LG V20 (lg-elsa)

Features
Flashing Whether it is possible to flash the device with pmbootstrap flasher.	Works
USB Networking After connecting the device with USB to your PC, you can connect to it via telnet (initramfs) or SSH (booted system).	Works
Internal storage eMMC, SD cards, UFS...	Works
SD card Also includes other external storage cards.	Works
Battery Whether charging and battery level reporting work.	Works
Screen Whether the display works; ideally with sleep mode and brightness control.	Works
Touchscreen	Untested
Multimedia
3D Acceleration	Untested
Audio Audio playback, microphone, headset and buttons.	Untested
Camera	Untested
Camera Flash	Untested
IR TX	Untested
IR RX	Untested
Connectivity
WiFi	Broken
Bluetooth	Untested
Ethernet	Untested
GPS	Untested
NFC Near Field Communication	Untested
Modem
Calls	Untested
SMS	Untested
Mobile data	Untested
Miscellaneous
FDE Full disk encryption and unlocking with unl0kr.	Untested
USB OTG USB On-The-Go or USB-C Role switching.	Untested
HDMI/DP Video and audio output with HDMI or DisplayPort.	Untested
Fingerprint Fingerprint reader.	Untested
Sensors
Accelerometer Handles automatic screen rotation in many interfaces.	Untested
Magnetometer Sensor to measure the Earth's magnetism	Untested
Ambient Light Measures the light level; used for automatic screen dimming in many interfaces.	Untested
Proximity	Untested
Hall Effect Measures magnetic fields; usually used as a flip cover sensor	Untested
Haptics	Untested
Barometer Sensor to measure air pressure	Untested
Power Sensor Sensor to monitor current, voltage and power. Not fuel gauge!	Works

LG V20
Manufacturer	LG
Name	V20
Codename	lg-elsa
Model	H990
Released	2016
Type	handset
Hardware
Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 (MSM8996)
CPU	2x 2.15 GHz Kryo ; 2x 1.6 GHz Kryo
GPU	Adreno 530
Display	1440x2560
Storage	64 GB
Memory	4 GB LPDDR4 (3.7 GB usable)
Architecture	aarch64
Software
Original software The software and version the device was shipped with.	Android 7.0
Extended version The most recent supported version from the manufacturer.	Android 8.0
FOSS bootloader	no
postmarketOS
Category	downstream
Pre-built images Whether pre-built images are available from the postmarketOS Installation page.	no
Mainline Instead of a Linux kernel fork, it is possible to run (Close to) Mainline.	no
pmOS kernel The kernel version that runs on the device's port.	3.18.113
Device package	device-lg-elsa
Kernel package	linux-lg-elsa

This device runs a Downstream kernel. Some UIs will not work, and most features (3D acceleration, audio, etc.) may be broken.

This device is based on the Snapdragon 820.
See the SoC page for common tips, guides and troubleshooting steps

The internal codename for the LG V20 is elsa. While LG officially provided bootloader unlocking only for the US996 (US Cellular) variant, their official unlock servers are now permanently offline. However, nearly all variants (including Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and International models) can now be bootloader unlocked using community-developed exploits such as DirtySanta or recowvery, which leverage the Dirty COW (CVE-2016-5195) vulnerability.

Unlock & Root Guides

Contributors

Maintainer(s)

Nardo45

Users owning this device

Nardo45 (Notes: Model: H990ds)
Uclydde

Status

Tested with a close-to-mainline kernel. It currently boots the kernel, but the port is not usable beyond early boot yet; further testing is needed. The main port for this device remains to be the downstream port.

The downstream port requires the postmarketOS initramfs change from pmaports MR 8710; without it, the device stops in telnet during initramfs. Even with that change, the port is not yet suitable for daily use and is currently limited to access over USB networking/SSH.

Display Cutout

Unlike most smartphones with display cutouts (aka "the notch"), the LG V20's touchscreen does not register input underneath it. Until there is better support for display cutouts, it may be a good idea to simply not use that row of the display. This could possibly be done by changing the screen dimensions, and panning. See this LineageOS commit disabling the section of the screen next to the cutout

Mainline Kernel

The SoC, msm8996, has support in the mainline kernel. Since this phone has a removable battery and a decent amount of ram & storage, this phone could be usable in the long-term, making it a prime candidate for mainlining.

Obstacles:

The display panel, made by LG, uses display stream compression, or DSC. While the mainline kernel does support DSC *for the sdm845 SoC*, it does not support it yet for the msm8996 (as of 12/28/2021). Additionally, the simple framebuffer approach cannot be used for display output, because the panel is command-mode - not video-mode, and the bootloader disables autorefresh.

Hardware

Sensors

Accelerometer (3-axis)
Gyroscope (3-axis)
Magnetometer / Compass
Ambient light sensor
Proximity sensor
Fingerprint sensor (rear-mounted, touch type)
Laser autofocus sensor (rear camera)
Color spectrum sensor (rear camera, for white balance)

Connectivity

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band (2.4 GHz / 5 GHz), Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth 4.2 + A2DP, aptX-HD
NFC
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
FM Radio (H990DS international variant only)
USB Type-C (USB 2.0)
IR blaster
3.5mm headphone jack

Audio

Quad DAC (ES9218), 32-bit/384kHz playback
24-bit/192kHz FLAC recording
B&O Play tuned
Three microphones (noise cancellation)
Bottom-firing loudspeaker

Display

Primary: 5.7" IPS LCD, 1440x2560 (513 PPI), Gorilla Glass 4
Secondary: 2.1" always-on ticker display, 160x1040px, capacitive touch

Camera

Rear main: 16 MP, f/1.8, 29mm, 1/2.6", OIS, laser + PDAF autofocus, LED flash
Rear wide: 8 MP, f/2.4, 12mm, 135° FOV, fixed focus
Front: 5 MP, f/1.9, normal (83°) and wide (120°) modes

H990DS Specific

Dual Nano-SIM (standby only, not simultaneous LTE)
FM Radio
Different LTE band selection from US variants (bands 1,2,3,4,5,7,8,12,17,20,26,28 FDD + 38,39,40,41 TDD)