Forbes says the LG V30 is as underrated as the iPhone X is overrated

[Rumblee1]

It's on Forbes. It's called the LG V30 is as underrated as the iPhone X is overrated. Excellent, true article.

 

[Aquila]

Is that to say that the LG V30 is not underrated at all because the iPhone X is getting very poor feedback and is therefore not overrated?

 

[Rumblee1]

Is that to say that the LG V30 is not underrated at all because the iPhone X is getting very poor feedback and is therefore not overrated?

He's making a point on how good the v30 is. It is underrated.

 

[Aquila]

But everyone already knows the V30 is good, how is it underrated? Who is rating it below its actual worth?

And the iPhone X isn't overrated, many people seem to dismiss it outright. So why the comparison?

 

[al23]

Well, one of the points the author makes is the bias of reviewers. E.g., the G6 was the first phone to sport a 18:9 ratio. But if you go to tech sites, that is generally overlooked, with the focus being on Samsung. He also points out that Samsung and Apple get passes for their shortcomings, while LG is treated more harshly by critics. I thought these were good points.

We here know the V30 is good. However, to most consumers, the choice that's made is between Samsung and Apple. Telling someone I had the G6 and V30 typically resulted in looks of confusion. Few really notice LG phones.

 

[Aquila]

He also points out that Samsung and Apple get passes for their shortcomings, while LG is treated more harshly by critics.

I agreed with this point up until the end of last year. This year LG received a whole lot of praise for their much needed improvements and Samsung and Apple both got a lot of scrutiny over some of their boneheaded moves, especially towards Apple. Examples include the fingerprint sensor location on Samsung devices and the cutout, app resolution issues, Face ID, etc. on Apple devices.

LG has also started changing their approach though, so instead of being mediocre at most features with a couple of gimmicks, they're instead trying to be really good at some of the things that are most important to most consumers. That started with the V20, but now LG has added quite a bit of polish and so the G6 and the V30 are the first time they can be truly said to be making phones that rival their Samsung and Apple counterparts. That said, they still do have some room to grow, especially on their camera, their software and their attitudes towards user privacy and security.

We here know the V30 is good. However, to most consumers, the choice that's made is between Samsung and Apple. Telling someone I had the G6 and V30 typically resulted in looks of confusion. Few really notice LG phones.

This is definitely true, and that is part of what drives the media bias - but I think it's driven in a slightly different direction than this.

Consumers, especially in the US, are still choosing Samsung or Apple, for more than 7 in 10 every purchases. LG represents about 1 in 10. This is in line with the last couple of years and is reinforced by usage data, such as that done by Comscore, etc. These ratios do not really change and definitely do not change quickly. Anecdotally, I know several people that have recent LG phones - aside from those people, I haven't seen one in the wild ever. I had the G4, Nexus 5X and G5 and those devices look alien. I passed on the G6 and have never seen one except on display in stores.

Anyways, if 85% or more of US smartphone users are using Apple, Samsung and LG devices, and of those devices, nearly 90% are Apple and Samsung, then it makes sense that those three garner the vast majority of news volume and that LG, of those three, receives by far the least amount of press. That said, I do not think the press the V30 and G6 received has been negative. The reviews and follow up articles I have noticed have been overwhelmingly positive, while those about the new iPhones have been generally "meh" or negative in their reading. Obviously there's a selection bias here because I haven't read or even skimmed the headlines of all the articles, so this isn't an analysis of press coverage, just my impressions based on what I've seen.

But the reason I bring this up, is that while I agree most consumers are not seeing a large volume of coverage of the G6 and V30, based on my experience, I think the majority of what they are seeing is praising the devices and recommending them as viable alternatives to the Sammy and Apple devices. And conversely, while the majority of the information that is being pushed is about Samsung and Apple, the overall tone is far less positive and could be enough to push people to look for viable alternatives now that the king and queen seem to be losing their touch.


