To say that the LG V30 has been "unveiled" is perhaps quite untrue. LG has been dropping bits and pieces of information about the flagship leading up to its reveal, so nothing during announcement came as a particular surprise.
Still, that's not to take away from the merits of LG's newest, premium-specced phone. A Samsung Galaxy S8 look-a-like at first glance, the LG V30 fuses a winning design, as-good-as-it-gets specs, and lack of gimmicky features.
This phone is proof that LG has indeed learned from the failures of its attempt to bring a modular smartphone into the market. Instead, it has created a fresher, more improved LG G6. No gimmicks. No unnecessary bells and whistles. Just an honest-to-goodness excellent phone.
LG V30 Specs And Features
• Screen: 6-inch OLED FullVision Display with a resolution of 2,880 x 1,440. As with the G6, the LG V30, features an 18:9 aspect ratio, making it taller than most phones out there. The handset itself features very little bezels. Though it doesn't have a curved screen that bleeds over the edges, it looks quite close to the Galaxy S8 still.
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835.
• Storage: The base model comes with 64 GB of storage but you can bump that up to 128 GB if you need more. You can stick in a microSD card for even bigger storage.
• Memory: 4 GB of RAM. Quite low given that the Galaxy Note 8 has 6 GB of RAM, but 4 GB is still plenty.
• Cameras: The phone sports dual rear cameras, one of which is a 16-megapixel primary lens that has a f/1.6 aperture — the widest aperture on a smartphone ever. That's supposed to bring in more light to photos, making low-light images brighter. The other camera is a wide-angle 13-megapixel lens with a 120-degree angle view for more cinematic shots.
The main triumph in the camera department is a so-called Cine Video mode, which at first seems merely a collection of filters but actually goes beyond that. It has better color accuracy and wider dynamic range which adds up to vastly improved images and footage. Even a Game of Thrones cinematographer is impressed.
• Battery: 3,300 mAh
• Software: It comes with Android 7.1.2 Nougat out of the box on top of LG's revamped custom user interface, which features a floating bar to replace the V line's signature secondary display, and other nifty features.
• Other noteworthy things to mention: The LG V30 is also water and dust resistant, so it'll work if you're outside and forgot to bring an umbrella. It features wireless charging, and thankfully, still has a 3.5 mm headphone jack. It has a unique onboard DAC for higher-quality lossless audio as well.
LG V30 Pricing And Release Date
So, when can you buy the LG V30? The newest handset goes on sale in South Korea on Sept. 21. It remains uncertain exactly when U.S. carriers will start selling it, but Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile have all confirmed that they plan on carrying the phone. They say it'll arrive "early Fall" but failed to give a price range.
