Samsung officially released the Galaxy A71 5G on June 19th in the U.S. With a 6.7″ AMOLED display, Snapdragon 765g, 128GB of internal storage, of RAM, and 5G connectivity – securely housed in an aluminum frame and Gorilla Glass 3 – the A71 5G is ready for the affordable premium market. I share my thoughts on the device as how it compares against other devices released so far this year, in the video below:
The A71 5G is the first device that’s compatible with both T-Mobile’s low-band 5G spectrum and Sprint’s 2.5 mid-band 5G spectrum, offering customers optimal next-generation connectivity at a more affordable entry level price point.
Sprint/T-Mobile 5G network covers the majority of the city of Houston
Benchmarks from Geekbench, for those who are into that sort of thing.
Conclusion
The Galaxy A71 5G is a quality device that offers access to the Galaxy ecosystem at a more reasonable cost than the Galaxy S20 line. With a four camera set-up (64MP Main camera,16MP wide, 5MP Macro, and 5MP Depth), a beautiful AMOLED display with a punch hole 32MP front camera, and in-screen fingerprint scanner. Galaxy fans looking to save a few bucks with few compromises can’t go wrong with this device.
The Velvet is the latest Android smartphone by LG, available today (July 22) at ATT for $599 USD. The 6.8″ display has refined edges that meet the ultra-slim metal frame with a curvy backside that’s unlike any design on any smartphone by LG. It rocks a Snapdragon 765g with 6GB of RAM,128GB of internal storage, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. On the photography front – a 16MP front camera with three lenses, a 48MP Main, 8MP Wide, and 5MP depth cameras on the back. A few extras like stereo speakers, IP68 Water and Dust resistance, MIL-STD 810G compliance, and wireless charging – makes the LG Velvet a nice option for those due to upgrade their smartphone.
I received a reviewers kit from LG, and while the device is was complimentary – I have not been paid by LG to skew my opinion and my views are 100% neutral and unbiased. If you like to learn more about the LG Velvet, check out our unboxing video below. In-depth review coming soon.
The latest in the V-series by LG offers a few unique perks like flagship performance, a Quad DAC powered 3.5 mm headphone jack, and 5G connectivity at a lower price point than Apple or Samsung – but is that enough to sway users?
The end of an era for the LG V series
The LG V60 is the latest flagship smartphone by LG, and one that brings us to the end of the line for the V Series. I expected LG to knock it out of the ballpark with this device – in a fair tribute to one of the most innovative smartphone models in the Android landscape. Instead I was met with what seems like a rush effort, a mere afterthought in an attempt to accelerate the next phase of LG flagship devices.
The LG V60 is a behemoth of a smartphone, packing an 6.8 inch display, 128GB of Internal Storage, and 8GB of RAM. It has the latest and greatest silicon for Androids in 2020, the Snapdragon 865 – and a slow-sipping 5000MaH battery. In our testing, On the camera front, it has a 64MP Standard (capable of capable of 8K video recording) a 13MP Ultra-Wide, and an 117° FOV Z Camera for depth on the rear , with a 10MP front facing lens.
All hail the Duel, or another useless gimmicky tool?
Measuring at about 6.9 inches diagonally , the V60 is burdened with a decent amount of thickness – even for someone with hands large as mine. The beveled edges go a long way towards making the device one hand-able, but that’s canceled out once the Dual Screen case is equipped. Nevertheless, the Dual Screen case is an impressive accessory.
It serves a great protective case and it has some useful multitasking abilities, but combined with the size of the phone, it simply makes the device too bulky to carry around every day. I used it as a phone mount for video chat and camera use more than anything else.
