Huge opportunity for LG

[MikeyBugs95]

Funny how some people think that a "big seller" means that that phone will automatically be leaps and bounds better across every spectrum than another phone. Almost as if there's some kind of false correlation...

 

[Mike Dee]

It's the truth. You don't have to accept it. Samsung will have numerous Best Smartphone nods and awards this year and LG won't. There is no reason to think this year will be any different. The Note 8 will be a big seller and the V30 won't.

Entirely different discussion. This conversation is over from my point of view. That's the truth and you don't have to accept it.

 

[Mike Dee]

Don't entertain that guy.

You're so right.

 

[Mike Dee]

Honestly, I think it will do exactly the same as the past models. It seems to be a consistent pattern. Each new LG release had some gimmick to gain market share....be it camera, sound, batteries, swappable parts, and as already proven....the sales remained stagnant or even dropped. I dont see anything different this time around in the marketing, gimmicks, additions, etc. I just dont.

Even the marketing remains the same. Flashy pre-release commercials showing little to nothing about the device, and for those who do their homework, I think already have their minds made up regarding purchase. The only real new audience I could possibly see on this phone would be hardcore audiophiles, but even that is a huge stretch.

I respectively disagree. It wont be the same because they've cloned the more popular silly features that make Iphone and Samsung do well. I don't agree with all of the changes and some them actually suck. Its not going to break any records but it will do incrementally better than the last three releases as long as they spend some money in the right venues.

 

[chriskwarren]

If we are going by sales and revenue alone, the iPhone is clearly the best phone out there.
Samsung vs. Apple in smartphone revenue: CHART - Business Insider

Comparing the Note8/8+ to the V30, I have no doubt that the Samsungs will outsell LG devices. Many consumers equate Samsung with Android in general, and it takes time to establish that kind of brand recognition, and LG has made some serious mistakes in recent years in that regard.

I know that the fingerprint scanner is a complaint by almost every reviewer out there on the recent Samsung flagships. If LG gets the camera right (looks like the hardware is there), I think that most reviewers will say that the V30 is the way to go for a large phone (unless of course the stylus is required).

I'm a large screen phone fan, and the V30 has me looking, and I'm no LG fanboy. This forum is not a place where your typical consumer hangs out. The V30 with the glass build and amoled will have regular consumers looking at it in stores, mark my words. While things like wireless charging and DACs will help here and there, large screen fans will be taking a close look at the V30, and unless reliability becomes an issue again, it could mark the beginning of an increase in market for LG.

 

[EnemiesInTheEnd]

Funny how some people think that a "big seller" means that that phone will automatically be leaps and bounds better across every spectrum than another phone. Almost as if there's some kind of false correlation...

Nobody said automatically. Samsung makes the highest quality Android phones with the best designs and features. That's why they continually win awards. They are highest among Android manufacturers in customer satisfaction too. Their high sales didn't happen by accident.

 

[EnemiesInTheEnd]

If we are going by sales and revenue alone, the iPhone is clearly the best phone out there.
Samsung vs. Apple in smartphone revenue: CHART - Business Insider

Comparing the Note8/8+ to the V30, I have no doubt that the Samsungs will outsell LG devices. Many consumers equate Samsung with Android in general, and it takes time to establish that kind of brand recognition, and LG has made some serious mistakes in recent years in that regard.

I know that the fingerprint scanner is a complaint by almost every reviewer out there on the recent Samsung flagships. If LG gets the camera right (looks like the hardware is there), I think that most reviewers will say that the V30 is the way to go for a large phone (unless of course the stylus is required).

I'm a large screen phone fan, and the V30 has me looking, and I'm no LG fanboy. This forum is not a place where your typical consumer hangs out. The V30 with the glass build and amoled will have regular consumers looking at it in stores, mark my words. While things like wireless charging and DACs will help here and there, large screen fans will be taking a close look at the V30, and unless reliability becomes an issue again, it could mark the beginning of an increase in market for LG.

