LG V30 or Pixel 2 XL?

[ashgtz91]

Re:

Just my 2 cents. Played with the pixel 2 and pixel 2 xl at the verizon store for about 45 min before i decided on the v30(at&T). Had the v30 for 1 week. Went back to the verizon store today to campare the 3 phones side by side cause I was bored..lol. Both pixels have a better camera at least in auto mode although not by much.. Both pixel models had better speakers than the v30. Of course the pixels will get updates sooner. Interface (GUI) was better on google phones but put a custom launcher on and that problem is solved. Screen on xl was not good at all. Colors were faded and muted no matter what setting i put it on. Regular pixel had a berrter screen IMO. V30 looks better than both pixels. Screen is much better on v30 (No banding or fading on my v30 at all)....screen is perfect. No micro sd card support on pixel 2's. No wireless charging or hi fi dac on pixels. Glad i got the v30 over the pixel models...If u want better speakers and a slightly better auto mode camera than i suggest you get regual pixel 2 over the XL. Its all depends on what feature you look for in a phone. My advice is to go to your local store and try them both and see which one you like the best. . Forgot to mention the wide angle lens of the v30 is the bee's knees.

Regarding camera I'm not going to mess with anything I'm going to be leaving it on auto when I do use it. I seen the screen on the Pixels and those round corners were bothering me. Speakers, I just listen to music when I'm going to sleep and an occasional phone review and I rarely bring out the headphones.

 

[LeoRex]

Re:

Regarding camera I'm not going to mess with anything I'm going to be leaving it on auto when I do use it. I seen the screen on the Pixels and those round corners were bothering me. Speakers, I just listen to music when I'm going to sleep and an occasional phone review and I rarely bring out the headphones.

The V30 has the same rounded corners... It's over if the things LG uses to improve durability. You get used to it really quickly and it's a non issue.

The camera, in terms of a point and shoot camera, nothing is going to touch the Pixel 2 until the Pixel 3 is released... Yes the V30 has manual controls, but those manual controls are just an app download away. There's no wide angle camera in the P2, and that thing is slick, but it all depends on your usage. I would much rather have a single camera that's better across all scenarios that a dual.

The V30's display is more vibrant, at least now, Google is going to up the saturation on their displays shortly. And I also have a sneaking suspicion that LG used better QC for their own phone...

You can't go wrong with either phone. It all depends on the secondary features. The Pixel will take better pictures and video (V30 will record better audio though). The V30 has the best wired audio in the game, but you'll need high quality headphones to really hear a difference. But if you DO have HQ cans, it's a HUGE difference.

I'm deciding this myself. I have a V30 in hand and deciding whether to return it and get a P2XL. I'm leaning towards the Pixel at the moment based on the camera... Not all that impressed with the V30's at the moment... Takes too much fussing to get a shot that's as good as what my first gen XL can get just opening the app and talking a pic. But it's still a great phone and I'll take another week to decide.

 

[theragtopman]

Ugh, I'm still struggling with this decision and I've had my V30 for 10 days now!

Previously, I had the Pixel XL since it came out last year and it is simply the best phone I've ever owned. It has buttery smooth performance and an amazing camera, with the big drawback being it's boring brick like design and huge bezels. I had just assumed all year my next phone would be the Pixel 2 XL, but then LG had to go and drop the V30 on us and I knew after reading all the early reviews after IFA that I was going to like it.

As soon as it finally made it to the local Verizon store I went in to see one and I was instantly smitten with it. IMO, the V30 has the best hardware of any phone made to date! The slim bezels, the glass and metal build, the weight, the dual cameras, the waterproofing, the wireless charging, the headphone jack - it's amazing how much they packed into a phone that fits and feels so well in hand!

I decided to wait until the Pixel 2 XL hit the stores and after trying it out it only confirmed how much I prefer the hardware of the V30. The Pixel 2 XL is barely an improvement over last years model in that it is till a big boring design with way too big of bezels for a current flagship phone. But darn if Google didn't continue and even enhance the buttery smooth operation and the camera even further!

I'm still torn because I still really like the hardware and customization options of my V30. I'm still smitten with how it looks and feels in the hand and I have had a ton of fun customizing it with various themes and launchers and apps and such. But the camera is a huge disappointment given it's specs. My year old Pixel XL takes noticeably better pictures in all situations, at least in auto mode. I have been able to get better pics out of the V30 when using manual mode, but still not to the quality of the pics out of my Pixel XL, darn it. Conversely, the wide angle camera on the V30 has been fun to use and obviously offers some unique shots you simply can't get out of the Pixel (or any other phone for that matter). The other thing that has frustrated me with the V30 is the stuttering and lagginess when scrolling timelines or long web pages. It's visibly noticeable and frequently distracting, darn it. My year old Pixel never had that problem and every app and webpage scrolls smoothly. I've even tried tweaking some of the developer options as recommended here, but nothing seems to help. As some folks mention, it must be something with how LG is throttling the CPU to save battery. And it's not unique to the V30 as my girlfriend's S8 does the same thing. It just shows how good Google is at optimizing the software of their phones. And camera.

So, that's pretty much what it has come down to for me. Do I stay with all the amazing hardware features and great feel of the V30, while living with a less than stellar camera and some distracting lags when using apps? Or do I switch to a phone that is buttery smooth and produces phenomenal photos with no effort, but looks and feels like large brick in hand? I've only got a few days left to return my V30, so we'll see... It's too bad Google didn't work with LG to put their software and camera into the V30 body - that would hands down be the best phone on the market!

 

[neil74]

It's too bad Google didn't work with LG to put their software and camera into the V30 body - that would hands down be the best phone on the market!

