LG V30+ Review: Too Little, Too Late?

LG V30+ Review: Too Little, Too Late?

LG V30 ReviewLG’s Multimedia Powerhouse

LG launched the LG V30 towards the final quarter of 2017, but has only been over a month since its Plus variant arrived to our shores. The V30+ is currently the Korean brand’s flagship and is equipped with all the features to make it the multimedia monster that its predecessors have been known for. The question is: “Is the LG V30+’s arrival a little too late to make it worth the purchase?” Hopefully, we can help you decide if it’s worth considering.

LG V30+ Specs

  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor
  • 4GB LPDDR4 RAM
  • 6.0-inch 18:9 QuadHD+ OLED FullVision Display (2880 x 1440 / 538ppi) with Corning Gorilla Glass 5
  • 128GB UFS 2.0 internal storage (128GB for the V30+), expandable up to 2TB via microSD
  • Standard 16-megapixel, f/1.6 and wide-angle 13-megapixel, f/1.9 rear cameras
  • Wide-angle 5-megapixel, f/1.9 front camera
  • 4G LTE
  • WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, A-GPS, GLONASS
  • USB Type-C port, Fingerprint sensor, Voice and Face Recognition
  • 32-bit Advanced Hi-Fi Quad DAC
  • Android 7.1.2 Nougat (LG UX 6.0 UI)
  • 3300mAh Li-Ion battery, with Quick Charge 3.0, wireless charging support

LG V30 Review

Good Looks That Can Handle a Beating

In terms of design, the LG V30+ is akin to the LG G6 that was released early in 2017 but don’t let that take away from its elegance. It fits the mold and holds up to the standards of any flagship device that was released in recent months. The V30+ has a metal frame that’s sandwiched by glass panels that makes it look and feel absolutely premium and can withstand a lot of punishment too.

LG V30 Review

It has just enough curves to make it sit nicely in the palm of your hand and since the device is equipped with LG’s FullVision display, it’s got slimmer dimensions despite its 6-inch display and felt lighter than most phones we’ve handled lately. You still have IP68 certification for water and dust resistance to help you feel at ease around liquids.

LG V30 Review

The Display is Great and the Audio Game is on Point

As mentioned earlier, LG’s V line has always been known as a bit of a multimedia monster and adding on their FullVision display certainly gives the device a little more visual oomph. You have a 6-inch OLED panel that has awesome colors and great contrast ratio as well QHD+ resolution. Yes, it’s true that most content hasn’t been adapted to make use of the extra screen real estate but it still gets plus points in our book.

LG V30 Review

For audio, you’ve got a pretty adequate speaker on the bottom of the device for consuming media but audiophiles will definitely want to take advantage of the quad DAC that the phones proudly touts along with the audio being tuned by none other than Bang & Olufsen; whose logo is prominently displayed on the back of the device.

You’re also getting a pair of B&O in-ear headphones in the box so you can listen to high-quality tunes if you haven’t yet invested in your own pair of cans and you will want to pony up the extra cash for a Spotify Premium account.

The SD 835 Ensures Its a Powerhouse

LG had a bit of trouble securing 2017’s flagship processor — the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 — for the release of the LG G6 but, thankfully, they managed to snatch it up for this flagship device. It’s been paired with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of expandable storage, which separates it from the base model of the V30. We definitely do not have any complaints with the device’s performance, which holds up to flagship standards for day-to-day use.

Check out a couple of synthetic benchmark results to see how it stacks up.

For gaming, you can be sure that the V30+ can handle the heaviest mobile titles. Running NBA 2K18 on GameBench yielded average frame rate of 46 fps on high settings. If you’re a fan of Vainglory you’re getting steady 30 fps even when all hell is breaking loose in team fights.

An Update Fixed Most of the Bugs

In terms of the software experience, we were experiencing app crashes here and there when we first got the device. Thankfully, an update was pushed a day or two later that seems to have cleared up any issues we’ve had with the apps we typically use. It runs on Android Nougat 7.1.2 with very few pre-loaded apps that barely take up any space. We’ve also searched a couple of forums to see if the LG V30 has been plagued with the dreaded boot loop issue and so far we haven’t seen any complaints about it.

Great Camera for Photos but the Video Features Stand Out

The LG V30+ has a camera configuration that’s similar to the LG G6. You’ve got a 16-megapixel rear camera at f/1.6 and a secondary wide-angle 13-megapixel camera at f/1.9. While most devices focus on getting the bokeh effect, we definitely appreciate that LG has differentiated itself in the sea of flagship device for choosing to go wide instead. The photos we’ve snapped turned out really great with good color accuracy and sharpness.

The front camera has a much lower megapixel count but it is isn’t all about that, is it? The 5-megapixel front shooter still produced really good selfies and the f/1.9 aperture helps out a bit with low-light captures. You also have the option of going wide on the front camera to get more of your friends in the shot.

What really makes the cameras on the V30 and V30+ stand out from the pack of flagship devices is its features for videos. You can shoot in CineLog to color grade the footage you shoot on the V30+ yourself or use the many presets included to produce more creative videos to share on your social media feeds. You can shoot up to 4K video with pretty great stabilization and the audio recording is pretty good too.

Two Thumbs Up for Battery Life

The LG V30+ comes with a 3300mAh battery, which clocked in a time of 9 hours and 20 minutes using PC Mark’s battery benchmarks. This translated to a whole day worth of juice running on LTE and taking a ton of photos. When you do need to top off the device, it’ll take less than two hours to do so thanks to Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 or you can do so wirelessly if you have a Qi charger on hand as well.

Verdict: It’s All About Timing

The LG V30+ is an excellent device that has a premium build, loads of power, a different take on cameras, and is an audiophile’s dream that merits a look if you’re in the market for a flagship phone. The problem is that the delayed release in the Philippines may hurt it from getting stellar sales given the new devices bound to be released next month at MWC 2018, plus the competition it’s facing with the current crop of top-end devices.
Still, if you want great audio and want to play around with video on your mobile device, then the LG V30+ still deserves some consideration.

The LG V30+ is available via Widget City, who has priced the device at Php 42,000.

Check out our other LG V30 articles by clicking on the links below:

LG V30 Owners Can Preview Android Oreo, but…

Head-to-Head: LG V30 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 8

Head-to-Head: LG V30 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 8

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