On MetroPCS: LG V20 vs. Samsung A20

[AppleUser]

Which of these two phones would you recommend? The LG V20 is attractive because of the removable/replaceable battery, but I've always owned Samsungs, presently the Galaxy S5. The S5 is water-resistant, has induction charging, but internal memory is only 16GB. The LG has 64.

LG Review: https://www.gsmarena.com/lg_v20_time_saver-review-1549.php

 

[TRS-80]

4GB of RAM is good, I am assuming that processor is similar spec level, as this phone is a couple years newer than the s5 (which is not always better).

It looks like it is officially supported in LineageOS. (!)

Also there is an OtterBox Defender Series case available for it.

Those are my personal criteria (along with removable battery). So, it looks good to me.* That extra screen thing seems a little weird though. The dual cameras are nice, I guess (and the wide angle lens?). Seems like a kind of big phone though. Do you like that? Some people don't.

* I spent a total of about 5 minutes doing a cursory investigation of the most important factors (to me). At this point, if I were to keep considering this phone (and I might) I would continue in-depth research at LineageOS, XDA forums, etc. and find out if there are any weird quirks that I might not be able to live with. Although if a device is officially supported by LineageOS, it will usually be a pretty good experience.

 

[aml1025]

I was using an LG V20 on Metro for quite a while. It's a very nice (and yes, big) phone. The cameras are good and give a variety of options if you enjoy photography. The small 'second screen' is gimmicky, but can be turned off. I could see that some people might appreciate it for notifications, but I didn't care for it. And as a flagship level device, there's a huge selection of cases available on Ebay and Amazon. Also, you don't need to seek out an unlocked phone; a regular T-Mobile phone will work on Metro.

While I'm not as familiar with the A20, reviews seem to suggest it has good battery life and decent camera performance, but may be laggy. It's also a large phone, but not nearly as wide as the V20, so it may be a better one-handed device.

I've alternated between current mid-range phones and prior flagships, and each has its advantages. If you like getting software updates and the newest little features, you may not be as happy with the older phone. On the other hand, if you appreciate a premium level device more, the V20 may be the better option.

LG flavors Android differently from Samsung's take on it, so if you're a big fan of Samsung, you might be happier sticking with them. One of my family members has made that choice because of the ease of transferring information from an old phone to a new one.

Oh - you will need to talk to customer service to activate a V20. The last time I did it by phone, I used my old phone's SIM and wasn't charged, but that may have changed. You'll definitely have to pay if you go into a store to activate it, so I don't recommend that route.

Hope this helps your decision!

 

[AppleUser]

I was using an LG V20 on Metro for quite a while. It's a very nice (and yes, big) phone. The cameras are good and give a variety of options if you enjoy photography. The small 'second screen' is gimmicky, but can be turned off. I could see that some people might appreciate it for notifications, but I didn't care for it. And as a flagship level device, there's a huge selection of cases available on Ebay and Amazon. Also, you don't need to seek out an unlocked phone; a regular T-Mobile phone will work on Metro.

While I'm not as familiar with the A20, reviews seem to suggest it has good battery life and decent camera performance, but may be laggy. It's also a large phone, but not nearly as wide as the V20, so it may be a better one-handed device.

I've alternated between current mid-range phones and prior flagships, and each has its advantages. If you like getting software updates and the newest little features, you may not be as happy with the older phone. On the other hand, if you appreciate a premium level device more, the V20 may be the better option.

LG flavors Android differently from Samsung's take on it, so if you're a big fan of Samsung, you might be happier sticking with them. One of my family members has made that choice because of the ease of transferring information from an old phone to a new one.

Oh - you will need to talk to customer service to activate a V20. The last time I did it by phone, I used my old phone's SIM and wasn't charged, but that may have changed. You'll definitely have to pay if you go into a store to activate it, so I don't recommend that route.

Hope this helps your decision!

Thanks. Did get the LG V20 because of the replaceable battery, the camera quality, and 64GB internal. Transferred over everything via software + WiFi, Some settings and the Visual Voicemail app. Have not yet activated it because I'll lose the VVMs, so will listed to each one to decide if it should be saved as an audio file. There are somethings better about this V20 compared to the S5, and there are some things worse. Will write on that later.

My SIM card is two years old. Should I buy a new one, or the old one is just as good?

 

[aml1025]

My SIM card is two years old. Should I buy a new one, or the old one is just as good?

The V20 uses a Nano SIM, as opposed to the S5's Micro SIM. Unless the SIM you have has the snap on/off pieces to adjust its size, you will need to get a new SIM to fit the phone.

 

[AppleUser]

The V20 uses a Nano SIM, as opposed to the S5's Micro SIM. Unless the SIM you have has the snap on/off pieces to adjust its size, you will need to get a new SIM to fit the phone.

Yep, I removed the snap off piece, but the inquiry was if I should get a new SIM instead of using this two year old SIM?

 

[aml1025]

Yep, I removed the snap off piece, but the inquiry was if I should get a new SIM instead of using this two year old SIM?

Sorry, looks like I deleted some of what I wrote before posting! As long as the SIM is size compatible and you haven't had any problems with it, there's no reason to bother with a new one.