Conclusion
The V60 ticks all the right boxes of a 2020 flagship smartphone: the latest Snapdragon 865 processor, plenty of RAM and storage, a big bright display, and a beefy battery. The Dual Screen is an innovative addition to the overall package, but it makes an already huge device seem even more unwieldy. There’s nothing wrong with the V60, but there’s nothing extraordinary about it either. It’s a great phone that will knock any task out of the ballpark and meet any threshold you pus it to with flying colors. But so does other devices – which cost half the $900 asking price Verizon is charging for their Ultra Wideband enabled V60. And the build quality, particularly the gold paint finish on the aluminum sides is questionable on the Verizon model. The phone has all the internals needed to make it a true 2020 flagship, but there are too many options out there that can match the V60’s spec sheet for hundreds less. But if you can find it on sale with the dual screen included – you wont be disappointed.
The Galaxy S20 FE is presented by Samsung as the more affordable choice in this year’s S20 line up. Does it still pack enough punch to satisfy your Galaxy cravings?
Display
The Galaxy S20 FE has a vibrant display with vivid colors that maintains color accuracy even in the widest viewing angles.
Price
Specs
Category
Specifications
Build Materials and Quality
Display
6.5” FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED HID Flat Infinity-O Display (3200×1440) 407 ppi HDR10+ certified 120Hz refresh rate support
RAM
6 or 8GB
Processor & Battery
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 4500mAh (typical)
Cameras
32MP Selfie Front Camera 12MP Ultra Wide Rear Camera 12MP Wide-angle Rear Camera 8MP Telephoto Camera Super-Resolution Space Zoom up to 30X Hybrid Optic Zoom 3x OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) Tracking AutoFocus
Connectivity
5G Non-Standalone (NSA), Standalone (SA), Sub6/mmWave LTE Enhanced 4×4 MIMO, Up to 7CA, LTE Cat.20, Up to 2.0Gbps Download/150Mbps Upload Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax 2.4G+5GHz,HE80,MIMO,1024-QAM Bluetooth v5.0, ANT+, USB type-C, NFC, Location (GPS, Galileo, Glonass, BeiDou)
Storage
128GB or 256GB
Battery
The Galaxy S20 FE is a battery champ, easily getting a full day.
LG has reached the 8th generation of their G Series flagship in the LG G8 ThinQ. An Android flagship known for “being a jack of all trades”, we take a brief look at the device to see if it has improved enough to be the best flagship of 2019 or just incremental upgrades to a smartphone series that has struggled since the innovative LG
This is the LG G8 ThinQ.
LG G8 build and performance
Category
Specs
Build Materials & Quality
Metal (Aluminum) Glass (Gorilla Glass 5 on , Gorilla Glass 6 on ), IP68 Dust and Water Resistant, -810G Shock Resistance
Display
6.1″ QHD+ OLED FullVision Display (3120 x 1440, including notch); 564 ppi 19.5:9 Aspect Ratio; 83.1% screen-to-body ratio
RAM
6GB DDR4X
Processor & Battery
Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 855 Octa-core (up to 2.84 GHz x 1 + 2.42 GHz x 3 + 1.79 GHz x 4) 3,500 mAh Non-Removable
Cameras
Rear: Standard Angle Camera -12 MP Super Wide-Angle Camera -16 MP Front: 8 MP Standard
Connectivity
Network/UMTS/GSM/CDMA 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth 5.0
Storage
Internal Memory – 128 GB Micro-SD card slot
The Glass front and back meet the aluminum side railing seamlessly to create a slick unibody build that comes off ultra-premium. There’s no camera hump, as dual lenses sitting under the glass back and the flush fingerprint sensor gives the G8 the slickest backside of 2019. So slick in fact, that you CANNOT lay this device on any flat surface without it slowly sliding off. Make sure you get a case and screen protector ASAP, like the slim-profile Premium Case and *** pictured below*
The 6.1 QHD+OLED display has a resolution of 3120×1440 which comes out to 564 pixels per inch. The P-OLED display is a first for LG’s G series which usually used LCD displays prior to the G8. The deep blacks and bright contrasts on display (pun intended), broad color gamut and bright whites certainly are an improvement over the LCD display. The quality even runs a pretty close race to Samsung, but it not quite there yet on LG’s smartphones. Why the company can’t fully utilize the talent in LG’s Flat-screen TV display division in the mobile devices they produce is beyond me.
