LG made waves with its 2015 flagship Android smartphone, the V10—an evolution of the G4 that stood out on its own. Its rubberized textured back and rounded metal edges offered superior grip, paired with a true phablet-sized 5.7-inch display. But the real buzz came from its bold second screen feature.
Contents:
1. Notifications
2. Always-On Display
3. Music Controls
4. Quick Settings
5. Favorite Apps
6. Contact Shortcuts
7. Recent Apps
8. Camera Controls
What do you think of LG's second screen?
LG positioned a compact 2.1-inch secondary display above the main screen. While Samsung experimented with similar ideas on devices like the Continuum and Galaxy Note Edge, secondary screens largely faded. Undeterred, LG invested heavily in practical uses for the V10's implementation. From my hands-on testing, here are the standout capabilities that make it genuinely useful.
Handling notifications tops the list of practical uses. The second screen keeps your main display distraction-free by surfacing alerts directly.
Beyond basic texts or emails, it supports interactive elements like incoming calls: the caller's number centers on the screen with green Answer and red Decline sliders—no need to wake the main display.
Alerts are tappable shortcuts too. Tap a calendar event notification, and it jumps straight to details.
The Always-On functionality proved one of the most valuable in daily use. With the main screen off, key info stays visible at a glance.
Left side: accumulating notification icons. Right side: weather, date, time, and battery status. Check your phone's essentials without touching it.
Battery drain? Minimal, thanks to adaptive brightness—it dims when idle and reacts to pocket detection. Tip: Disable via Display > Second Screen > Show when main screen is off if preferred.
Control playback effortlessly from the second screen. With music running and main screen off, play/pause, skip, or rewind tracks appear at the top, showing the current song.
Controls fade after seconds? Swipe left-to-right to refresh. For main screen on, enable in Display > Second Screen > Show when main screen is on > Music player.
Swipe horizontally for different controls once set.
Swipe right-to-left on the second screen (main off) for four instant toggles:
Customize persistent panels. Pin up to five go-to apps for one-tap access—similar to Samsung's App Edge on the Galaxy S6 Edge+.
For frequent callers, pin five contacts. Tap to call or message—echoing Samsung's People Edge.
A standout for multitasking: five recent apps always ready, updating dynamically. Far more efficient than swiping through Google's carousel.
In the camera app, the second screen lists modes: Simple, Auto, Manual (Photo), Manual (Video), and Pop (collage). LG's UX 4.0 keeps it streamlined for better shots.
LG transformed a potential gimmick into practical tools through thoughtful design. These conveniences elevate everyday use. Seen them in action—would you try the V10's second screen?
