonomics and seeing all the hacks and internal upgrades that get shared on this new phone.

Hope you found it helpful.