The fingerprint sensor isn't that important. Samsungs also offer the iris scanner, facial scanner, and smart unlock.

 

[Mike Dee]

If we are going by sales and revenue alone, the iPhone is clearly the best phone out there.
Samsung vs. Apple in smartphone revenue: CHART - Business Insider

Comparing the Note8/8+ to the V30, I have no doubt that the Samsungs will outsell LG devices. Many consumers equate Samsung with Android in general, and it takes time to establish that kind of brand recognition, and LG has made some serious mistakes in recent years in that regard.

I know that the fingerprint scanner is a complaint by almost every reviewer out there on the recent Samsung flagships. If LG gets the camera right (looks like the hardware is there), I think that most reviewers will say that the V30 is the way to go for a large phone (unless of course the stylus is required).

I'm a large screen phone fan, and the V30 has me looking, and I'm no LG fanboy. This forum is not a place where your typical consumer hangs out. The V30 with the glass build and amoled will have regular consumers looking at it in stores, mark my words. While things like wireless charging and DACs will help here and there, large screen fans will be taking a close look at the V30, and unless reliability becomes an issue again, it could mark the beginning of an increase in market for LG.

Well said... The V30 now puts LG on a level playing field as far as feature set. There should be no excuses now for not buying it because it's missing mainstream features and will do some things better in the audio visual department. I really have no reason to upgrade from the V20 but may do so.

 

[EnemiesInTheEnd]

If we are going by sales and revenue alone, the iPhone is clearly the best phone out there.
Samsung vs. Apple in smartphone revenue: CHART - Business Insider

Comparing the Note8/8+ to the V30, I have no doubt that the Samsungs will outsell LG devices. Many consumers equate Samsung with Android in general, and it takes time to establish that kind of brand recognition, and LG has made some serious mistakes in recent years in that regard.

I know that the fingerprint scanner is a complaint by almost every reviewer out there on the recent Samsung flagships. If LG gets the camera right (looks like the hardware is there), I think that most reviewers will say that the V30 is the way to go for a large phone (unless of course the stylus is required).

I'm a large screen phone fan, and the V30 has me looking, and I'm no LG fanboy. This forum is not a place where your typical consumer hangs out. The V30 with the glass build and amoled will have regular consumers looking at it in stores, mark my words. While things like wireless charging and DACs will help here and there, large screen fans will be taking a close look at the V30, and unless reliability becomes an issue again, it could mark the beginning of an increase in market for LG.

It's also not surprising at all that Apple is making so much profit considering how overpriced they are.

 

[jamielov]

Im a buyer, that's already established. But as Ive said, I just dont see anything interesting enough to gain a whole new percentage of users. I can continue to post all the "changes" and ideas LG phones took from other phones in the past few years and show it made no difference, actually it seems LG has struggled as of late, but of course, time will certainly tell.

The last big LG push I recall was the G4. TONS of press, ads, creative marketing using a professional photog....and....no change LG simply doesnt gave the name grab excitement that Samsung or Apple does.

Does that mean the phone is inferior? No way. I love LG. But they have had other, similar "best/golden" opportunities for market share/new users....and history shows it just wasnt to be, and this will probably follow the pattern. Is market share going to increase 25% because LG decides to throw a glass back on it? I thought seemingly its one real advantage was the removeable battery....and now that it is gone, there really isnt that one strong point to differ it. And i dont think enough people care about audio quality from a cell phone to win over a new market segment.

But again... time will tell, and Ill be buying.

 

[Mike Dee]

The glass back is not it... but adding it allows wireless charging and water resistance which some people crave and kept some away due to lack of. Its not going to change their world but it should gain or retain people looking for those features that otherwise look elsewhere. Its just a step in the right direction for them. Me personally..... I don't need wireless charging... I can live without water resistance or an OLED screen. I'd prefer a removable battery but its not a deal breaker. There are very few features that are a must have for me.

 

[jamielov]

Im the same with wireless charging. Just dont need it, its not that much of a hassle to simply plug in the phone. Glass back wont matter...ill have a case. The improved camera (hopefully) coupled with improved DAC got my interest since its now a feature I want and expect. So it will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

 

[chriskwarren]

Glass back gives me wireless charging (I have three wireless chargers, including a phone mount on my dash. These are all fast wireless charging too, that I don't think the LG will support as that's a Samsung thing). It's handy, but I can live without it as usb-c makes charging by cable a bit less of a hassle.

If you want a widespread commercial success, you need to take your head out of threads like these and think of the regular consumer. To reel in the regular consumer, you need:

1. Marketing (brand recognition...this can be TV, bus/transit ads). More on this below, but you at least need to get some presence in general in this area.

2. Recommendation from store employees: people walk into a store with an idea of what they want. If store employees are likely to say 'have you seen this v30...etc' then you will get initial sales going, and this of course will help with word of mouth recommendations later on (as long as there are no widespread technical issues with the original batch).

3. Quality feel in the hands and ergonomics: you get the phone in the hands of people in the carrier store, and if it feels of good quality and is not awkward to use as they compare it to the feel and ergonomics of comparable devices they will be more likely to walk out with the V30. Folks walking in the store will be holding the V30, Galaxy S8+ and Note 8, and will go with what they feel is the best phone. Plastic and rubber does not help here, despite how folks like us appreciate the features (ie. battery) that the rubber and plastic provides. It does not matter if the very next thing they do is buy a case for the phone...its feel in the hand that sells, and this is something that Steve Jobs understood too. Samsung's fingerprint scanner will hurt them here, as that facial and retina scanner is not great to use and is finicky.

4. Price: don't want to me putting these on for $0 on a contract right away, but they need to sell for slightly less than the S8+, the Note 8, and even the iPhone plus range. Make people feel they are getting premium for a bit of a deal. I looked at the Note 8 and saw that my carrier wants $550cdn for it on a 2 year contract. That makes the $189cdn that the V series typically goes for when new look a lot better.

This is what generally will make the phone successful. Plant the seeds with marketing, and then have a device that will sell itself in-store and make the salesperson's job easier. Fancy stuff like DACs, wireless charging, secondary screen or removable batteries not as important as we on these forums think. Sorry. The biggest reason to get us on board would be that we would be the techie people that our less techy people will ask about on Facebook, etc.

If you want to sell on advanced features, then you have to get more creative and I don't think LG has it in them, from what I have seen. Where do people sit and listen to music, read the news, etc? While using transit, etc. Show off the audio chops of the V30 on bus and transit ads. Most consumers don't really care about audio though, until they have actually tried an upgraded device. LG could even have a set of headphones connected to a Samsung and LG V30 in-store for people to compare, and make them want an audio upgrade. The biggest audio issue store buyers will have is how to transfer their music from one device to another, not audio quality...unless you have them compare it in store.

Water resistance? You need ads that show this off (again, bus shelters, etc). Or have a phone in-store partly immersed in water (not going to happen).

Wireless charging? You need a display in-store that shows this off, and then provide a free wireless charger with the device.

These features that we argue about and proclaim that as 'must haves' will only get you so far. The camera is the tricky one...consumers will ask the salespeople 'which one has the best camera' or will say 'is the camera any good' and the LG needs to compete...if the salesperson says "the V30 has the best camera right now or is as good as xyz" then that helps.

I get so frustrated by LGs and HTCs marketing. Apple and Samsung do a better job here for sure, but the V30 has an opportunity here to gain some ground as long as they do well with points 2, 3, and 4 that I mentioned above..hiring artsy celebrities to create abstract advertisements is not the way to go as they are more interested in showing off their directorial chops than showing off devices to the masses.

