LG V35 ThinQ with Alexa Hands-Free – Prime Exclusive Phone – Unlocked – 64 GB – Aurora Black

(*I purchased this phone a month ago, so review is 1 month in.)This is a fantastic phone for the price, if you are in need of an unlocked phone. I am on Total Wireless, as I need Verizon to get any signal where I work, so I'm stuck with a limited supply of Verizon compatible phones I can use. Also not well known amongst those who have other carriers, but as they have the stupid CDMA (aka Betamax of phones) coverage, Verizon is cocky and locks any phones to it's network for 2 months after purchase.Because of this I search for great deals on year old premium smartphones. I previously had a Nexus 6, then when it went kaputski, I got my wife and I a couple of Prime G6+ ThinQ phones in January 2018. They worked fantastically for us for 2 3/4 years before starting to go bad, with the battery life falling apart, errors on the apps, and even the audio jack going bad on mine. Plus, the phone screen was 5.7" which was a disappointing move backwards after two years with our 6" phones.I looked at all the various phones available, and initially purchased the Samsung A50 for $350. This is a beautiful phone with an amazing 6.4" screen; however, it is not a premium phone. The speakerphone was garbage so I couldn't hear people, based on the mic quality people couldn't hear me on the other side, and the fingerprint reader in the screen was horrible. Since I need my phone to be quick and functional, I had to return it. After that, I seriously considered the Prime G8+ ThinQ, but the yo-yo pricing got me as it went up from $499 to $850 on the day I decided to buy it (SMH). Based on that, and the fact that it still has a 6" screen, a Snapdragon 855, and 6 GB of RAM, I decided to buy the V35 for $399. So far, I have to say I don't regret the decision at all. So, for the good and bad:Good:- Speed: With one of the newest top end CPU's and 6 GB of RAM, this phone has sped through everything I've thrown at it.- Fantastic screen: As expected on a premium device, they'll tell you it's not as good as Samsung, blah blah blah, but for my eyes, it's fine. The only way to really tell the difference is to stare at both screens, which is weird anyways, lol.- Great battery life: I leave home at 100% and my old phone was at 50% by 10AM, this one is at 45% at 4:30PM when I'm leaving work! This is a HUGE relief, and I often don't plug my phone it at work, or when I go to sleep...so I can live without worrying about constantly charging the phone.- Smilar Ecosystem: I didn't have to adjust, per owning the G6+, which is big for me. Even though I use Nova Launcher, pulling down from the top and having to find where everything was on the Samsung was a bit irritating to me.- Audio Experience: I have to say I really enjoy the DAC functionality, as I have my headphones on for much of the day when I'm doing admin work. I'm glad they kept that.- Price: - $399 for a phone that has top tier specs as of late 2018, is insane- Speaker Phone: It is LOUD. I'm probably going to buy one for my Dad as his hearing is bad and he doesn't like the speakerphone on his current phone.Bad- Wide Phone: Side to side this phone isn't much wider than my G6+ but is far wider than the G8+ and most modern phones. As a guy with medium sized hands, it can be irritating.- Case Availability: This one got to me. The case availability is horrible. I like a strong case with big edges without built in screens, but they simply don't exist for this. Plus, the cases available are 90% the V20 and V30 ones, which don't fit quite right per a slight change on the back camera, yet still pop up on every search when you are looking.- Random Screen Dimming: This one is a weird one, but it automatically dims your screen on occasion. I'm sure there is a way to turn this off, but it happens so randomly I forget to look back into it afterwards.- Bluetooth Connection: Not sure if this is the phone or other items I have, but it doesn't "automatically" connect to available items like my G6 or Nexus 6 did. I have to often select it, even in my car, or with my speakers at home. It still works fine, but it's a weird irritation.Overall, I'm super glad I got this phone at the price I did. My wife is still waiting for Black Friday to get a Galaxy 10+, (mostly for the camera) but I'm fine with this phone as it does what I need quickly and without issue. Honestly, for half the price of a new Pixel or Galaxy, and $200-$300 less than last generations of both, you get almost as much phone and even a few extra things, like the DAC. If you don't have money growing out of your ears, need a high quality phone, and can't wait until the next Black Friday or Prime Day, I'd say just go ahead and buy this.

