While the Essential Phone and Galaxy Note 8 were making headlines, we were secretly testing LG’s flagship smartphone, the LG V30. The unit we have is a non-final device and was only provided to us to get a first look at the device.
One of the reasons why I love the V lineup of devices from LG is because they are so fresh. They bring fresh new features to the table and bring a fresh, new design. The V30 features a radically different design than the V20 and the V20 featured a pretty radical design change from the V10.
The V30 is very similar to the LG G6. It has a Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and back and is IP68 water and dust-resistant. There’s a very shiny aluminum frame that’s rounded to fit more comfortably in the hands and it blends seamlessly with the front and rear Gorilla Glass 5. The front glass panel is curved ever so slightly on the sides but the curve is very subtle. Not only does this help make the device look all the more beautiful, it helps the aluminum frame and glass front and back blend seamlessly together, which creates a very premium and comfortable feeling in the hands.
The V30 features a 6-inch QHD+ OLED display with an 18:9 aspect ratio and 82 percent screen to body ratio. Content looks very crisp, very vibrant and saturated. I would say it’s not quite as saturated as a Samsung OLED panel but it’s very close and overall, stuff looks great on it. I’m really glad to see an OLED panel on an LG device because it looks better than an LCD panel in my opinion. It saves some battery life and improves features like the Always On display.
The V30 is running the latest version of Nougat and should be receiving Android Oreo in the coming months. The app launcher is going to be very similar to that found on the G6 except there is a feature that lets you search through applications, your contacts, and mail with a simple swipe down anywhere on the homescreen.
One of the most iconic features of the V10 and V20 was the secondary displays so you’re probably wondering where is that secondary display on the V30. Well, LG has incorporated a second display so to speak via software and a feature called floating bar. A floating bar can be enabled to give you quick access to shortcuts, screenshots, the music player, and quick contacts. There’s also an Always On display that you can enable, which will always display the time and the date. But you’ll see above the time and date, you can actually swipe through quick settings and music and whatnot, similar to the V10 and V20.
Under the hood, LG has included a Snapdragon 835 chipset with 4GB of RAM. The wide-angle sensor has made a return and it’s being paired with a 16-megapixel main shooter with an impressive f/1.6 aperture so it should deliver some superb low-light photos.
LG has emphasized the video capabilities with the V30. They’ve added a Cine Video Mode that features different color profiles to choose from and various zoom effects to add to your videos. Some other specifications to note include the 3300mAh non-removable battery, rear-facing fingerprint scanner, a headphone jack with a HiFi Quad DAC, bottom-facing speakers, and a USB-C port.
This has just been a first look at the LG V30. Be sure to subscribe here to PhoneDog.com and YouTube/PhoneDog to see all of our upcoming V30 coverage. Let me know what you think of this device in the comments section below.