TL/DR version: Based on what I've seen, I do not agree that the V30 is being treated unfairly in the tech news world - at all. If anything, it may be receiving more kindness than it deserves because of it's status as an underdog alternative to the old and tired Samsung and Apple staples. That isn't to say it doesn't deserve a hell of a lot of kindness, the V30 is by far and away the best phone LG has ever made and in my opinion LG is continuing to head in the right direction with their devices. And there's still a long ways to go down that path, so here's to hoping they continue to do so.

 

[MA2GA28]

I agreed with this point up until the end of last year. This year LG received a whole lot of praise for their much needed improvements and Samsung and Apple both got a lot of scrutiny over some of their boneheaded moves, especially towards Apple. Examples include the fingerprint sensor location on Samsung devices and the cutout, app resolution issues, Face ID, etc. on Apple devices.

LG has also started changing their approach though, so instead of being mediocre at most features with a couple of gimmicks, they're instead trying to be really good at some of the things that are most important to most consumers. That started with the V20, but now LG has added quite a bit of polish and so the G6 and the V30 are the first time they can be truly said to be making phones that rival their Samsung and Apple counterparts. That said, they still do have some room to grow, especially on their camera, their software and their attitudes towards user privacy and security.



This is definitely true, and that is part of what drives the media bias - but I think it's driven in a slightly different direction than this.

Consumers, especially in the US, are still choosing Samsung or Apple, for more than 7 in 10 every purchases. LG represents about 1 in 10. This is in line with the last couple of years and is reinforced by usage data, such as that done by Comscore, etc. These ratios do not really change and definitely do not change quickly. Anecdotally, I know several people that have recent LG phones - aside from those people, I haven't seen one in the wild ever. I had the G4, Nexus 5X and G5 and those devices look alien. I passed on the G6 and have never seen one except on display in stores.

Anyways, if 85% or more of US smartphone users are using Apple, Samsung and LG devices, and of those devices, nearly 90% are Apple and Samsung, then it makes sense that those three garner the vast majority of news volume and that LG, of those three, receives by far the least amount of press. That said, I do not think the press the V30 and G6 received has been negative. The reviews and follow up articles I have noticed have been overwhelmingly positive, while those about the new iPhones have been generally "meh" or negative in their reading. Obviously there's a selection bias here because I haven't read or even skimmed the headlines of all the articles, so this isn't an analysis of press coverage, just my impressions based on what I've seen.

But the reason I bring this up, is that while I agree most consumers are not seeing a large volume of coverage of the G6 and V30, based on my experience, I think the majority of what they are seeing is praising the devices and recommending them as viable alternatives to the Sammy and Apple devices. And conversely, while the majority of the information that is being pushed is about Samsung and Apple, the overall tone is far less positive and could be enough to push people to look for viable alternatives now that the king and queen seem to be losing their touch.


TL/DR version: Based on what I've seen, I do not agree that the V30 is being treated unfairly in the tech news world - at all. If anything, it may be receiving more kindness than it deserves because of it's status as an underdog alternative to the old and tired Samsung and Apple staples. That isn't to say it doesn't deserve a hell of a lot of kindness, the V30 is by far and away the best phone LG has ever made and in my opinion LG is continuing to head in the right direction with their devices. And there's still a long ways to go down that path, so here's to hoping they continue to do so.

You aren't wrong (in fact, you are correct), but the writer of the article points out specific examples of reviews that decided to crap on the LG for relatively trivial items (or calling the screen issues a deal breaker) while glossing over negatives about the X, Pixels, or S/Note 8. So I think he's just seeing different reviews than you.

 

[Aquila]

You aren't wrong (in fact, you are correct), but the writer of the article points out specific examples of reviews that decided to crap on the LG for relatively trivial items (or calling the screen issues a deal breaker) while glossing over negatives about the X, Pixels, or S/Note 8. So I think he's just seeing different reviews than you.

To be fair, if the screen issues actually existed, they would be a deal breaker for some people. Fortunately, most of the complaints about the V30 (and Pixel 2 XL) displays were trumped up nonsense and extremely sensationalized hyperbole. The V30's I've seen (only demos, but they're still phones) did not have any ridiculousness ... they looked really good.

