The LG V60 ThinQ is more similar to Samsung's Galaxy Note 10 than you think
Because Samsung has brought the Galaxy S and Note families of ultra-high-end devices closer and closer together in terms of screen sizes, general design language, and features in recent years, pretty much the only thing that justifies the impending arrival of the Galaxy Note 20 is the company's signature S Pen support.
This is not just the key differentiator between Note and S-series handsets, but also the main feature that helps the company's Galaxy Note lineup stand out from other brands' jumbo-sized flagships. Curiously enough, none of Samsung's rivals have tried to challenge the stylus functionality introduced with 2011's first-gen Note, at least not in the premium segment.
But after releasing a few pen-wielding mid-rangers with reasonable price points and unremarkable overall spec sheets, LG seems to have finally taken the first step towards giving Samsung a run for its money... without telling anyone. As discovered in the complete list of official V60 ThinQ features, the newly released flagship works with Active Pens in addition to LG Tone Bluetooth stereo headsets and an increasingly convenient detachable Dual Screen case.
Unfortunately (and predictably enough), the 5G-enabled Snapdragon 865 powerhouse doesn't actually include a stylus as standard, so if you want to give the feature a try, you'll need to separately buy one such "active" writing accessory. Before you do that, it's probably wise to check out the interaction between the phone and a compatible pen in one of the hands-on demonstrations put together by various vloggers and tech journalists in the last few days.
The first such video was actually uploaded to YouTube a full week ago, showcasing the note-taking abilities of the LG V60 ThinQ when paired with a Wacom pen bundled as standard with certain LG Gram laptops. A couple of other demos turn the spotlight on stylus-powered features like GIF Capture, Draw chat, Swift Text, and Screen Memo features, some of which are already present on the mid-end LG Stylo family.
One important thing to mention is that both the main 6.8-inch display of the V60 and its optional Dual Screen attachment are compatible with a number of first and third-party Active Pens, although LG does not currently sell any of its writing accessories separately from the aforementioned laptops and mid-range phones.
An active pen, in case you're wondering, is generally a lot more convenient and feature-packed than a passive stylus like the one accompanying the recently unveiled Moto G Stylus, for instance. At the same time, though, you should definitely not expect the V60 ThinQ to support all the super-advanced digital pen tricks of Samsung's Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+. But maybe LG can build on this (no longer) secret functionality in the not-so-distant future.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: