Welcome to my review of the LG V30+. The review includes a camera showcase plus 32 reasons why this is currently the best phone in 2018!
And just in case you missed anything, here are the 32 reasons. The video includes additional commentary, screen shots and the camera showcase.
1. V30+ has lots of storage 128gb. Great for keeping apps and games in internal storage. Longevity as games and apps get bigger.
2. Dual hybrid sim so either another sim or micro sd card. Flexible options without huge extra costs.
3. Top processor snapdragon 835 and 4gb ram. Snappy device.
4. Hardware. Gorgeous. Glass back using gorilla glass 5 in an aluminium frame.
5. IP68 dust and water resistance plus up to 1.5metres for 30 mins Plus MIL-STD-810G complaint. A lot of phones have IP68 but aren’t MIL-STG-810G.
6. 6 inch OLED screen at 18:9. Great for content and usage with easy grip 7.54cm wide. Not missing a cutout like iPhone X and screen colour profiles and with custom colour profile option.
7. Dolby vision and hdr 10 complaint.
8. Always on display that shows you what you need at a glance without impacting battery. Fully customisable.
9. Not heavy at 158g. Considerably less than some flagship phones.
10. Cameras dual 16mp f/1.6 and 13mp ultra wide f/1.9 , 5mp front. 16mp more detail than 12mp flagships.
11. HDR video, manual video, cine video, lut recording profile, graphy, 192kHz stereo sound, iPhone X still mono !
12. Manual photo and huge options and modes well ahead of other phones. Special mode for Instagram photos. Ultra wide lens is amazing. Even use it for selfies.
13. If you miss the Google Pixel camera, a dedicated port for the V30 normal and wide lens is available. Best of both worlds.
14. Not only does it have a headphone jack, it’s fitted with a Quad Dac. No need to worry about have I got my adapter or have I charged my Bluetooth headphones. MQA streaming support included.
15. But if you use Bluetooth, you have aptx, aptx hd and LDAC is coming next. iPhone X doesn’t have the basic aptx. MQA streaming support included.
16. Audio is 32 bit, 192kHz, b & o certified , audio recording is 24bit/48khz
17. Active noise cancellations with dedicated mic too.
18. Comes not only with headphones in box, but B & O Headphones, some of the best in the box headphones.
19. Decent mono speaker despite IP68.
20. FM radio included with RDS.
21. Fingerprint on rear which is reachable without any strange moves eg Note 8.
22. Sensors include fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compasss, barometer, and colour spectrum for camera.
23. Battery is great, gets you thru a heavy day despite QHD display, but can adjust display to 1080 or 720p.
24. Quick charge 3 with correct plug in box to do this and also has Qi wireless charging.
25. Handy knock on or knock off. Just a useful feature.
26. Floating bar gives access to shortcuts, screen capture with options like gif, music player and quick contacts. Customisable and position change. Again all mod cons to make using phone a lovely experience.
27. Uses the modern usb type c plug.
28. LG Home + has lots of themes now.
29. Fluid experience and Google apps, hardware and services work well with the phone. As well as Google Assistant voice control when phone is locked too. A lot of phones don’t have Google Assistant when locked
30. The home touch buttons can be customised and position changed plus you can hide them in whichever apps you like, or even show them. LG adds an extra menu item for app scaling or game control as applicable.
31. Games tools. Game graphics, screen resolution, break time (reduces brightness and performance when you leave game running for more than 5 mins, screenshot)
32. I said so 😉
Conclusion
The LG V30+ is a competent workhorse, yet in a beautiful body with all the requirements needed for a modern phone, with nothing missing from a hardware perspective.
Useful Links
Gavin's Gadgets & Photography 
This is such a vastly underrated phone, I have the lesser storage V30 and would entirely agree with everything you’ve said. The price for the V30+ on Eglobalcentral is insane right now, just £475.99 for some colours!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Even your standard V30 is a great phone. Can’t see myself charging this phone for a while either.
LikeLike
Which would you pick based on performance and price
Mate 10 pro. V10 or one plus 5t
LikeLike
Mate 10 Pro is the best option unless you meant V30 instead of V10, then it’s V30.
LikeLike
Can i ask if you found any difference in the audio quality (SQ) between the new V30 and the previous V20
Thanks
LikeLike
Not much. The V30 has the digital filters and MQA streaming support. Not worth changing the V20 just for audio alone.
LikeLike
Thanks for the review.
Happy to see you are writing again.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Cheers 👍
LikeLike
Isn’t this really LG’s version of the pixel 2? Looks remarkably similar, but better
LikeLiked by 1 person
In some ways.