^^This. As it is I find it hard to justify the V30 over the S8+. Both are slow update culprits and imo the S8+ is still the nicer hardware.

However, the V30 is close enough and the stock pixel experience with that hardware would have been great. The current p2 xl is IMO odd looking, the bezels are kind of half and half and don’t look right I think I actually prefer the look of the larger top/bottom bezels on the smaller p2.

 

[theragtopman]

BTW, I forgot to mention price in my little novella above. At Verizon, the Pixel 2 XL is $850 with no incentives, while the V30 is $840, with a $200 VISA card and a free Google Daydream headset. I put $200 down on my V30 and will use the VISA card to pay that back, effectively making the V30 only $640 with a free headset. At $840, I'm not sure the V30 is competitive with the Pixels or the Galaxys, but at $640 it's a bargain!

 

[ashgtz91]

ok guys I've decided my decision is going to come down to the camera.
I'm mostly likely to leave it on auto.
so V30 or one of the Pixels?

 

[MA2GA28]

ok guys I've decided my decision is going to come down to the camera.
I'm mostly likely to leave it on auto.
so V30 or one of the Pixels?

Pixel 2 if that's the case. 2 XL if you can live with the screen issues.

 

[bembol]

Not that I care about the Camera but since OP is boiling it down to it, I would still go with LG because of the wide angle or range, can't remember.

IMO the price doesn't justify it. I made that mistake with the first Pixel XL, price them similar and I can say I would pick Google. They have done enough, I like the Design more and love the Dual Speakers.

The deal I got for the V30 is great.

 

[Steve Tyburski1]

ok guys I've decided my decision is going to come down to the camera.
I'm mostly likely to leave it on auto.
so V30 or one of the Pixels?

Pixels have a slighty better camera in auto mode. V30 has the wide angle lens which at first i didnt think i would use that much but as it turns out I was wrong. Its awsome. After having it I wouldn't buy another phone with out one.

 

[xxaarraa1983]

ok guys I've decided my decision is going to come down to the camera.
I'm mostly likely to leave it on auto.
so V30 or one of the Pixels?

You should take a peek at the detailed Pixel 2 versus V30 camera review and photos I have been posting on the Pixel 2 photo thread.

Bottom line: V30 is a way better overall phone than the Pixel and when using the ported google camera app on the V30, the edge the Pixel has on the main lens is gone and V30 shines.

https://forums.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?t=841560&p=6042955&viewfull=1#post6042955

https://forums.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?t=841560&p=6042587&viewfull=1#post6042587

 

[NationalTrust]

Please explain the "ported google camera app". I don't see it on Google Play. How do you get it? Is this like other camera apps that you can selectively use, or does it become fixed? Thanks

 

[xxaarraa1983]

It's just another app. The pixels camera app and it's underlying hdr+ processing was ported to all devices running Snapdragon 820/821/835. Lookup "b-s-g gcam port" and the version you want for the v30 is 4.4.012. It's not on play store and is the unofficial work of developers (clearly, since why would Google give away it's software processing advantage?)

 

[LeoRex]

Please explain the "ported google camera app". I don't see it on Google Play. How do you get it? Is this like other camera apps that you can selectively use, or does it become fixed? Thanks

What he said... A Dev basically opened up the Google Camera app and got it to work on any phone that has the hardware to support it. Early on it was buggy, but the later versions work much better. There might be some color balance issues on some cameras though, remember that the app is coded to work with a very limited set of phones (Nexus and Pixels), so it sometimes runs into little issues.

It did miracles with the G6 though. I'd have to play with it more on the V30.

 

[xxaarraa1983]

What he said... A Dev basically opened up the Google Camera app and got it to work on any phone that has the hardware to support it. Early on it was buggy, but the later versions work much better. There might be some color balance issues on some cameras though, remember that the app is coded to work with a very limited set of phones (Nexus and Pixels), so it sometimes runs into little issues.

It did miracles with the G6 though. I'd have to play with it more on the V30.

Works great on the v30. The newest versions of the port are very complicated to configure and needlessly overdone in my opinion. 4.4.012 or even a couple of versions before that work great.

Check the pics I posted in the links above, the v30 does great with that app. Nearly indistinguishable from the pixel photos and that's high praise for any full auto photos.

 

[NationalTrust]

So once I get this installed, it's just another camera app that I can use or not, otherwise I could use the stock camera app?

 

[LeoRex]

It functions no different than any other third party camera.

There are a few newer versions that have simplified things a bunch. It's based in the new 5.1 camera.

 

[NationalTrust]

It functions no different than any other third party camera.

There are a few newer versions that have simplified things a bunch. It's based in the new 5.1 camera.

Thanks. One more question. When a newer version comes out will it automatically update, or do you have to download again?

 

[LeoRex]

Thanks. One more question. When a newer version comes out will it automatically update, or do you have to download again?

It's all on you. You'll have to keep an eye on where you got the apk for any updates.

Minor inconvenience to be honest.

 

[ashgtz91]

I know I said I was going with the V30 but I've been with an LG for the last 10 years or so.
Should I stay LG or go Google?
This sucks I still don't know which one to get.

 

[jeffloan]

re:

I had the xl2 and returned it as it had terrible blue tint. I've got the v30 now but debating switching back to the xl2. Will say the battery on the v30 is amazing and better than the Pixel, at least for how I use it. I've been using a nexus or the first pixel for the last three years, so the move away from stock android is definitely taking some adjustment

Why are you thinking about going back to 2xl. I'm thinking of ditching it for v30. The black crush is horrible.