 

[Mike Dee]

With regard to number 2

Sales people will sell the products that have behind the scenes incentives, high commissions, what's in high inventory that management tells them to sell or in some cases go for the easy sale.

 

[eshropshire]

I dunno. I have had The Note 1, Note 2, S4, S5, S6, and I am using the S7 now. I took a break with the G4 (and it bootlooped lol). I was going to get the Note 7, but never even got the chance.

I use the fingerprint scanner many times a day and that horrible placement on the S8 series might make me move away this generation of Samsung. The curved screens not a plus for me either, but the V30 might go the same route. I really like amoled, and this is something that LG has addressed for me.

I did use the S pen when I had it maybe once a week or two.

I'm curious...maybe I'm missing something, but what makes the Note 8 a better device than the V30? Ergonomics can't be dismissed, and the ergonomics of the Note 8 fingerprint scanner have been panned by most reviewers.

Unless you want a stylus, I am curious why you have the Note8 beating the V30 for people who want a big screen, good camera, and is easy to use ergonomically?

No one knows until the V30 is announced. Then again I don't get into this phone is best. I believe phones can be better for a person, but better overall is too subjective.

 

[eshropshire]

I agree the V30 looks great. But why will it do better than the V20 that should have been a big seller with the death of the Note 7.

Also, the only disappointment I hear is from the same crowd that expects a revolutionary smartphone in the age of evolution. The S8 had tons of posts about how disappointing the S8 and S8+ was. In fact, I can't remember a phone released in the last years that did not have a lot of negative comments.

 

[jamielov]

I agree the V30 looks great. But why will it do better than the V20 that should have been a big seller with the death of the Note 7.

This is where i 100% agree with you, and what I was trying to say with my initial post in this thread. LG is doing nothing different this time around than the last 6+ releases, and the competitive market is also no different (some phones with better/different features, some with worse)...so why anyone would expect anything different is beyond me. They are literally doing the same exact thing, right down to the teaser commercials and Joseph Gordon Levitt (?) Ads

 

[RaRa85]

This is where i 100% agree with you, and what I was trying to say with my initial post in this thread. LG is doing nothing different this time around than the last 6+ releases, and the competitive market is also no different (some phones with better/different features, some with worse)...so why anyone would expect anything different is beyond me. They are literally doing the same exact thing, right down to the teaser commercials and Joseph Gordon Levitt (?) Ads

But they are eliminating some of the missing things that they didn't have before. That IS different. For instance the G6 launched with the 821 and people were complaining that it wasn't future proof or behind in specs. The V30 is the first device that on paper matches up with the competition. No other LG device did. They were all missing something. You want water resistance? Got it. OLED screen? Got it. Wireless charging? Got it. New and promising camera set up? Got it. And on top of the "normal things" it has all the extra features. It was either one way or the other with previous devices. And it goes without saying that I started this thread because I am a huge fan of LG and not because I'm a Samsung hater. Like I said I'll come in contact with a Samsung device of my own in the future. This is a thread for hopefuls and I'm hoping that LG will get a seat closer to top spot. I don't think anyone here thinks the V30 is gonna outsell the Note 8. But I think it should do considerably better than any previous flagship.

 

[jamielov]

And trust me, as I said, im def a buyer, but LG already had me. We seem to be a much smaller, but loyal, group

 

[Guyinbox]

Samsung needs to get their software game together. The v20 runs circles around the s7 with the same hardware. I haven't gotten to use the s8 personally, but I've seen plenty of people say that I'm lags/locks up from time to time. LG has an ugly ui, but at least it's fast.

I'm also not a fan of Samsung building apps like bixby instead of just relying on the superior Google assistant like LG. I was happy as hell to finally be able to use the ok Google command with the screen off on the v20.

As far as reliability, i did three warranty exchanges on s7 edges between two lines (two for pink lines on The display, one stopped vibrating.) I would love to see some actual data on failure rates between manufacturers after one or two years. I bet they're all pretty similar.