By Scott Kramer
“Is that the new Samsung phone?” I’ve been asked that several times the past few weeks, as I’ve been testing out LG’s upcoming V30 smartphone. And I get it, as the phone is thin, black-fronted, sleek, large, and has rounded edges with a big screen that covers a massive area. No doubt that at quick glance, the resemblance to what I’ve seen of the Samsung Galaxy Note8 in photos is close.
And because I regularly use a two-year-old Samsung phone, I’ve noticed that the similarities extend beyond sheer looks. For instance, the V30 has a vibrant screen. It’s the best one I’ve seen on an LG phone yet. Colors are intense while blacks are pitch dark. Photos truly pop — something that I find beautiful in all of the latest Samsung models but lacking in recent LG phones. In this case, LG attributes that radiance to “QHD+ resolution” plus a 6-inch OLED display. Apparently, self-lighting pixels help generate infinite contrast. Sparing you the tech jargon, it’s just a terrific display that can be adjusted to be very bright — although it doesn’t quite max out as bright as the display on my Samsung.
This makes looking at photos and videos a pleasure. Speaking of, the V30’s rear cameras — there’s a standard 16 megapixel and wide-angle 13 megapixel camera — are outstanding at capturing crisp, clear photos in true color. The main camera has a f/1.6 glass lens, a relatively wide aperture that allows more light than many other smartphone cameras to pass through to the image sensor. That glass-and-aperture combination translates to less photo noise, which is especially noticeable in low-light shots. I took some closeups of my dog in a darker room — no flash — and they came out better than expected. There’s also a 10-bit HDR image sensor, which helps add color range and depth. The flash is powerful, yet doesn’t seem to wash out the image subject.
I’m not much for taking video, but LG touts a “point zoom” feature that’s pretty cool. Essentially it locks focus on a subject and then you can zoom in on it — no pinching, just using an on-screen slider — while focus stays crisp on that target. It’s smooth.
Browsing the web on the V30 was fast — enough so that I informally bench-marked it several times against other phones and was surprised that it was significantly quicker at landing on various websites and also completely loading the pages. YouTube videos cued up in a snap and played without stuttering. Sound was nice and loud, when I wanted it to be.
The phone is also water-resistant. And in my testing, battery life was impressive. It will have the capability to be charged wirelessly, promises LG. For those of you who still make phone calls with your phone, expect quality sound through the phone speaker and on speakerphone, as well.
Obviously with Apple’s new iPhone expected to be announced next week, and with Samsung’s Galaxy Note8 coming to the market, you already have some solid high-end choices. But the V30 — of which LG has not announced release dates, except to say it’s “is being rolled out by carriers in the coming weeks” — is definitely one you should check out before making your final purchase, provided you can wait.
Scott Kramer is veteran, Southern California-based writer primarily versed in golf and personal technology. Studying Computer Sciences in college, and then working as a programmer/software engineer for about a decade, triggered my passion for today’s high-end, high-tech gadgets. I can’t help myself whenever I see any kind of cool new personal technology. I feel compelled to further check it out and see what it’s all about. And even if I have no use for it personally, I’m always thinking who it might best suit. There are exciting new innovations emerging daily that are shaping the future and simplifying life. And I hope to be your eyes to that world, through the words of this column.