The Galaxy S10 (left) and the G8 ThinQ (right) displays on display.
Air Motion and Hand ID: Z Camera innovations or flashy gimmicks?
The Z Camera brings a lot of functionality to the LG G8, and it’s a commendable introduction to 1st generation tech.
…
LG has equipped it’s front camera array with 3D sensors that enable touchless control, security features,and enhaned selfies. The Z Camera, as LG calls it,also has a TOF sensor that sends and receives depth info for more realistic bokeh portraits. But what LG wants you be most excited about, is Air Motion and Hand ID.
Hand ID, allows adds palm reading to your biometric security options by reading the vein patterns in your hand to unlock your phone. Infra-red beams confirm the subject is alive and well hy the hemoglobin in your blood. Cool stuff indeed. Of course, all of this tech coupled with the depth sensor makes for 3D face recognition that could rival Apple’s Face ID.
Hand ID in Action
Face Recognition on the Z Camera is the closest implementation to iPhone’s Face ID on Android.
Air Motion, the ability to control launch apps like the Music App and YouTube, control volume,or start and stop videos as well as answer/decline calls,snooze/dismiss alarms,etc. While it’s cool in theory and even innovative, it’s mildly executed and half-baked. IF you get the hang of it- it’s difficult to reason the scenario the feature would ever come in handy besides showing off what your smartphone can do to friends and family.
Launching YouTube with the Air Motion feature.
Adjusting the volume with Air Motion can be finicky at times.
Overall, Hand ID is awesome and a great addition to the G series and the Z-Camera’s face recognition is something that actually performs like similar to Apple’s Face ID. But Air Motion feels more like a prototype that’s a work in progress than a feature ready for prime time. Maybe software updates can add to the functionality of Air Motion down the line, hopefully.
Performance and Benchmarks
One thing that the G8 has going for itself is class-leading performance. Although the Snapdragon 855 in the G8 scored around 500 points below the iPhone XR’s A12 in Geekbench’s Single-Core Score, it was within 100 points in the Multi-Core score – while besting it’s Android counterparts across the board. The Antutu Benchmark screenshots demonstrate LG engineer’s gift for optimization on its current flagship device.
As you can see, the G8 is at the top of the food chain in Antutu Benchmark, scoring 349383- 17000 points higher than the Galaxy S10+.
…
Conclusion
The LG G8 is a 2019 flagship in every sense of the word. It comes with wireless charging, durability, it’s water-resistant while retaining still it’s SD Card slot, and it has a 3.5mm headphone jack with a 32-bit HiFi quad-DAC. It has all the makings of your next device, it ticks all the premium feature boxes, and adds a few more innovations along the way. But the original retail price…it’s just too high. Not that the G8 isn’t worth it, but for LG to price their devices in the same range as Samsung and Apple flagships at a time when most are critical of their prices, it’s beyond reason. On one hand, I get that they do so to insinuate the quality and value is comparable and LG is a “name-brand” brand. But I feel LG would do so much better if they priced their devices to undercut the market leaders. Right now you can get the LG G8 from Sprint for $8 a month on an 18-month lease plan, or $840 outright. The best long-term deal is with T-Mobile, which offers the G8 for 50% off with qualifying trade-in or by adding a new line, or you can buy it outright for $619.99 (+ tax).
Alternatives
There are lots of worthy alternatives to the LG G8, but we’ll just focus on the ones you will most likely come across at your average U.S. carrier.
Samsung Galaxy S10 or LG G8 ThinQ – The G8 has a battle on hands with theS10. It’s an even match as far as flagship specs go, and some could even argue LG’s Hand ID is more innovative than Samsung’s Ultrasonic fingerprint scanner beneath display. But the way Samsung likes to ‘throw everything but the kitchen sink’ into their flagships, trumps LG’s ‘throw everything at the wall to see what sticks’ approach this time around. What to pick…Infinity-O display with a punch hole front camera that results in 93% fullscreen or P-OLED with a tiny notch that conceals a TOF camera? HDR10+ certified flagship with 8GB RAM for base or the smartphone with the Hi-Fi Quad DAC and 6GB RAM? Decisions, decisions.
