What do reviewers think of LG V30?

The LG V30 looks like a beast of a smartphone on paper, doesn’t it? There’s a top-end Snapdragon 835/4GB RAM combo, a 6-inch OLED screen with 2880×1440 resolution, IP68 water/dust resistance and fantastic audio credentials.

So what do reviewers think of the phone thus far? We highlighted three reviews for your convenience.

TechRadar (4.5 out of 5)

The publication heaped praise on the “gorgeous” OLED display, design and “interesting” camera improvements, to name a few. However, it criticised the lack of Android Oreo, expensive price and low-light photography/selfie results.

TechRadar elaborated on the display side of things.

“When it comes to watching movies, LG has never made a better phone to view them on. The 2K OLED display pops with vibrance, even going as far as being HDR-ready for apps like Netflix and YouTube HDR at launch. This means that the colours will be richer and the overall contrast will offer more levels of depth than a traditional display is capable of.”

The V30 also continues the excellent legacy established by previous V-series phones, the publication explains.

“LG’s melding of innovation on both the wired and wireless fronts shows that you can honour the past while plowing ahead. Compared to Apple’s headphone jack-less iPhone 8 and Google Pixel 2, this is courage.”

In the camera department, TechRadar says the Pixel and Galaxy S8 are still better for low-light photography. But the reviewer did praise LG’s take on zoom, the Graphy functionality and professional colour grading.

“Sitting next to each of this year’s exciting flagships, the V30 holds its own thanks to a dollop of power, expandable storage, Daydream support and a capable camera that’s loaded with things to do.”

Tom’s Guide (8 out of 10)

Another publication that seemed to enjoy the V30, reviewer Adam Ismail praised the design, wide-angle camera, audio capabilities and “immersive” display. However, the battery life was cited as one of the main weaknesses, after putting it through their cellular browsing test.

“The V30 delivered just 5 hours and 57 minutes before powering down, prompting us to run the test a second time. At 6 hours and 30 minutes, it still fell far short of the current 9:40 smartphone average. Even the Galaxy S8, which sports a smaller, 3000mAh battery, still managed 10 hours and 39 minutes.”

Ismail also had more to say about the wide-angle camera experience.

“There’s certainly a slight dip in overall sharpness, but the unique perspective breeds creativity and makes the V30 tremendously fun to shoot with.”

The reviewer concluded by saying the LG smartphone manages to differentiate itself from the pack “and that makes it worth your attention”.

The Verge (7 out of 10)

Prominent tech writer Vlad Savov went so far as to call the V30 a “groundbreaking phone with a deal-breaking flaw”.

The Verge writer says the V30 is more pleasant to handle than the Galaxy S8, before moving on to the audio side of things.

“The cherry atop the LG V30 spec cake is undeniably the phone’s Hi-Fi Quad-DAC audio system. It is insanely good. I’m talking ‘angels descended from heaven and plucked harps inside my ears’ kind of good. It’s the sort of sound that makes me extend my walks and wish for my train to be delayed, just so I could listen for a little while longer.”

Moving to the photography department, the journalist notes that the V30’s camera can be good or great, but “never exceptional”. Additionally, Savov says that he rarely found himself needing the wide-angle camera, preferring a monochrome or telephoto shooter instead.

What about the aforementioned deal-breaker though? The Verge review found that the “splotchy” OLED screen was a disappointment.

“It’s painfully apparent that LG’s so-called plastic OLED screens are multiple generations behind Samsung’s alternative — which graces the Galaxy S8, Galaxy Note 8, and the upcoming iPhone X — as well as significantly behind the best LCDs, as exhibited by the U11.”

Savov concludes by saying if it were reviewed as a dedicated audio player, it’d be one of the best on the market.

“But this is supposed to be a smartphone. And as a smartphone, the LG V30 fails to validate its high price and flagship status.”