LikeLike
Thinking of getting a V30+. A couple of quick questions – would it get OS updates (Oreo, obviously) in the same way as a UK phone and, as the phone is effectively an import, does the FM radio and RDS work fully in the same way a UK model would?
Thanks
LikeLike
Hi Keith. I would think so. I got an OTA update a few weeks ago. And FM radio works fine with RDS. I,m very happy with my V30+.
LikeLike
Thanks for that Gavin. Got a V30+ on the way now!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just seen that the ordinary V30 UK version at mobiles. Co.uk has come down a lot in price on contract. Cheapest total contract price is £626 which is lower than their simfree price.
LikeLike
I think it is £599 SIM free at Carphone Warehouse. The UK version is identical, just has 64gb storage instead of 128gb. (might be single SIM too)
LikeLike
Hey Gavin,
Great review. Always love when you appear on the Phones Show Chat with Steve and Ted. You are so verse with mobile tech. Such a treat.
I currently have a Samsung S7 edge. My only complaints are the 32gb internal storage, Not being able to put on a proper screen protector. I have thought to upgrade to an S8+ or Note 8 but can’t justify the cost, screen protector not being able to stay on because of the phone case as on the S7 edge and battery life on the Note 8. Before the S7 edge, I had the LG V10 and got the terrible boot loop problem that forced me to get the S7 edge so I am very reluctant to purchase another LG phone and my concern is the possible redress if something were to go wrong if I got the LG V30 as it seems Samsung is better at updates and communication.
Could you please indulge my musing my helping me through this. Should I take the change with the V30? Am I making this into a phone drama?
Shane
LikeLike
Thanks Shane. The S7E is a good phone. I don’t use screen protectors anymore. You would hope LG have fixed the issue with the boot loop. If you got it at Carphone Warehouse at least they would be responsible for the warranty. Personally, if you can wait until April, I would as there are nice new phones coming out that’s going to make the V30 and others cheaper.
LikeLike
Hey Gavin,
Thank you for the speedy response. Reality is I live in Jamaica. I import phones. I really don’t trust the gorilla glass on modern phones. They are very delicate. I saw it the other day with my wife’s Iphone X and she had to get it replaced.
All the things you spoke to in your video was spot on. I don’t understand why LG can’t get a fair shake in the phone space. It is so affair.
I am also concerned about phone prices. I don’t have the strength of cash or access to new phones like yourself and other phone reviewers so I have to be more conservative. You advocate for great and for what the average consumer should get which is bang for buck. I really appreciate your candor. Now I put this question to you Gavin, as honest as you can give me, please. Note 8 or S8+ or LG V30?
Thank Gavin,
Shane
LikeLike
V30. I have had the others so being impartial. One aspect of the Note and S8 is the camera shutter is faster. Other than that. V30 all the way.
LikeLike
Hey Gavin,
Do you pair your LG V30 with a smart watch? If not, what would you recommend anyway as a great smart watch to invest in?
LikeLike
Huawei Watch 2 classic is what I use
LikeLike
Just one other thing. The Huawei Watch 2 Classic isn’t a great watch. It’s good and the only android wear watch with android pay on it. Samsung Gear S3 range is good , sadly the Apple Watch is the best, but no good unless you have an iPhone.
LikeLike
Hey Gavin,
Hope you and family are well. As you are aware, MWC is around the corner I have heard that there is a 256gb variant of the LG V30 plus. Do you think that this variant is a reality and if so, would you recommend waiting for this variant?
Thank you,
Shane
LikeLike
If you can wait a week or so it’s worth waiting to see what else also comes out.
LikeLike
Hey Gavin,
Hope you and family are well. Now that the cats are out of the bags, what do you think about the Samsung S9 and S9+? Am I the only one that feels underwhelmed? I am trying to like the phone but just don’t think that what Samsung is offering this year is warranting a purchase.
LG V30s + AI capabilities is something else. What do you think? The argument is that the additional things being offered will be provided in software to the current LG V30. So, do I still go for the LG V30+ or just wait until the V30s is available? Which do you think is better, S9, S9+, LG V30s +?
Thanks
Shane
LikeLike
Hi Shane. The S9/S9+ are good phones in reality, but if you have a S8 its not worth upgrading. The camera on the S9 is still an unknown in terms of quality versus other phones, and super slow motion will need very good lighting. Samsung scored a coup getting Disney onboard for the AR emojis. The V30s software features are coming to the V30+.
So it boils down to whether you want the latest and greatest, or opt for a slightly older phone, that still does everything and saves you money as well.
Also, there is still Sony to go today and in March Huawei launch their venom. The Nokia announcement was good too, but the big news with Nokia is the Zeiss partnership and that the Pure View Camera app returns as well. Watch this space, Nokia has something up its sleeve for later on!
LikeLike