Apple iPhone XR orLG G8 ThinQ – The best selling iPhone of this generation is a logical option to the LG G8, if for no other reason that they are priced similarly at retail. Setting the differences between iOS and Android, the G8 has tons more features than the XR.It has twice the amount of RAM, an extra rear and front camera lens, a 3.5mm headphone jack with a Quad DAC and expandable storage. But Apple’s optimization between hardware and software results in a smartphone that’s a member of the most powerful family of device’s (XR Max).
Google Pixel 3a XLorLG G8 ThinQ – Now that Google has entered a horse in the race that shows they are taking their market share serious and not just releasing reference devices, every manufacturer should be concerned. For $479, the Pixel 3a XL offers a Snapdragon 670, 4GB Ram, 64GB of storage, Android system and security updates straight from Google, and what’s widely considered as the best smartphone camera available today. Luckily, with everyone from T-Mobile to Verizon offering specials on the G8 for as low as $620 – LG has crammed enough features into their latest flagship to entice some new customers.
The LG G8 ThinQ is definitely one of the best phones of 2019 so far.
The iPhone XR (Released October 26th 2018) was released roughly a month after the iPhone XS and XS Max. Apple was smart to not release the XR at the same time as the XS duo, because the former would have surely dwarfed sales of the latter – as the XR may very well be not only the best iPhone Apple as ever made – but one of the best smartphones PERIOD. This all comes down to three things: price, design, and BATTERY LIFE.And for an avid, spec-hungry Android user, I can’t believe I’m saying it. But this revelation comes down to three things: ecosystem , build/design, and BATTERY LIFE.
Display Woes or Display Wows?
The display of the iPhone XR – upclose and personal.
Smartphone critics and tech geeks will balk at the specs of the LED display, and it’s the first and foremost part of the device you will interact with – so let’s focus on it first. The 6.1″ Liquid Retina LCD display has a resolution of 1792 x 828, which looks terribly bad on paper. But the reality is the screen resolution offers 326ppi (pixels per inch), which is still 26 pixels above what the human eye can detect. And no, the XR doesn’t block video resolutions above 720p on YouTube. You can scale up to 1080p, which may be scaled up 720p or slightly scaled down 1080p, due to the 19:9 aspect ratio of the device (and no letterboxing) but the iPhone XR’s screen resolution doesn’t actually limit image quality at all.
You CAN watch 1080p videos on YouTube with the iPhone XR.
Build Quality
The iPhone XR upholds Apple’s reputation for premium devices, even if a few details amount to a perception of being slightly inferior to the iPhone XS/XS Max. The anodized aluminum railing, the IPS/LED display, and single lens 12MP rear camera of the XR isn’t the stainless steel build, the deep rich blacks of the OLED display, and dual-camera setup of the XS duo. But none is these things matter as the difference in materials and additional hardware are simply luxuries for those who want the best of the best. As is, the iPhone XR is every bit up to the standard set by the iPhone X in 2017, yet ups the ante with the most durable glass of any smartphone, and lively,vivid color choices that encompass all of the phone up to the display.
iPhone XR Specs
6.1-inch Liquid Retina display (LCD)
IP67 water and dust resistant (max depth of 1 m up to 30 mins)
12MP camera with OIS and 7MP TrueDepth front camera
Face ID for secure authentication and Apple Pay
A12 Bionic with next-generation Neural Engine
Wireless charging—works with Qi chargers
3GB RAM (2.75 usable)
If you are a Techie who swears by devices specs (RAM, camera MP count, and screen resolution), the iPhone XR may seem disappointing at first glance. But that would be do to the lack of understanding about how Android and iOS is built and the requirements for them to both run efficiently. Android needs as much RAM as possible due to the fact that it’s code (Javascript) is run through an “interpreter” from the Machine level to the UI and back. Then each OEM (Samsung, Motorola, LG) customizes their devices by adding features and themes on top of Android which requires more resources. Not to mention all the differentiation in devices,which makes Android more difficult to develop apps for. iOS on the other hand is Native code, which is optimized for all of the internal components. There may be many iPhones, but they all share the same internals -designed and optimized by one company – Apple. This amounts to processor and software development that is head and shoulders above the outsourced-collaborative models of making an Android device.
