LG V30 initial thoughts

[gmarkj]

So after much deliberation (and consideration of my bank balance) I chose the LG V30 as my next device.

Reasons for this:

• Cost - I don't have a lump sum to put down up front, nor do I want to increase my monthly outgoings. The V30 (and the contract it is on) was £1 upfront and £27 PM.
• Android skin/launcher - having just spent 2 years with the LG G4 I like some of the features that LG build in to their skin (knock on to sleep/wake, app drawer, dual app running). I realise that some or all of these are available either in Android without a skin or using another launcher but I am happy with LGs version. I have not had a vanilla Android device so cannot compare.
• Phone features - I am not great at managing storage (either app, media or junk) so I was looking for a device with plenty of room (64Gb) with the option for expanision (storage card slot). Being a somewhat clumsy person I also liked the option of waterproofing, but this phone also comes with an MIL standard attached (see details on link - here) which means it should last if I drop it. I don't have a bluetooth stereo in my car, so I wanted a phone with a headphone jack where possible (I listen to lots of podcasts while driving) and there are few dual charge/jack cables. It needed to have at least a FHD screen (1920x1080) while I would like a higher res if possible. I also want to be able to take decent photos but am no expert at playing with settings (like some on here) so reasonable camera and auto settings.

There are other aspects that are handy (wireless charging as standard, OLED screen, USB-C) that are nice but would not have been deal-breakers. I also would have liked the option of dual sim, but again not having it is not an issue.

So, I ordered the phone on Sunday afternoon, and got several texts/emails through the rest of the day advising what was happening (going through credit checks, processing, despatching) which kept me up to speed.

Eventually I got a message saying it would be delivered on Monday. Monday morning I got the message it was out for delivery and should be with me between 3 and 4pm. Typically I was at work and my wife picking up my daughter when DPD tried to deliver.

Fear not, I had a message saying they had missed me and would try again tomorrow but I could collect that evening if I wanted (which I did as my wife would be at work!). So a little before 8pm (26 hours after ordering) I had my new phone. Good service so far!

The phone is packaged in a black box with a silver V30 on the front (below) which looks nice but doesn't do justice to the phone inside.

When you take the top off you see the cloth that is part of the package you get. Not had one included with a phone before, so thought it was a nice touch. More so when you realise how much of a fingerprint magnet the back is!

Taking the cloth of you see the phone itself (I've removed the plastic it comes in - a wrap-around style cover that stops any scratches/marks while in transit).

Here is the back - shiny! The darker circle is the fingerprint sensor and power button. On the right hand side in this shot are the power up and down buttons.

Apart from the phone, in the box you get:

• a mini box (the black one one left below) inside which is a
• SIM removal tool (the white in the middle)
• the wall charging plug,
• the usb type c cable
• and the supplied headphones in the B&O box.

It is still a shock that phone manufacturers are removing the headphone jack. While I realise it means they need to include less internals, how many people have invested in one form of headphone?

They might then say we include an adapter. Great. What happens if you need to charge the phone while using the headphones? Nope. This is one reason I chose this phone.

So the SIM removal tool gets the combined SIM/memory card tray out (below).

The phone uses the Nano SIM and a Micro SD card. I haven't put my SD card in the phone (yet) as I am still moving over and the old phone still gets used for a few things.

While the phone has an MIL rating, on top of the IP one, I am not brave enough to carry the phone around naked. So I brought a case. 

I have used Spigen cases before and I have found them to be well made and provide great protection to my phone. The one below is a neo hybrid (meaning it is made from two types of material) so it provides good protection while not being overly large.

 

I also ordered a wireless charger/stand for my desk at work. This was because it makes it easier to charge or pick up - I don't need to worry about trying to put the cable in or pull it out which should be eaiser as it is now a reversible type C, but still...

The LED at the bottom of the stand is blue when charging, or green when the battery is full.

 

Switching over was easy - LG have a backup/switch app built into their UI. It was as simple as making sure both phones had enough charge (more than 30%), back up the G4 and then hit send/receive on the two phones.

Left them for about 20 minutes and everything had been sent over - contacts, apps, media, settings (wifi etc), messages the lot. You can pick and choose but for convenience I hit everything.

And that was that - phone was up and running. Now to have a play...

The phone itself is gorgeous. The LG G4 was different in terms of styling (with the curved display), while this is a more standard flat display with curved edges. But this is something else. I have not had an OLED display before (or in the V30's case P-OLED) as the G4 was an LCD. That was good, but the change in type and the advances in technology mean that black does mean black and colours really stand out.

I am stunned at how small the phone is even though it has a 6" screen. It is the same size (ish) height and width wise as the G4, and smaller in depth. (For reference the G4 screen is 5.5") It also feels lighter even though it is actually heavier (158g to 155g) so guessing it is down to how it feels rather than how it physically is.

So far battery life is much better - I use Waze navigation on the way to and from work for traffic avoidance. On the G4 the battery would drop 20-30% on a 45 minute commute while the V30 drops about 10%.

I have not taken any photos with it so far so cannot comment on that.

Watching videos (youtube) are nice and clear. Need to get some FHD or higher res stuff on there to really test it, but everything looks really sharp. Reading text is clear (I use the Kindle app a lot) and navigating round is easy.

The fingerprint scanner is quick, and you can register a number of fingers in case you are holding it in the left or right hand.

I can see why Samsung too so much stick for where the scanner is on the S8 - the positioning on the V30 for me is great; exactly where my finger is when holding it. 

 That's it for now. I will be seeing how I get on over the next few days and weeks. If there is anything that someone would like me to try or would like to know then post a comment and I will get back to you.

Thanks for reading!