NEWS: There are rumours suggesting the LG V30 will receive a spec bump at MWC 2018, the tech event that takes place every year in Barcelona. This year, the new V30 (or V30+α or V30 Alpha) might feature an AI chip that'll be the result of LG working closely with Google. This comes from LG supposedly pushing back the release date of the upcoming LG G7 to April 2018.
We'll be sure to update this article as soon as we get any details. Read on for our initial impressions of the LG V30 at IFA 2017.
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Despite its criticisms, I actually quite liked the LG G6. The phone was the standout smartphone at last year’s MWC. It beat Samsung to the punch with its all-display front after all, but in the end, its wallet-shaking asking price led to its downfall. I haven’t given it a second thought since its launch.
But that hasn’t stopped LG from releasing phones. Cue IFA 2017 and the company had another flagship lined up – the intriguingly named LG V30 – and there’s plenty here worthy of your attention.
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LG V30 specs
- Display: 6in QHD+ P-OLED (2,880 x 1,440) with 18:9 aspect ratio
- CPU: 2.45GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 64GB (expandable with up to 256GB microSD card)
- Camera: Rear dual 16-megapixel f/1.6 and 13-megapixel f/1.9 (wide-angle), 5-megapixel selfie camera
- Connectivity: Dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0 (aptX), USB-C 3.1, 3.5mm headphone jack, NFC
- Weight: 158g
- Other: IP68 certified, rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, Android 7.1.2
LG V30 UK price and release date
The LG V30 was announced at IFA 2017. It released in the UK shortly after for an eye-watering £800. Since it has dropped to around £600, making it still an expensive smartphone given its competitors, such as the Samsung Galaxy S8, OnePlus 5T and Honor View 10 cost less than £550. Its predecessor, the LG G6 now costs less than £370, too.
You can find the V30 SIM-free at Currys or on contract at Carphone Warehouse for around £600.
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LG V30 hands-on: Design, key features and first impressions
Take it out of the box, and the first thing you’ll notice is that it doesn’t look too dissimilar to the G6. It has the same display as the G6, too. That’s not a bad thing – it was the G6’s standout feature, after all. But this time around, the handset looks cleaner, with no gap between the screen and the handset itself. It’s a posh-looking phone, no doubt about it.
In fact, its display is a real marvel; it features an 18:9 aspect ratio, 6in QHD+ P-OLED screen, which means it's bright and also capable of producing punchy colours.
Powering the V30 is Qualcomm’s 10nm processing chip – the Snapdragon 835, also found in Samsung’s Galaxy S8, HTC U11 and Sony’s Xperia XZ Premium. Expect top-notch performance, especially when it works in tandem with 4GB of RAM. There's also the Adreno 540 GPU on-board, making it perfect to play all the major mobile games at a high frame rate.
As for storage, there's 64GB found inside the UK variant. There's an option to expand it up to 256GB via a microSD card.
Around the back of the phone is a dual 16-megapixel f/1.6 camera working in tandem with a 120-degree, wide-angle, 13-megapixel f/1.9 camera. The result is a little more versatility with your snaps, which paired with this massive display and its multitasking possibilities, makes the entire shooting experience easier than it’s ever been.
There's a fingerprint sensor here, too. As for connectivity, there's a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB 3.1 Type-C charging port, dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX codec support.
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LG V30 hands-on: Early verdict
With LG’s V30, I’m getting a strong whiff of deja vu. I feel like I’ve reported on all of this before, and I’m increasingly worried that LG might make the same mistakes as the G6 all over again.
Regardless, the V30 seems to be a top-rate flagship smartphone. Its 18:9 display continues to impress, it’s packed with Qualcomm’s latest processor, and its camera is above and beyond. However, with a steep price tag that makes it more expensive than the Galaxy S8, S8 Plus and its predecessor, the LG G6. It's a hard sell.
