Canada Daily Deals: ILIFE Robo Vacuums, Nintendo Switch games, and more

Whether you’re looking for new tech gear or household items, we’ve got you covered.

We found plenty of great deals today that include big discounts on ILIFE Robotic Vacuum Cleaners, Ring’s Alarm Home Security System, Nintendo Switch pre-release games, Apple AirPods, and much more!

View the rest of the deals

Each day, the Thrifter Canada team scouts out and shares amazing deals on products you know and love, helping you find the best prices on the ‘net.

For more Canadian deals coverage, be sure to keep an eye on Thrifter CA, sign up for the Canadian newsletter and follow the team on Twitter.

Win a Lenovo Smart Display from Android Central!

Lenovo’s Smart Display elegantly transitions the Google Assistant onto screens, but it’s the beautiful design and great sound that make it a clear recommendation. The smart display provides visual context to everything, allowing you to see the recipes you’re asking for or watch the news briefs you listen to every morning. It’s also a way to watch video in general, starting with YouTube and Google Play Movies but eventually acting as a Cast target — essentially a small TV or tablet with a built-in Chromecast.

We love this product, and we can’t wait to see how it continues to evolve as future updates roll out. We want you to experience it as well, so we’re partnering with Lenovo to give you all a chance to win one for yourself. Keep reading to enter!

Enter to win a Lenovo Smart Display

THE PRIZE: One Android Central reader will win the Grand Prize of a Lenovo Smart Display in their choice of the 8″ or 10″ model. Additionally, two runners-up will win an 8″ Lenovo Smart Display!

THE GIVEAWAY: Use the widget at the bottom of this page. There are multiple ways to enter, each with varying point values. Complete all of the tasks for maximum entries and your best shot at winning! Keep in mind that all winning entries are verified and if the task was not completed or cannot be verified, a new winner will be chosen. Please note that this giveaway is available in the U.S. only.

The giveaway is open through October 4th, 2018, and the winner will be announced right here shortly after the closing date. Good luck!

Win a Lenovo Smart Display from Android Central!

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YouTube TV’s DVR feature is now a lot more powerful

You can now pause, fast forward, and rewind shows for many more channels.

YouTube TV is jam-packed with features to help you get the most out of your cord-cutting lifestyle — one of which is a cloud DVR that allows you to record shows and watch them at a later date. On October 4, YouTube TV announced that it’s partnering with a bunch of networks to make its DVR even better.

YouTube TV has announced on Twitter that it’s partnering with AMC, Disney, Fox, NBC, and Turner to make their programming “immediately available for DVR playback.”

You asked, we listened. Enjoy more of your favorite recorded shows with full control to pause, rewind, & fast forward anytime during playback. Thanks to our partners @AMC_TV, @Disney, @FOXTV, @NBCUniversal & @Turner for making their content immediately available for DVR playback!

— YouTube TV (@YouTubeTV) October 4, 2018

While some channels have already supported full DVR capabilities for recording shows and then being able to pause, rewind, and fast forward during playback, many big networks have blocked this and chose to instead offer video-on-demand programming — the main difference being you can’t fast forward through commercials when watching VOD.

DVR support for these new networks is available now, so have fun binging your favorite shows without having to mess with pesky commercial breaks.

See at YouTube TV

Best mounts for your Amazon Cloud Cam

The Amazon Cloud Cam is the Alexa-enabled home security camera of the Amazon-lover’s dreams. It’s great on a table or desk, but if you have pets or kids who might knock it over, or if you want to set it at a different vantage point, you’ll want a mount. There aren’t too many options available right, but below you’ll find the best of what’s around.

Amazon’s choice

TotalMount hole-free wall mount

Who better than Amazon to pick a mount for the Amazon Cloud Cam? This one doesn’t require any drilling, since it simply adheres to your wall without leaving any residue behind if you need to move it. This mount is made specifically for the Amazon Cloud Cam, and it lets you mount the camera looking upward or downward.

$13 at Amazon

Low vantage pointt

Wasserstein AC outlet mount

This mount lets you plug your Amazon Cloud Cam right into any wall outlet, and it even offers 360-degree swivel, so you can position your camera looking in any direction along its x-axis. No drilling or adhesive involved!

$10 at Amazon

Tilt, swivel, and pan

TotalMount full motion mount

If you want to be able to mount your Amazon Cloud Cam with a full range of motion that includes tilting, swiveling, and full rotation, then this is the mount you want. You do have to screw it into the wall, but then you know it’s well-anchored and can be orientated in any way you choose.

$11 at Amazon

Magnetic pick

Wasserstein 2-in-1 mount

With this mount, you can either have it wall-mounted on the screw-in plastic plate, or you can attach it to any magnetic surface, like your fridge or a metal plate. It even easily slides off the wall mount, so you can have it both ways. Comes in black or white.

$17 at Amazon

Keeping your Amazon Cloud Cam up and out of danger is also the best way to get a full view of whichever room it’s in. Putting it in an outlet is also a great way to keep your camera out of sight and/or close to a power supply so that you don’t need to run any cable at all. For a full range of motion, go with the TotalMount full motion mount.

iMac Pro and 2018 MacBook Pro Systems Must Pass Apple Diagnostics to Function After Certain Repairs

Due to advanced security features of the Apple T2 chip, iMac Pro and 2018 MacBook Pro models must pass Apple diagnostics for certain repairs to be completed, according to an internal document from Apple obtained by MacRumors.

For the 2018 MacBook Pro, the requirement applies to repairs involving the display, logic board, Touch ID, and top case, which includes the keyboard, battery, trackpad, and speakers, according to the document. For the iMac Pro, the requirement only applies to logic board and flash storage repairs.

If any of these parts are repaired in an iMac Pro or 2018 MacBook Pro, and the Apple diagnostics are not run, this will result in an inoperative system and an incomplete repair, according to Apple’s directive to service providers.

Apple’s diagnostic suite is limited to internal use by Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers, as part of what is called the Apple Service Toolkit. As a result, independent repair shops without Apple certification may be unable to repair certain parts on the iMac Pro and 2018 MacBook Pro.

Moreover, when the iMac Pro and 2018 MacBook Pro are eventually classified as vintage products, meaning they are no longer eligible for hardware service from Apple, repairs through alternative channels might not be possible.

MacRumors has reached out to Apple for comment.

This requirement is a result of the T2 chip, which integrates several previously separate components, including the system management controller, image signal processor, audio controller, and SSD controller. It also features a Secure Enclave coprocessor for secure boot, encrypted storage, and authenticating Touch ID.

To initiate a Mac repair, visit the Get Support page on Apple.com.

Related Roundups: MacBook Pro, iMac ProTag: T2 chipBuyer’s Guide: MacBook Pro (Buy Now), iMac Pro (Neutral)
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Review: Scosche’s Magic Mount Pro Charge Refuels iPhone in Your Car or on Your Desk

I’ve never been a fan of magnetized iPhone mounts in cars because they require special iPhone cases that stick to the base of the mount to keep the smartphone in place. Since I enjoy using Apple’s own leather and silicone cases, I haven’t had the urge to ditch a case for one that would be compatible with a car mount.

Although Scosche’s Magic Mount Pro Charge still requires a few unruly magnetic accessories to use, it’s come close to convincing me that I need to make a few concessions so that I can get the advantages of hands-free iPhone use in my car. The Magic Mount also doubles as a Qi-enabled charging platform, so it will work with any compatible smartphone or case.

The Magic Mount comes with two options for installation: a suction cup with an extended reach (for the upper dash board or lower windshield) and a shorter arm with a sticky pad (for the infotainment center area). The initial unboxing and setup for the Magic Mount is a bit overwhelming, with nearly a dozen different parts and accessories making up the process: a magnetic case mount, magnetic smartphone mount, wire clip cable organizers, suction mount, sticky mount, charging pad, 12V car power adapter, micro-USB to USB charging cable, and even cleaning wipe to prepare the intended area for the mount.

The charging pad itself attaches easily to the two mount attachments with a ball and screw “tension collar” system. You then can attach the micro-USB cable into the charging pad, and feed the cord into the car adapter to enable wireless charging when you place your phone on the pad. As a note, Scosche also provided me with a separate fast car charger, which features both a USB-C and USB-A port to charge two devices simultaneously. I found both this car charger and the charger included with the Magic Mount (which has just a single USB-A connection) to be reliable throughout my testing period.

Attaching the mounts to an iPhone or case (left, middle), and the finished product (right)
For the magnetic mounts, you have to choose between placing them directly on your smartphone or on a case. For obvious reasons I didn’t want to attach a large black magnetic pad to the back of my iPhone X (Scosche does promise this is completely safe), so I opted for the case option. This includes placing two smaller magnetic rectangles on the back of a case of your choosing, which will help magnetize the iPhone to the charging pad and enable Qi charging through compatible cases (which are pretty much any thin iPhone cases, including all of Apple’s first party leather and silicone options).

The installation process for the magnetic strips was easy enough, since Scosche provides a helpful paper guide with arrows that point you where to place the strips depending on the size of your iPhone or Android phone. Once you have the alignment right, you remove a film on the back of the measurement tool, press hard to attach the magnets, and when it’s removed your case will have two new magnetic pads permanently attached to the back. The process appears largely the same for attaching directly to an iPhone. Scosche says these are neodymium rare-earth magnets and 100% safe for all smartphones.

For the actual Magic Mount, I started by trying to install the suction mount on my car’s upper dashboard, but here the suction never quite stuck to the surface (which I sufficiently cleaned and dried beforehand). The only place I could get the suction mount to consistently stay attached was my windshield, but there are a few reasons why I didn’t like this placement.

For one, Louisiana is one of just over 20 states where placing suction mounts on windshields is considered illegal, although some states have wishy-washy exceptions to the rule, like placing the mount in specific quadrants of the windshield that won’t directly obscure view. When I had it placed directly to the lower right hand corner of my driving view, I always felt like the mount and my iPhone were a bit too dominant in my field of vision to drive comfortably for extended periods of time.

Secondly, I didn’t see the advantage of my iPhone in this position, since it was too far away to provide me with at-a-glance information, quick and safe UI controls, or to accept Face ID unlocks. Cable management also becomes an issue the farther away the Magic Mount is from a nearby charging input in your car, and for my lower windshield at least it meant a bit of an unruly situation that even the two included cable management attachments couldn’t do much to solve.

For these reasons, I found my preferred placement for the Magic Mount to be directly next to my car’s touch screen using the low-profile sticky mount option. This of course means that the accessory is now permanently stuck to my car’s middle dashboard, but it feels right in this position. It sits next to my steering wheel so I can easily tab the pick up/hang up controls on my iPhone and route a call to my car’s connected Bluetooth system, use the skip track buttons in Apple Music, and glance over quickly for Face ID unlocks. The tension collar makes it simple to add a bit extra tightness or looseness to the gimbal system, and find the perfect angle.

As a note, I drive a 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan with no CarPlay features. So while the Magic Mount solved a problem I didn’t really have in some categories (phone controls do appear via Bluetooth on the Tiguan’s touch screen), in others areas it definitely helped me out (particularly with safer and easier-to-access Apple Music controls). Cable management was also much less of a headache when using the low-profile mount, because it was closer to my car charger and just above a little nook in my dashboard that easily stashed and hid nearly all of the cord.

In terms of charging, ever since I upgraded from an iPhone 6s Plus to the iPhone X, I haven’t needed to worry about charging my iPhone during trips in my car. Because of this, a major feature of the Magic Mount feels a bit superfluous in my day-to-day use of the accessory, but from what I’ve experienced Scosche’s mount is a solid Qi-compatible charger. The company sells the same charging pad in the form of a vent charger, but I didn’t have the chance to test this one out.

My iPhone X recognizes the charge status immediately when placed on the Magic Mount, and there were no weird hiccups with the iPhone suddenly ceasing to charge or the Magic Mount otherwise failing. Magic Mount supports up to 10W fast charging for Samsung and up to 7.5W for Apple’s fast charging on iPhone 8 and newer. I tested the Magic Mount on a Saturday when I was using my iPhone to navigate and otherwise on it normally while shopping and eating, and Scosche’s charger fueled it up reliably in between locations. I didn’t have a chance to test it out on a lengthy road trip, but I did leave my iPhone on the Magic Mount near my bed one night and it was topped off as expected the next morning.

With the low-profile base attached in my car, I took the suction cup base and attached it to my desk to test out another out-of-the-car scenario, and this is where I found the most use out of Magic Mount on a daily basis, but I still had issues with the suction cup. Sometimes it would attach to a clean, flat surface and remain stuck for a few minutes before falling over, and other times it would remain attached for hours until I physically removed it.

Scosche’s literature doesn’t mention anything about removing and reapplying the suction cup numerous times, but the mechanic of removing the base is straightforward enough that the design appears to be encouraging that behavior. Overall, I had the most success on glass and unmarked, flat wood surfaces, so I wouldn’t reccomend this feature of the Magic Mount for any kind of curved platforms.

Bottom Line

Overall I enjoyed my time with the Scosche Magic Mount Pro Charge. The magnetic attachment between iPhone and mount is super reliable, even on bumpy car rides; the sticky mount adheres quickly and easily; and the Qi pad is as solid as any other I’ve used since I got my iPhone X.

I’d say the biggest downside is the necessity of needing to have two large black magnets on the back of potentially a favorite iPhone case (or iPhone itself if you go that route). Users with black iPhone cases will probably fare better because of this. The magnets also raise the iPhone slightly off of a surface when it’s resting and make it a bit wobbly. The other big downside was the suction cup, which wasn’t as dependable in my car as I wanted.

Despite these problems, I still recommend the Scosche Magic Mount Pro Charge if you’re on the hunt for a Qi-compatible car charger, particularly if you want to attach it to a safe area on your windshield or near the infotainment center of your car. Scosche sells the mount for $59.99 on its website, and the PowerVolt 3.0 car charger is also available for $24.99.

Note: Scosche provided MacRumors with a Magic Mount Pro Charge and PowerVolt 3.0 for this review. No other compensation was received.

Tag: Scosche
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Photography App Darkroom Gains Support for iOS 12 and New iPhones

Popular photography app Darkroom was today updated with support for iOS 12, introducing several useful new features.

The app has been optimized for the larger displays of the iPhone XS Max and the upcoming iPhone XR, with additional space for controls available on the 6.5-inch iPhone XS Max.

A new Portrait HD option allows Darkroom to detect and automatically load a “Portrait Matte Effect,” which is a high-definition depth map that Apple added in iOS 12 when a Portrait Mode photo is captured.

Using this depth map, the Portrait HD feature will pull in higher quality face and hair details, while a separate Standard Depth option in Darkroom offers richer scene detail.

Support has also been added for iPhone XS and XS Max Portrait Lightning effects and the new Depth Control feature introduced in the new devices. To introduce support for Depth Control, the blur slider in Darkroom has been deprecated on iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR.

Darkroom now uses custom-made hashtag sets that can be copied with one tap from anywhere, which is ideal for adding hashtags to your social media posts. With Siri Shortcuts support, you can create a custom Siri phrase to copy a hashtag set without the need to open up the Darkroom app.

Hashtags are also available through a Today screen widget, when 3D Touching on the app icon, and within the Darkroom app itself when exporting a photo.

Multiple other enhancements and performance improvements have been added to the Darkroom app, with a full list of changes available on the Darkroom website.

Darkroom can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Tag: Darkroom
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iOS 12 Now Installed on 46% of Devices, Close to Overtaking iOS 11

A little over two weeks after launch, iOS 12 is installed on 46 percent of iOS devices, according to data collected by analytics company Mixpanel.

iOS 12 adoption will soon overtake iOS 11 adoption, as iOS 11 is also installed on just over 46 percent of devices in Mixpanel’s daily iOS 12 adoption calculation.

At the time this article was written, iOS 12 was installed on 46.25 percent of devices, while iOS 11 was installed on 46.57 percent of devices. 7.18 percent of devices continue to run an older version of iOS.

It’s worth noting that Apple has not yet released official iOS 12 installation numbers. Mixpanel’s data has historically overestimated iOS adoption rates compared to Apple’s own numbers, but the data is not usually too far off. Even if there’s a discrepancy between Mixpanel and actual installation rates calculated by Apple, Mixpanel’s data still offers solid insight into adoption rates comparative to the adoption rates of earlier versions of iOS.

iOS 12 adoption rates have outpaced iOS 11 adoption rates at the same time last year. On October 3, 2017, which was two weeks after the launch of iOS 11, the operating system was installed on 38.5 percent of devices, according to Mixpanel data, almost 8 percent less than the 46 percent of devices running iOS 12 at the two week mark.

Customers are adopting iOS 12 at rates that are similar to the adoption rates of iOS 10 in 2016, which was installed on 48.16 percent of devices two weeks after it launched.

It’s not surprising that customers are choosing to install iOS 12 at a more rapid pace given the significant speed improvements introduced with the update. On older devices, performance enhancements can make iPhones and iPads feel much faster.

On the iPhone 6 Plus, for example, apps launch up to 40 percent faster, while the keyboard can appear up to 50 percent faster. Opening the camera on the Lock screen to take a photo can be done 70 percent faster.

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Apple has made animations smoother and more responsive across the operating system, so accessing Control Center, scrolling in apps, or swiping up when multitasking feels more fluid.

iOS 12 also includes optimizations for when the operating system is under load. Apps launch up to twice as fast under a heavy load, as does the Share Sheet.

MacRumors readers in particular were heavy early adopters, and in a Twitter poll conducted shortly after the launch of the operating system, 85 percent of those surveyed had already installed the update.

Did you install iOS 12 yet?

— MacRumors.com (@MacRumors) September 19, 2018

iOS 12 has a few bugs, such as a problem that can cause some devices running the operating system not to charge over Lightning if plugged in while the display is off, but for the most part, it’s a stable update that offers up some serious improvements on older devices that felt slow on iOS 11.

Related Roundup: iOS 12
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Apple Further Refutes Bloomberg Report Suggesting Chinese Spies Tampered With iCloud Servers

Apple has gone to unusual lengths to thoroughly and definitively refute a Bloomberg Businessweek article that today suggested Chinese spies had planted microchips in the Chinese-made Supermicro server motherboards that Apple uses in its facilities.

Following the publishing of the article, Apple released a strongly worded statement calling Businessweek’s report inaccurate with no evidence to support the claims, and this afternoon, Apple went further and published an entire rebuttal on its website.

Apple’s press release includes the same statement that was initially provided to Bloomberg Businessweek, along with additional information that the company says it shared with Bloomberg Businessweek ahead of when the server article was released.

While Bloomberg Businessweek’s report claims that Apple reported the alleged microchip incident to the FBI in 2015, Apple told the news site in no uncertain terms that no one from Apple ever reached out to the FBI, nor had Apple ever heard from the FBI about an investigation.

Apple also told Bloomberg Businessweek that despite “numerous discussions” across teams and organizations, no one at Apple had heard anything about the supposed microchip investigation.

Apple’s updated statement clarifies that Apple is not under any kind of gag order or held to a confidentiality obligation, and it says clearly that the report is “completely untrue” and that no malicious chips have been found in Apple servers. The full additional statement is below:

The published Businessweek story also claims that Apple “reported the incident to the FBI but kept details about what it had detected tightly held, even internally.” In November 2017, after we had first been presented with this allegation, we provided the following information to Bloomberg as part of a lengthy and detailed, on-the-record response. It first addresses their reporters’ unsubstantiated claims about a supposed internal investigation:

Despite numerous discussions across multiple teams and organizations, no one at Apple has ever heard of this investigation. Businessweek has refused to provide us with any information to track down the supposed proceedings or findings. Nor have they demonstrated any understanding of the standard procedures which were supposedly circumvented.

No one from Apple ever reached out to the FBI about anything like this, and we have never heard from the FBI about an investigation of this kind — much less tried to restrict it.

In an appearance this morning on Bloomberg Television, reporter Jordan Robertson made further claims about the supposed discovery of malicious chips, saying, “In Apple’s case, our understanding is it was a random spot check of some problematic servers that led to this detection.”

As we have previously informed Bloomberg, this is completely untrue. Apple has never found malicious chips in our servers.
Finally, in response to questions we have received from other news organizations since Businessweek published its story, we are not under any kind of gag order or other confidentiality obligations.

Apple’s initial statement, available below, was shared this morning after Bloomberg Businessweek published its article claiming Apple discovered illicit microchips in its Supermicro server motherboards that were able to inject code or provide instruction to the CPU with the ultimate goal of providing the Chinese government with access to “high-value corporate secrets and sensitive government networks.”

Bloomberg Businessweek claimed to have spoken to officials with knowledge of the investigation, which Apple says did not happen at all.

Over the course of the past year, Bloomberg has contacted us multiple times with claims, sometimes vague and sometimes elaborate, of an alleged security incident at Apple. Each time, we have conducted rigorous internal investigations based on their inquiries and each time we have found absolutely no evidence to support any of them. We have repeatedly and consistently offered factual responses, on the record, refuting virtually every aspect of Bloomberg’s story relating to Apple.

On this we can be very clear: Apple has never found malicious chips, “hardware manipulations” or vulnerabilities purposely planted in any server. Apple never had any contact with the FBI or any other agency about such an incident. We are not aware of any investigation by the FBI, nor are our contacts in law enforcement.

In response to Bloomberg’s latest version of the narrative, we present the following facts: Siri and Topsy never shared servers; Siri has never been deployed on servers sold to us by Super Micro; and Topsy data was limited to approximately 2,000 Super Micro servers, not 7,000. None of those servers have ever been found to hold malicious chips.

As a matter of practice, before servers are put into production at Apple they are inspected for security vulnerabilities and we update all firmware and software with the latest protections. We did not uncover any unusual vulnerabilities in the servers we purchased from Super Micro when we updated the firmware and software according to our standard procedures.

We are deeply disappointed that in their dealings with us, Bloomberg’s reporters have not been open to the possibility that they or their sources might be wrong or misinformed. Our best guess is that they are confusing their story with a previously-reported 2016 incident in which we discovered an infected driver on a single Super Micro server in one of our labs. That one-time event was determined to be accidental and not a targeted attack against Apple.

While there has been no claim that customer data was involved, we take these allegations seriously and we want users to know that we do everything possible to safeguard the personal information they entrust to us. We also want them to know that what Bloomberg is reporting about Apple is inaccurate.

Apple has always believed in being transparent about the ways we handle and protect data. If there were ever such an event as Bloomberg News has claimed, we would be forthcoming about it and we would work closely with law enforcement. Apple engineers conduct regular and rigorous security screenings to ensure that our systems are safe. We know that security is an endless race and that’s why we constantly fortify our systems against increasingly sophisticated hackers and cybercriminals who want to steal our data.

Along with Apple, Bloomberg Businessweek claimed that other companies, such as Amazon, were also affected. Amazon has also issued a similarly worded denial. According to Amazon, the report is untrue and Amazon has never found any issues “relating to modified hardware or malicious chips in Supermicro motherboards” nor has Amazon participated in an investigation with the government.

Supermicro has also denied all reports and says it is not aware of any investigation regarding the topic.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tag: China
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LG V40 ThinQ vs. LG G7 ThinQ: Which LG flagship is right for you?

The LG V40 ThinQ is to the LG G7 ThinQ, as Samsung’s Galaxy Note 9 is to the Galaxy S9: Bigger, more expensive, and packing a few extra features. The V in LG’s V Series phones stands for video, but that’s not the only thing that sets these two phones apart.

If you’re shopping for a new smartphone, you like LG, and you’re wondering whether to go for the V40 or the G7, then we’re here to help. Perhaps you’re weighing up whether to upgrade from the G7 to the V40 — we can help you there, too.

Specs

LG V40 ThinQ

LG G7 ThinQ

Size
158.7 x 75.7 x 7.7mm (6.25 x 2.98 x 0.30 inches)
153.2 x 71.9 x 7.9 mm (6.03 x 2.83 x 0.31 inches)

Weight
169 grams (5.96 ounces)
162 grams (5.71 ounces)

Screen size
6.4-inch P-OLED
6.1-inch IPS LCD

Screen resolution
3120 x 1440 pixels (537 pixels per inch)
3120 x 1440 pixels (564 pixels per inch)

Operating system
Android Oreo 8.1
Android 8.0 Oreo

Storage space
64GB
64GB, 128GB

MicroSD card slot
Yes
Yes

Tap-to-pay services
Google Pay
Google Pay

Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845

RAM
6GB
4GB, 6GB

Camera
Triple-lens 12MP (with OIS) and 16MP wide and 12MP telephoto rear, dual 8MP and 5MP wide front camera
Dual lens 16MP (with OIS) and 16MP wide-angle rear, 8MP front camera

Video
4K at 60 fps, 1080p at 240 fps
4K at 30 fps, 1080p at 60 fps, 720p at 240 fps

Bluetooth version
Bluetooth 5.0
Bluetooth 5.0

Ports
USB-C 2.0
USB-C 1.0

Fingerprint sensor
Yes (back)
Yes (back)

Water resistance
IP68
IP68

Battery
3,300mAh

Fast charging (Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0)

Qi wireless charging

3,000mAh

Fast charging (Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0)

Qi wireless charging

App marketplace
Google Play Store
Google Play Store

Network support
T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint
T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint

Colors
Aurora Black, Moroccan Blue
Aurora Black, Platinum Gray, Raspberry Rose, and Moroccan Blue

Price
$900+
$650+

Buy from
LG

LG, Amazon, Best Buy

Review score
3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5 out of 5 stars

Performance, battery life, and charging

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Both the G7 ThinQ and the V40 ThinQ rely on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 processor which ensures fast and smooth performance. The V40 ThinQ backs that up with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, while the G7 has 4GB of RAM in the 64GB model and 6GB of RAM in the 128GB model. You can expand the storage in both of these phones with a MicroSD card.

There’s fast charging and wireless charging out of the box with these phones, so there’s no dividing them there. The V40 has a slightly larger battery, but it also has a slightly larger screen, so we think battery life will be similar and you’ll probably need to charge your phone daily whichever one you pick.

Winner: Tie

Design and durability

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

We were a little disappointed when LG embraced the notch in the G7 ThinQ, and the notch in the V40 suggests that it’s here to stay. The V40 ThinQ is the taller and wider of these two phones, though it does manage to be a touch more svelte than the G7. Both have a metal frame and a curved glass back with a fingerprint sensor in the middle of it. They’re clearly part of the same family, but you can see an important difference right off the bat: The V40 ThinQ boasts three lenses in its main camera to the G7’s two.

Drop either of these phones and you’re going to run the risk of cracked glass and a scuffed metal chassis. Cases are a smart move. Water need not provoke any concerns, though, as both phones are IP68 rated, which means they can survive in water up to a meter and a half deep for 30 minutes without any signs of permanent damage.

Winner: Tie

Display

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

It has taken a while to hit upon a meaningful difference, but the OLED screen in the V40 is clearly superior to the LCD screen in the G7. The shape of these wide screens is very similar and they both have a 3120 x 1440-pixel resolution. That actually means the G7’s screen is a touch sharper, because it’s smaller, but we think the advantage of OLED tech far outweighs that detail. There are good reasons why all the top manufacturers are employing OLED in their phones now including the fact that it’s thinner, offers better refresh rates, and delivers higher contrast with true blacks.

Winner: LG V40 ThinQ

Camera

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

The headline feature for the LG V40 ThinQ is the camera. There are five lenses in the two cameras that the V40 ThinQ has and they’re packed with tricks. You’ll find a 12-megapixel main lens with larger pixels for improved low-light performance and optical image stabilization (OIS). It’s flanked by a 16-megapixel wide-angle lens and a 12-megapixel telephoto lens. That means you can still shoot wide photos when there is a lot to pack in, but it should also mean you can take better portrait shots with the bokeh effect blurring the background or zoom in on subjects that are far away. The front-facing camera pairs an 8-megapixel lens with a 5-megapixel wide-angle lens — a setup you’ll appreciate if you take a lot of group selfies.

By contrast, the LG G7 ThinQ pairs two 16-megapixel lenses, one with OIS, and the second with wide-angle support. It’s a solid performer, as we recently found out in a shootout with the S9 Plus. The G7 makes do with a single 8-megapixel lens in its front-facing camera.

Not only is the hardware in the V40 better and more versatile, but you’ll also find some neat tricks in the software, especially if you love to shoot video. One of our favorite new features is the cinemagraph support, which enables you to take video where a single spot is animated and the rest is frozen like a photograph. While there’s a gimmicky feel to some of this stuff, and it may be used once and forgotten by the average person, if you’re into shooting video, the V40 should delight you.

Winner: LG V40 ThinQ

Software and updates

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

The LG G7 ThinQ shipped with Android 8.0 Oreo while the LG V40 ThinQ is shipping with Android 8.1 Oreo. They will both get upgraded to Android 9.0 Pie, but we don’t know how long that will take. With LG’s interface on top of Android, you’ll find the experience of using these phones very similar. Since they came out around the same time, we don’t expect to see much difference in terms of future updates or support longevity.

Winner: Tie

Special features

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

The camera and some of the video tricks and filters are what sets the LG V40 ThinQ apart. As we said in the camera section, if you love to make videos, the V40 has been designed with you in mind.

Winner: LG V40 ThinQ

Price

While you’ll need at least $900 to snag an LG V40 ThinQ, the LG G7 ThinQ has recently dropped in price and can be picked up for $650 if you shop around. Both phones have wide carrier support, so you shouldn’t have any trouble using them on any network or buying one on a contract.

Overall winner: LG V40 ThinQ

The triple-lens camera and the OLED screen elevate the V40 ThinQ above the G7 ThinQ. The fact that LG is asking for a big premium to secure those advantages might give you pause, but there’s no doubt that the V40 is the better phone.

Editors’ Recommendations

• LG V40 ThinQ vs. V35 ThinQ vs. V30: Which of LG’s big phones is best for you?
• LG V40 ThinQ: Everything you need to know
• LG V40 ThinQ Review
• LG V35 ThinQ review
• LG G7 ThinQ review