LG V30

The LG V30 has its work cut out for it. After its successor, the LG V20, came onto the scene, the competition frankly picked apart everything unique it had going for it. The HTC U Ultra lifted the second screen for notifications, and just about every flagship phone now utilizes a dual-lens camera. 

So how does LG’s experimental smartphone branch move forward? By focusing on the subtleties and producing its most bold, feature-packed device yet.

We’ve spent time with a pre-production LG V30 unit ahead of IFA 2017 and worked to scoop through each and every feature (there are many) to be found within LG’s latest flagship. 

We’ll be updating this hands-on review in the lead up to its release date. If you see something that you’d like tested in detail, hit me up on Twitter and I’ll make sure that it gets looked at.

LG V30 price and release date

For the first time, LG’s V-series smartphone will be more broadly available across the globe. Having been limited to just the US, Australia and part of Asia, the V30 is making the jump to multiple regions, of which we’ll confirm once we hear from LG directly.

As for the price, LG hasn’t shared that information just yet. The LG V20 debuted for a rather costly $799 (AU$1,099), so the V30 is likely to follow suit. We’ll be updating this section with information we receive from carriers following today’s announcement.

Design

Instead of straying from the pack, the LG V30 blends in with this year’s fleet of flagships. It even takes design cues from the LG G6, but it manages to steer itself in a few new directions, too.

Starting on the front, LG’s FullVision tech is on display here, complete with a gorgeous 6-inch OLED (finally!) display tuned at 2,880 x 1,440. While there are still bezels at the ends and the sides of the V30, the presentation renders them to be quite understated.

LG’s latest measures in at 151.7 x 75.4 x 7.3mm and weighs 158 grams, all of which puts it on par in sizing with the Google Pixel XL. That said, it’s remarkable that LG has fit a screen that’s a half an inch larger inside of a chassis that’s nearly the same size. Interestingly, it’s just a bit wider than the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, though the rest of its dimensions pale in comparison.

Around its glossy steel siding, you’ll find a tactile volume rocker to the left, and a SIM and microSD tray on the right. Down below, there’s a bottom-firing speaker grill next to the V30’s USB-C charging port. Up top, there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack, which is your one-stop shop for experiencing the phone’s Hi-Fi audio capabilities.

Flipped over on its slightly curved glass back, the phone’s fingerprint sensor, which doubly works as its power button, sits right in the middle – a more ergonomic location than Samsung’s choice with the Galaxy S8 and Note 8.

Glancing upward has us stumbling upon the V30’s dual-camera system. This isn’t LG’s first foray into the technology – the LG V10 was released in 2015. But this phone’s duo of lenses puts them to the best use yet. We’ll dive into that more below.

Lastly, LG has done the V30 a solid by implementing wireless charging as well as making it both water and dustproof with IP68 resistance. It also meets military spec standards, meaning it’s very durable. For such a pretty phone, that’s a very good thing.

Performance

Inside of the V30, LG has opted to check just about every box required to stand up against the latest and greatest competition.

You’ll find the Snapdragon 835, which is making its LG debut here, paired with 4GB of RAM. Our time so far with the V30 has seen nary a stutter while switching between apps – even when loading up intensive games or the camera app’s unique and new abilities.

Combining the latest tech with a pixel-dense OLED display was the right move here for LG. Not only does it put the V30 in line with the competition – even the iPhone 8 is rumored to have one when it launches – it’s finally primed for Google Daydream virtual reality. We’ll definitely be trying that out as soon as possible.

This phone comes with Android Nougat out of the box, but LG told us that it fully intends to upgrade the device to Android Oreo as soon as possible. So for now, you’ll be able to enjoy split-window multitasking, but not the picture-in-picture mode that comes with the latest software update.

Music fans will be happy to see that LG has hung onto the 3.5mm jack and that the company will be tossing in a set of Bang & Olufsen earbuds with purchase. Not just that, it has a quad DAC inside that promises to boost sound quality for your average files. This is a sought-after feature that we’re happy to see the company give another go on a wider scale.

Where's the second screen?

Unique to the V experience, up until now at least, was the second screen display. The V30 changes that staple hardware feature into a software touch called Floating Bar.

The second screen might be gone, but it’s still here in spirit. On our preview unit, the feature was strangely not turned on by default, but when activated, it’s tucked away into the side of the screen. A simple tap opens the bar and holding on the icon lets you move it wherever you’d like. 

In addition to letting you customize what sort of app or command goes into the bar slots, the feature also focuses on surfacing some of the phone’s more hidden abilities, like QuickMemo note-taking and capturing a picture or GIF of the screen. We’re looking forward to testing this unique feature in-depth, especially since it has more in common with Samsung’s Edge feature than it previously did.

Camera

LG seems to be putting a lot of effort in bringing some new, noteworthy hardware and software features to make its dual-lens cameras stand out from the rest. 

Billed as a device for creators, the LG V30’s main rear-facing camera is 16MP and boasts an impressive f/1.6 aperture that should put it above the competition when it comes to low-light photography. Additionally, this lens is covered is glass, not plastic, which LG says boosts the transmittance of light and details. The other lens takes care of the wide-angle shots and is improved to 13MP and a f/1.9 aperture, both of which build upon the V20’s lesser 8MP wide-angle lens that had an aperture value of f/2.4.

The smartphone packs in professional color grading to give each video and picture the right kind of contrast, lighting and saturation to fit each scene. For power users who want to shoot footage with the V30 and export to say, Adobe Premiere, you can export the Cine Log, which retains the metadata during post-production. If you’d rather edit video on the phone, LG is including an app that can let you do just that.

Taking the pro-level use cases a step further, LG has partnered with Graphy to teach users how to become comfortable with the capable manual photography mode. Photographers can post their photos and share the settings and techniques put to use when capturing the piece. LG has done an awesome job focusing on the little things for the V30.

Another new addition to the camera software is Point Zoom. Activated to the Cine Video mode in the camera app, this new feature smoothly zooms in on wherever you tap to, remedying the sudden, jagged zoom effect we’re all accustomed to. It might not sound like much, but it’s one of those small things that will likely make a big difference moving forward.

Of course, we’ll be testing the plethora of camera features built into the V30 as time goes on, but this is just a taste.

Early verdict

Based on first impressions, it appears that LG has taken full advantage of its opportunity to make good on the learnings from the LG V20 and LG G6. From the feature set (stuffed full) to the availability (no longer just a US-only affair), it’s easy to see that, yes, LG is actually listening to feedback.

We’ll be testing our preview unit more and more up until we receive a final production unit. As such, we’ll be withholding a final score. But as far as takeaways are concerned, the LG V30 looks to make choosing a new phone out of the exciting batch of late-2017 entries a lot more difficult.

from TechRadar: Technology reviews http://ift.tt/2eGVioZ