 

[Rumblee1]

But everyone already knows the V30 is good, how is it underrated? Who is rating it below its actual worth?

And the iPhone X isn't overrated, many people seem to dismiss it outright. So why the comparison?

I guess you don't read or listen to reviews much. Not that I blame you

 

[Aquila]

I guess you don't read or listen to reviews much. Not that I blame you

I'm not sure why you would think that. I guess I would say that there are some sites that I outright ignored such as BGR and macrumors Etc because they are completely nonsensical in their reporting and their soul existence is to generate clicks not to inform their readers. I would say that I do listen to and watch reviews of a lot of devices which I think might be evidenced by my participation in so many of the various forums regarding so many various devices but I guess like I said earlier I'm not really clear on why you thought that.

 

[chanchan05]

If there's anyone to blame why the v30 is underrated, it's LG. People choose Samsung and Apple because they're everywhere. They're familiar. Where are the LG ads? Where are the displays in stores? LG makes nice phones but don't promote them. People as a group tend to go to what's safe and familiar. Especially since they're investing money and need something reliable as a phone. They don't know what LG is and it's priced close enough to an S8 to not consider at all.

 

[PAC757]

The carriers are a problem also. I have AT&T I went into 3 different copoorate stores and one had a V30 stuck in a corner on display. I haven't bought a phone from AT&T in a few years and was really disappointed in the stores. Really they are nothing buy Apple and Samsung dealers. One store, a larger corporate store, actually had nothing else on all the display areas but iPhones and iPads, and 2 walls of Samsung, and of course Direct TV stuff everywhere. I was lucky enough to find a sales person that said he had a couple of V30s in the back, none on display and not a single case for a V30. Went to a Verizon store to buy a case, nothing on display but the sales person said "I think we have a couple of cases in the back" and even there no V30 phone on display.

 

[chanchan05]

The carriers are a problem also. I have AT&T I went into 3 different copoorate stores and one had a V30 stuck in a corner on display. I haven't bought a phone from AT&T in a few years and was really disappointed in the stores. Really they are nothing buy Apple and Samsung dealers. One store, a larger corporate store, actually had nothing else on all the display areas but iPhones and iPads, and 2 walls of Samsung, and of course Direct TV stuff everywhere. I was lucky enough to find a sales person that said he had a couple of V30s in the back, none on display and not a single case for a V30. Went to a Verizon store to buy a case, nothing on display but the sales person said "I think we have a coupon of cases in the back" and even there no V30 phone on display.

Not sure how it is in the US but the manufacturers sometimes have deals with carriers on how to promote their devices. Like extra cash to ensure they have their products displayed prominently. So if that's the case in the US then it's still on LG.

 

[yongkykun]

The fact that Unbox Therapy hasn't reviewed the V30, even to this day, says a lot. People look up to YouTubers lately for reviews and sadly the media follows suit. So far only Marques Brownlee of MKBHD has reviewed it but even so, he also brushes off V30 and focus mainly on iPhone, Samsung, OnePlus and the like. I'm only naming 2 massive YouTubers, so don't hate on me, but those 2 are the influencers of our age.

So yes, V30 is definitely underrated. The fact that it also is still hard to find accessories for it here in my own country says quite a bit as well.

 

[Buddy1969]

The V30 is IMHO underrated in respect to being known by customers. Everyone I told, I ordered a V30 looked at me as if I was talking korean to them (pun intended).

To stand up against the marketing machine of Apple or Samsung is no small feat.

Best example is, that Apple still is widely believed to have "invented" the smartphone. That is plain wrong. I used Smartphones with PalmOS (i.e. Treo) and Windows Mobile (i.e. Compaq) long before there was an iPhone. And the Palm Pre phones with the marvellous WebOS got a lot of praise and Prices from critics in their days, but were barely known inside the US and completely unknown outside of the US - and this in a market, where Palm was the synonym for PDA a few years before.

