I'm at a loss on this one. I can only comment regarding the V30+ as not had any LG previously but this does everything that the S8 does as a smartphone. I never use front cameras (selfies) but I believe that's the only significant downgrade compared to S8.
The camera is meant to be better on the S8 but I have no issue with camera quality and a big plus is the wide-angle 2nd lens. One really nice surprise is battery life seems to last for ages & especially standby battery drain is low.
I'd be interested for example of where you think S8 leaves V30 "In The Water" ??
You must be that last 5% then. For last decade or more most people have been wanting to carry one low weight device with a battery that lasts all day or more with plenty of storage for all our media with a big enough screen to browse web nicely and consume content plus double up as an excellent camera and music player.
Only reason I'd want take another camera is if I was using an SLR with multiple lenses. No way I want a dedicated music player or bulky external DAC's if the phone itself can sound as good (or 95% of best) and drive most headphones with good authority.
The V30 is nearest to this goal yet in my opinion. If the S9 included the wide-angle camera & the LG DAC then I would have jumped on the S9 ignoring fact it would cost me a few hundred more than the LG V30 now.
Its only because 95% of users are perfectly happy with say sub £100 earphones that the S8 (and likely S9) sound fine. I too was happy enough with the S8 sound quality using my SE846 IEM's even though there was some background hiss. No chance the S8 directly driving my HD660S with authority. The V30/V30+ drives everything I've tried nicely.
My biggest issue with phones now is fingerprint reader on the back. Can't wait until they integrate with the screen itself. I'm also finding the V30 fingerprint sensor much more accurate/responsive than the S8 too plus easier to locate.
Even allows double tap of the screen to switch out of standby which I loved on my Z5. Samsung doesn't do that.
Taken from a review from the Verge.
Quote...............
"Like its predecessors, the LG V30 is a phone designed to appeal to spec lovers first, though with its pretty aesthetic and great ergonomics it could have stood a chance of attracting a more mainstream audience as well. But the story of LG smartphones has always been a matter of “could have” and “should have.” It’s not that LG phones aren’t improving every year — they are, and they continue to offer cutting-edge spec sheets with each new iteration — but the improvements the company is making seem to always be accompanied by self-inflicted wounds. The LG G5 was a nice step up in design over the G4, but LG hamstrung it with a poorly conceived and quickly aborted modular accessory system. The G6 got better again, but it too lacked the final polishing touch to outshine Samsung’s more accomplished designs.
The V30 arrives half a year after the G6 and, at first blush, appears to rectify everything that ailed LG’s devices of the past. But LG rushed to put an imperfect OLED screen in its flagship phone, preferring to have the highlight spec over the superior user experience, and I can’t condone either the choice or the eventual product. This is a phone that has given me goosebumps with the astonishing quality of its headphone audio, and if I was reviewing it on the strength of music playback alone, I would say it’s one of the best media players on the market. But this is supposed to be a smartphone. And as a smartphone, the LG V30 fails to validate its high price and flagship status."
I am mindful we may get into trouble with the mods here. This is not a mobile phone forum. I strongly suggest you take a look at the XDA forum and read the threads with regard the SGS8 range and the LG V30.
LG is heamorrhaging money with its mobile phone division. The V30 is arguably its best mobile to date and without questions is the number one in terms of sound reproduction from its headphone jack. LG has an awful long way to go before they catch up with the massive popular Samsung range. The S8 and now S9 range seem to perform most tasks very well and even excel in many areas.
I can but write ad nauseam that the LG V 30 produces the most acceptable sound stage available to date from a mobile phone. Apart from that several other brands are far more advanced in terms of producing mobile phones as a complete package device with something to please most consumers.
BTW I am far from happy with Samsung. I would dearly love to purchase another brand. Problem is I use the S-pen on the Note 8 and no other mobile yet comes close to achieving the S-pen experience for me. In terms of music I top Samsung, LG and every other mobile phone brand by using an external DAC, the Oppo HA2 SE. In doing so I have a pocket PC with mouse (the S-pen) and exceptional mobile sound stage with the Oppo or the Teac HA-P50SE that is also superb.
The LG V30 deserved to sell better than it did. It is a flagship mobile phone. Its major flaw is the display. The display being the most important factor and its what we use to active all other functions of a mobile phone.
Ryland