Geekbench Single-Core Benchmark
Geekbench Multi-Core Benchmark
Software and Ecosystem
The App Store empowers many of the worlds creative pros with tools that rival desktop counterparts.
The A12 Bionic processor beats out most laptop benchmark scores. That means the iOS devices are only limited by the apps and software developed for the platform. And many developers are porting their desktop software over to the iPhone/iPad. Adobe’s full Photoshop for PCs/Macs is due for release this year. From the desktop technician who desires a platform that requires less maintenance without sacrificing processing power, to the mobile road warrior looking to produce professional content on the go that translates to the final product without to much upscale – the iPhone reigns supreme.
Sure you can do light design, draft a word document from start to finish, add some entries to a spreadsheet, heck even edit a YouTube Video and score an original theme for it on an Android device. But the sheer breath and quality of options to offer for iOS through the App Store – and the variety of industries catered to is so complete and broad – it’s only rivaled by legacy desktop software. It’s that good.
And that’s before we get to the countless iOS first-if-not-outright-exclusive apps and games available. The App Store is clearly the leader and pioneer of content ecosystems. From media consumption to content creation, if the App Store was Travis Scott-it would say ,”I put this $h!+ together, I’m the glue!” (Someone said.)
Apple does a great job letting developer know what they are capable of creating by example as well:
Another additional value (that’s not exclusive to the XR) is the fact that Apple’s iWork (Numbers,Keynote,and Pages) are included free for iOS devices in addition to creative apps like GarageBand and iMovie – which enable users to be productive right out the box without having to purchase any third party apps.
Price,Value and Conclusion
Hey, dare I say – having been a previous owner of the iPhone 5s 6,6s,SE, and a seven 7 with various Android devices between them;As well as before and after.Recollecting about all the smartphones I have owned, from the HTC G1, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 5, Note 3, LG G6 and G7,Galaxy S7,LG V30/V35/V40 and all of their strengths and weaknesses….the iPhone XR is the sweet spot in a device line-up that has the best combination of features that I believe general consumers and professional alike are looking for: price to value ratio, build quality, ecosystem, and length of support.
Should you Upgrade?
Is you have anything from the iPhone 8 and below, the XR would be your most sensible route of entry into the X family. It’s processor and battery+screen tech equals a significant upgrade over the X, but I’m not sure an upgrade from the X is necessary unless you qualify for a carrier upgrade.
In a world of $1,000 premium flagships and $500 “flagship killers” smartphones – the most rational choice for most in iOS world is the iPhone XR.
The V40 is the latest and most powerful smartphone LG has released to date. But is that enough to warrant a serious consideration from the shoppers looking to upgrade their devices?
I have been testing the V40 for three months now, and I’m surprised to find that LG managed to make improvements to it’s V series- even if the upgrades are incremental.
DISPLAY
6.4 ” QHD+ OLED Display
(3120 x 1440, including notch); 538 ppi
MEMORY
64GB internal memory microSD™: supports card up to 2 TB
CAMERA
Rear:12MP Telephoto Zoom 16MP Super Wide-Angle
12MP Standard
Front:5MP Wide 8MP Standard
PROCESSOR:
Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 845
up to 2.8 GHz x 4 + 1.7 GHz x 4 Octa-Core
BATTERY
3,300 mAh Non-Removable
The display is an 6.4 inch OLED with resolutions up to 3120×1440,and it’s HDR10 certified . The display’s ratio comes in at 19:5:9. It’s an awesome display, with deep blacks, pure whites and beautiful,vivid colors.