And this is not only a smartphone thing. I seem to have a hand for choosing products that are great, but vanish from the market due to bad marketing.
I was an Amiga fan - what does that tell you (except that I am THAT old )? Gone (mostly)
I loved my Lancia cars. Gone (mostly)
I loved WebOS. Gone (at least in phones and tablets)
I really digged the Nexus phones. Gone

Maybe you should take heed, because I ordered the V30 ...

 

[Morty2264]

Well, one of the points the author makes is the bias of reviewers. E.g., the G6 was the first phone to sport a 18:9 ratio. But if you go to tech sites, that is generally overlooked, with the focus being on Samsung. He also points out that Samsung and Apple get passes for their shortcomings, while LG is treated more harshly by critics. I thought these were good points.

We here know the V30 is good. However, to most consumers, the choice that's made is between Samsung and Apple. Telling someone I had the G6 and V30 typically resulted in looks of confusion. Few really notice LG phones.

I do believe you have a point. In Canada, I feel like I (mostly, because there's always room for error) often see people who have either a Samsung or an Apple device. On the bus, for instance. Or just when I'm out and about. It's rare that I see someone with an LG device, but of course it does happen. In my Church, there are a lot of Motorola users! There's a Z Play, and that user is upgrading to the V30; and his wife is getting the Essential Phone (however, those are more "techy" individuals).

Even when it comes to phone displays in Canada, I've kind of noticed more of a gravitation towards Samsung vs Apple. Bell, however, seems to enjoy showcasing LG with its own little table, etc.

But you're right: bias is everywhere and it happens all the time. Each one of us has our own unique set of biases that we bring to the table; and it is absolutely true with phone reviewers, sales reps, carriers, and individual users.

 

[Morty2264]

The V30 is IMHO underrated in respect to being known by customers. Everyone I told, I ordered a V30 looked at me as if I was talking korean to them (pun intended).

To stand up against the marketing machine of Apple or Samsung is no small feat.

Best example is, that Apple still is widely believed to have "invented" the smartphone. That is plain wrong. I used Smartphones with PalmOS (i.e. Treo) and Windows Mobile (i.e. Compaq) long before there was an iPhone. And the Palm Pre phones with the marvellous WebOS got a lot of praise and Prices from critics in their days, but were barely known inside the US and completely unknown outside of the US - and this in a market, where Palm was the synonym for PDA a few years before.

And this is not only a smartphone thing. I seem to have a hand for choosing products that are great, but vanish from the market due to bad marketing.
I was an Amiga fan - what does that tell you (except that I am THAT old )? Gone (mostly)
I loved my Lancia cars. Gone (mostly)
I loved WebOS. Gone (at least in phones and tablets)
I really digged the Nexus phones. Gone

Maybe you should take heed, because I ordered the V30 ...

This was an awesome post.

Also, I miss Nexus phones too. Hence the Pixel 2 calling my name.

 

[anon(10271520)]

The fact that Unbox Therapy hasn't reviewed the V30, even to this day, says a lot. People look up to YouTubers lately for reviews and sadly the media follows suit. So far only Marques Brownlee of MKBHD has reviewed it but even so, he also brushes off V30 and focus mainly on iPhone, Samsung, OnePlus and the like. I'm only naming 2 massive YouTubers, so don't hate on me, but those 2 are the influencers of our age.

So yes, V30 is definitely underrated. The fact that it also is still hard to find accessories for it here in my own country says quite a bit as well.

Who cares about those other guys when you have Mr Mobile on top of it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YY0PZtfi5k

 

[texn884]

I like mine V20 yes I know your talking about the V30 but since I got my Keyone is killer

I switched back to the Blackberry since the V20 was still on the December security patch 2016 and its almost December 2017, simply fricking amazing

 

[yongkykun]

Who cares about those other guys when you have Mr Mobile on top of it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YY0PZtfi5k

Mr. Mobile is great, but media looks into people with more subscribers.

Mr. Mobile >>> 504K
Unbox Therapy >>> 9,2M
MKBHD >>> 5,4M

So yeah, as long as the major YouTubers don't give V30 the attention it deserves, no one else would, including importers and distributors.