Pros:1. Great build and feel in the hand. Light weight and even though it's screen size is large the overall footprint is small given the reduced bezels.2. Audio champion with great HiFi DAC along with headphone jack.3. Latest specs like SD 845, 6 GB RAM. This device is very snappy and can handle heavy usage easily. Don't see any lag, stuttering though it's still a new phone. Got to see how it ages.4. Great OLED screen, last year LG OLED screens had issues with quality control but looks like this is a step up from earlier LG OLED screens. I have used many phones including S9+, iPhone X etc and you won't be disappointed with this screen.5. Battery life has been above average and can easily get thru the day.6. Camera especially wide angle is fun to use. Overall it's a great camera though not the best.Cons/Nitpicking:1. Single bottom firing speaker is average, not loud and clear like many other dual speaker phones.2. Only 64 GB internal storage. There is micro SD card at least to expand but personally I would like to see higher internal storage. I believe this won't be a con to majority.3. Updates, don't expect regular security and platform updates.4. LG UI is alright, but personally use Nova launcher so easy to overcome.Overall great phone, I wouldn't pay $900 but definitely a buy at lower prices around $600-$700.

I've used this device for almost a year. Originally purchased, on Prime Day, with a significant discount.Primary reasons for choosing this particular device.1. Android2. Not carrier specific. Truly works with both GSM, CDMA, and Sprint networks.3. Expandable memory with microSD slot.4. Headphone jack5. Overall, above average reviews for LG brand6. Two year manufacturer warrantyI needed to replace my Google Pixel. (Nightmare hardware failures-entirely different rant.) What I came to love about my Pixel was the ability to use on any carriers network. After two years of the freedom to use a device on ANY carrier, I wasn't going to settle for a carrier restrictive device again. Spoiled? Yea, probably.Even though Google offers abundant cloud storage, I still missed the ability to store apps, photos, & other media directly on my device or an SD card. Clouds are hacked. Reality. So are devices but I personally control my security. Yea, so I'm a little control freaky. This device has expandable memory, up to 512GB! That's PLENTY for my mobile needs.I listen to music, podcasts, audiobooks, etc, all.the.time. An audio jack and the upgraded sound are perfect for my needs. I've yet to find a Bluetooth option that has no delays and transmits the audio quality I crave. The jack is a must have for my home, car, & headphones/earphones. Such superior quality with the DTS-x 3D surround sound & Hi-Fi quad DAC.As I mentioned earlier my Pixel had problems. I'm completely unsatisfied with Google's customer support so I was extra interested in how the manufacturer handled hardware issues with their customers. LG offers a second year warranty. This tells me they believe in their products & are looking to develop brand loyalty. I haven't experienced LG customer support so I cannot say how they'd handle a problem but the warranty gives me faith they'd take care of issues if necessary.The screen is lovely & colorful. Like most newer devices, it's slick. Slick, both in the hand (slides out easily) and in design. It's lightweight & glossy. The fingerprint reader is instant unlock & the touch screen responds rapidly. Seems like clean fingers are the enemy with every touch screen I've used since 2008, this device being no exception. I don't hold that minor irritation against the V35 but rather all touch devices.I've used the following carriers on this device: Verizon, Google Fi, MetroPCS, and now Straight Talk. The only carrier I had any issues connecting to was MetroPCS. The MetroPCS problem is simply a lack of towers in my area. I didn't realize this at the time I actived the service but within 24hours I had changed carriers. Again, not a device problem.This is an Amazon Prime device. Amazon has pre-installed apps but every single Amazon app can be disabled, even if the app cannot be uninstalled. LG also has their apps preinstalled. Most cannot be uninstalled and about half can be disabled. My one complaint about an LG app, and it's a pretty big one, is the phone dialing app. I don't know if it's specific to V35 or any LG but the LG contact app regulates the phone app. This is SO aggravating! I CAN disable the contact app & use, say Google contact app, but if I do this, I cannot make calls. I feel like a petulant child stomping my feet about this but by golly.... WHY can I not be allowed to choose a different dialer app!?!? Grrr....is really my only option since I'm not interested in rooting the device.This leads into updates of the OS & security. Google releases security updates for Android every single month. I think LG has only pushed through two, in a years' time. LG has only offered an OS update, not upgraded to the next version. Yup, Google is much like Apple in that those security updates & OS versions are released and available to customers devices, immediately. I really do miss those monthly updates & being a first to tinker with the latest Android OS. I don't understand why LG (and other manufactures/carriers) aren't more diligent but ya know... So that's not really a negative for this LG device but more negative in general for non-google devices and many carriers. I see the lack of updates as lazy & poor customer service. But whadda I know. It's an Android industry standard.I almost wish I had some serious complaints to report about this device. I'm truly thankful my only gripe is the phone dialer/contact app thing. That's so petty and minor considering my Pixel nightmare. This has been a great device for the last year. Fantastic value for a beautiful, fast, leading tech device. I'm 90% my next device will be an LG. The 10% depends on where technology takes us in the next year or two.