What say ye, of the triad of camera lenses on thee backside of thy V40 ThinQ? They’re pretty neat: they have the ability to work in conjunction with one another and separately, and neither of them are useless gimmicks. The 1st main camera is a 12MP 78 degree lens with an f/1.5 aperture OIS (Optimized Image Stabilization) and PDAF (Phase Detection Auto Focus),the 2nd Camera lens is a 16MP, wide angle 107-degree lens with 1-micron and f/1.9 aperture,and the 3rd Camera lens is a 12MP,1-micron, f/2.4, 45-degree lens with 2x optical zoom. But enough geekspeak, let’s look at some sample photos and video below.
We will take a deeper look at the camera and it’s three lens setup later on in the review to see if LG stacks up with another innovative first or useless lenses…
Build Quality
Conclusion
LG’s V -series has always been a multimedia powerhouse, and LG has made all of the necessary adjustments and upgrades to keep the V-40 in the premium smartphone best-of club. The Only real concern is if the 3300 battery is enough to last you a day.
LG V30+ released in October of last year (2017) isn’t exactly a brand
new phone, hitting right at seven months since it’s release but that’s
not at all old either by smartphone cycle standards.
The February to mid-April update to Android Oreo has brought it
(almost) up-to-standard in the latest Google-ly features, but LG has
also brought in it’s ThinQ software; This brings the V-series into LG’s
A.l. for loT and smart appliances ecosystem.
The LG V30+ has a lot going for itself, although the only difference
between it and the original V30 is the latter has twice the amount of
internal storage and comes with LG Quad Play headphones in the
box. With double the storage over the original variant and new A.I.
features, how does the V30+ hold it’s own in 2018?
Answer: Like A Boss.
Display
The 6-inch, QHD+ OLED Full Vision Display packs in 5xx pixels at 2880
1440 resolution that can be bumped down to 1080p to consume battery
life. It retains the same 18:9 aspect ratio that LG brought to the industry
with the LG G6, although the V30+ is a bit wider and taller though
thinner and lighter-
Blacks are deep, with the navigation
bar blending into the otherwise thin
bezels flawlessly. Colors pop with
true to life vibrancy, but the “cool”
calibration tends to give whites
bit of a blue hue:
Really?
I personally prefer a cooler color
profile rather than warmer
smartphone screens tend to either
lean towards blue others red (like
Samsung) which tends to favor
screen burn-in on AMOLED screens
anyway. LG phone displays tend to
have this character trait” as seen
in the Pixel 2 XL, through the screen
in the V30+ is clearly a generation
or two improved.
And It’s worth mentioning that the
secondary screen that the V series
was known for is replaced by what
LG is calling the Floating Bar:
software version of the actual
second screen of the V10 and
V20 that’s tucked away to the
side by default
The Floating Bar gives you access to a few otherwise
inaccessible tools like Extended Screenshot
and GIF Creator
The four panes of the floating bar allow you to assign up to
five shortcuts to your most used apps, Contacts and even
answer calls and access music controls.
All in All, the floating bar retains
the functionality of the missing
secondary screen while keeping
the display true to the 18:9 ratio.
It provides more functionality,
while taking up less space than
Samsung Edge Display for
example. When activated, you can
also swipe to answer calls.
Hardware: Glass and Metal Sandwich, Dual-Wide Lens Camera, Quad DAC Audio
The internals are nothing to scoff
at either, the V30+ comes armed
with the Snapdragon 835, 4GB Ram,
and 128GB of internal storage. This
time of the year, smartphones (like
the G7 ThinQ) are being shipped
with a Qualcomm Snapdragon
845 so the V30+ may seem a bit
behind the curve but the 835 is no slouch at all. It introduced features like smallerz more energy-efficient cores and faster gigabit LTE speeds – the 845 is to the 835 what the Snapdragon 821 is to the 820 (an overclocked version of the same chip). The looks are fairly unitarian, with the usual metal band sandwiched between the Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and back of the device. The glass curves and meets the metal band, creating a unibody design.
The back of the V30+ is not only a fingerprint magnet, but it is prone to scratches – so get a case ASAP.
