LG V30 hands-on: Now replaced by the LG V30S ThinQ

26 Feb 2018

Christopher Minasians

LG is back with the V30, but is it doomed to make the same mistakes as this year’s LG G6?

NEWS: The new LG V30S ThinQ has just been announced at Mobile World Congress 2018, the yearly event that takes place in Barcelona. The updated revision of the V30 offers 6GB of RAM (up from 4GB), offers more storage at 128- and 256GB instead of 64- and 128GB, and most importantly features AI technology.

Through updated firmware, the new V30S ThinQ is able to systematically able to recognise images and provide more detailed information on what’s at hand. We’ve seen something similar used on the Huawei Mate 10 and Honor View 10 phones. Continue reading for our hands-on of the original V30, which apart from the aforementioned features is identical to the new V30S ThinQ.

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.

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.

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.

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.

First Look

Black Friday smartphone deals - LIVE