New V30 - initial impressions

[neil74]

I picked up a V30 yesterday to replace the OP5t as my android handset. I had my eye on the V30 from when it was first announced as the form factor looked to spot on but was put off with the screen issues. I was happy with the OP but a few niggles coupled with really missing wireless charging and an always on display prompted me to give the V30 a try.



Observations so far:



Feels really light and I’m not sure if I like this or not.



The blue shift is there and I am noticing it. Not sure if it is because I was aware and looking for it but I do see it on apps with a white background (i.e. email or messages). The OP5t screen is lower res but IMO is actually better. Maybe I have an older build device? Not sure if this is typical as I have seen Pixel 2 XLs with massively different shifts so it may be worth a support ticket to LG?



Not noticed the black crushing yet but have not really been looking for it. Brightness on auto



Face unlock is an odd one…. with the standard setup you still have to wake the phone to use it and the best way to wake the phone is to press the power button. This seems logical until you realise the power button is also the FPS so it begs the question if you have to press the FPS to activate face unlock, why bother? I have changed this now to work when the screen is off and it is ok but nowhere near as quick as the OP5ts face unlock. I am actually thinking of switching this off anyway as FPS is just quicker and more secure.



Raise to wake would be nice, I really like this on the iPhone and OP. I do prefer the always on display so would not trade, having both would be nice though!



Audio (headphones) is excellent



Standby battery performance is decent. I remember the G6 being iPhone esque on standby and the V30 feels the same so far



More bloat than the oneplus, less bloat than a Samsung but it seems that since I had the G6 that package disabler apps have stopped working?? May have to look into disabling via adb as there is some stuff on there I’d like to lose



Nova launcher mitigates most of the ugliness of the LG skin but it cannot do anything about the settings menu which is IMO horrible and a little laggy, the dreaded LG app switcher lag is also still there, albeit slightly better than the G6 (probably due to the newer processor)



Performance is otherwise fine, feels faster than an S8 but slower than the OP5t and P2. Getting a working package disabler may help with this





Overall as you can probably tell I am not 100% sold on it but as car phone warehouse returns policy is not great I will persevere. I do prefer the performance and speed on the OP5t but the V30 feels a better overall device and as I am done with Samsung it is other than the pixels probably the best android device currently available even if it is definitely flawed.

 

[jasonandrews25788]

I agree with 99% of your opinions.

 

[flyingkytez]

I picked up a V30 yesterday to replace the OP5t as my android handset. I had my eye on the V30 from when it was first announced as the form factor looked to spot on but was put off with the screen issues. I was happy with the OP but a few niggles coupled with really missing wireless charging and an always on display prompted me to give the V30 a try.



Observations so far:



Feels really light and I’m not sure if I like this or not.



The blue shift is there and I am noticing it. Not sure if it is because I was aware and looking for it but I do see it on apps with a white background (i.e. email or messages). The OP5t screen is lower res but IMO is actually better. Maybe I have an older build device? Not sure if this is typical as I have seen Pixel 2 XLs with massively different shifts so it may be worth a support ticket to LG?



Not noticed the black crushing yet but have not really been looking for it. Brightness on auto



Face unlock is an odd one…. with the standard setup you still have to wake the phone to use it and the best way to wake the phone is to press the power button. This seems logical until you realise the power button is also the FPS so it begs the question if you have to press the FPS to activate face unlock, why bother? I have changed this now to work when the screen is off and it is ok but nowhere near as quick as the OP5ts face unlock. I am actually thinking of switching this off anyway as FPS is just quicker and more secure.



Raise to wake would be nice, I really like this on the iPhone and OP. I do prefer the always on display so would not trade, having both would be nice though!



Audio (headphones) is excellent



Standby battery performance is decent. I remember the G6 being iPhone esque on standby and the V30 feels the same so far



More bloat than the oneplus, less bloat than a Samsung but it seems that since I had the G6 that package disabler apps have stopped working?? May have to look into disabling via adb as there is some stuff on there I’d like to lose



Nova launcher mitigates most of the ugliness of the LG skin but it cannot do anything about the settings menu which is IMO horrible and a little laggy, the dreaded LG app switcher lag is also still there, albeit slightly better than the G6 (probably due to the newer processor)



Performance is otherwise fine, feels faster than an S8 but slower than the OP5t and P2. Getting a working package disabler may help with this





Overall as you can probably tell I am not 100% sold on it but as car phone warehouse returns policy is not great I will persevere. I do prefer the performance and speed on the OP5t but the V30 feels a better overall device and as I am done with Samsung it is other than the pixels probably the best android device currently available even if it is definitely flawed.