The “Aurora Black” LG V30+ is a sleek, unibody union of metal and
glass with one micro flaw…
After around a week of use in the humid
spring climate of Houston, I noticed that
dust particles can get stuck in the seam
where the screen and metal band meets,
and it’s noticeable when the light shines on
the device from certain angles:
Discovering this was frustrating…
The upside is, it’s IP68 certified (waterproof
for up to 30 minutes in 1.5 meters of
water), so I guess you could “bathe” the
V30/V30+, or give it a shower….
More distinctive features are the dual
Wide Angle lenses of the camera and the
Hi-Fi Audio of the 3.5mm headphone jack,
thanks to the phone’s 32-bit Quad DAC
(Digital-to-Analog Converter).
Customize your sound in the Quad DAC settings
Sound Presets view for Hi-Fi Audio
Digital Filtering can add color to your sound,or provide a more
accurate flat sound.
The 32-bit Quad DAC is an ESS 9218P from
ESS Technology, the same manufacturers
who provide D/A converters for companies
like Apogee Electronics’ (Duet, Ensemble,
and Quartet and Symphony) Audio
Interfaces.
It makes for superior audio when listening
through wired headphones or a speaker
setup- and even though the Quad Play
headphones LG included in the box does
decent job showcasing the audio quality
of the V30+, it takes a pair of over the ear
monitors (or AUX connection to a decent
vehicle setup) to really appreciate what the
Quad DAC brings to the table.
CamBam
Everyone has heard about the 16MP and
12MP Dual lens set-up on the V30+, but the
new ThinQ moniker added to the splash
screen after the Android Oreo update
brings Al smarts to the LG flagship.
Activate the Al Cam, and the app begins to identify the contents
within a scene,and choose the appropriate mode for you
Most premium smartphones come with
dual lens cameras, but LG is one of the only
manufacturers to go against the grain and
utilize those dual lenses to provide an wider
field of view 125° to be exact.
The normal 16MP lens offers a 71°
standard view, so the wide angle 13MP
sensor captures over twice the scenery in
your pics.
Standard Angle 71° View
Wide Angle 120 Lens
The dual-lens, wide angle cameras is one of
the best setups available on a smartphone
and when every other phone maker is
going for portrait mode and bokeh effects
dare I say unique?
The only real standout weakness is the
software for the 5MP front facing camera.
I say that because I downloaded third
party software that made all the world of
difference in quality and noise reduction.
Performance, Battery Life, Stability
I have always appreciated the sheer power
and tons of features stuffed in LG flagships,
since the G3. The Nexus 5 have LG the
expertise of delivering a stock Android
experience, and the Pixel 2 XL allowed
them the opportunity to perfect Android
customization. I point this out because that
implies that they know how to minimize
the amount resources their Android skin
takes up on top of the Stock OS. They are
literally one of the few manufacturers that
can layer Android and keep it as smooth as
Google intended it to be.
The LG V30+ hit 1910 single-core and 5814
multi-core in Geekbench 4:
That’s up to par with average flagship
from 2017, but not quite up to snuff with
the latest Snapdragon 845 toting devices
like the Galaxy S9 which scored 2,422
single-core score and 8,351 multi-core
score.
Conclusion
A Lot of people who were livid supporters of
the V series may have been disappointed
to discover the omission of the removable
battery, and possibly the second screen
but the addition of IP68 certification,
Wireless Charging, Quick Charge 3.0 (4.0
with the right Charging Adapter) and
software that somewhat provides the
informative convenience the second
screen once did, are necessary changes to
keep the V-series modern. Everything else
that you come to expect from the brand:
extensive Video Recording and editing
tools, Hi-Fi Audio,Dual wide angle lens
cameras are here with a plethora of
upgrades. The only real standout weakness
is the software for the front facing 5MP
camera. I say that because I downloaded
third party camera apps that made all the
world of a difference.
The LG V30+ makes for a great alternative
to the more popular flagships, remains one
of the better options for general users and
one of the first looks for content creators.