V30 = better hardware (wide angle cameras, F1.6 lens, quad DAC), more features

OP5t = closer to stock Android experience. Crazy amount of RAM (unnecessary?), no microSD slot, very few features except for the dual low-light camera

 

[jeetu4444]

V30 = better hardware (wide angle cameras, F1.6 lens, quad DAC), more features

OP5t = closer to stock Android experience. Crazy amount of RAM (unnecessary?), no microSD slot, very few features except for the dual low-light camera

Main diff also wireless charging and water resistant

 

[torbach1]

The only thing that really bothers me about the V30 is how light it is. Really makes it feel cheap even though the materials are first rate.

 

[evlarberryman]

So much of what is said here is in the eye of the beholder. what matters to me is battery life, ruggedness, water resistance, wireless charging, button... yes a real button on the front or back. form factor and feel in the hand. the LG V30 beats its android competitors (except the S8 Active variant) in all of these aspects. I was not a fan of LG until this phone changed my opinion.

 

[Mike Dee]

So much of what is said here is in the eye of the beholder. what matters to me is battery life, ruggedness, water resistance, wireless charging, button... yes a real button on the front or back. form factor and feel in the hand. the LG V30 beats its android competitors (except the S8 Active variant) in all of these aspects. I was not a fan of LG until this phone changed my opinion.

It's a glass back which is OK but it takes away it's ruggedness.

 

[flyingkytez]

The only thing that really bothers me about the V30 is how light it is. Really makes it feel cheap even though the materials are first rate.

It was designed to be slim and lightweight, all flagships are aiming for that. A thick case will help add grip and extra weight. I had a Galaxy S7 Active and really hated how thick it was, especially with an additional case on it it was bulging out of my pocket.

 

[torbach1]

It was designed to be slim and lightweight, all flagships are aiming for that. A thick case will help add grip and extra weight. I had a Galaxy S7 Active and really hated how thick it was, especially with an additional case on it it was bulging out of my pocket.

I know, and I understand that intuitively, but that doesn't change how it feels to me. For whatever reason, my brain associates quality with some undefined weight, and the V30 hasn't got that weight. It's me, not the phone. But I'm far from the only person who has mentioned this issue. Many reviewers on YouTube have said the same thing.

 

[shadokat_ph]

The only thing that really bothers me about the V30 is how light it is. Really makes it feel cheap even though the materials are first rate.

It feels cheap to you because it's light? I've had one for about a week now and feel the opposite. I love how slim and light it is. It feels very luxurious to me. So far I love the phone. I took advantage of the free phone with upgrade and added line Christmas special at T-Mobile. My boyfriend needed a new phone and to get away from crappy straight talk. I stepped up from a G6 which I also loved.

 

[Rumblee1]

The only thing that really bothers me about the V30 is how light it is. Really makes it feel cheap even though the materials are first rate.

If you read the many great pro reviews on this device, you would see that the lightness of the phone is a huge plus. I love it. Very ergonomically built. I had the V10 when it launched, but gave it up because it was like carrying a small Sherman tank in your pocket. LG did it right this time. They gave us a top tier smartphone that's not only beautiful and ergonomically great, but it's loaded.

 

[al23]

The only thing that really bothers me about the V30 is how light it is. Really makes it feel cheap even though the materials are first rate.

It's not just you. I noticed this too when I had the phone. But I realize this is supposed to be a good thing. I adapted to the weight. How many phones were dinged for the opposite? That seems to me a more serious concern. It bugged me when You Tube reviewers dinged it for being "too light." Even when LG does something good, they cannot catch a break.

 

[torbach1]

It's not just you. I noticed this too when I had the phone. But I realize this is supposed to be a good thing. I adapted to the weight. How many phones were dinged for the opposite? That seems to me a more serious concern. It bugged me when You Tube reviewers dinged it for being "too light." Even when LG does something good, they cannot catch a break.

I agree. I don't even know why it bugs me, and it is an extremely subjective thing. Some people love that the phone is light, while others like me complain about it. I like the heft of the Note 8, others feel it's too heavy. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer, but I do agree with you that LG deserves a break, and essentially, they did a terrific job with the V30. My criticism of it being too light is MY problem, not theirs.