LG V30 vs Galaxy S8: Which Android flagship is best?
To pretty much no-one’s surprise, LG has just revealed a new flagship smartphone at IFA 2017 – but how does the LG V30 stack up against current TrustedReviews favourite, the Samsung Galaxy S8? Let’s take a look at how the specs, design, features, camera and price compare.
We’ve scarcely had a moment to appreciate the Galaxy Note 8 and, already, we’ve been treated to a new Android flagship in the LG V30.
For those who don’t know, the V30 is the successor to the LG V20 – better known as the best phone of 2016 that never actually came to the UK.
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So just how do the two new Android powerhouses compare? We’re here to explain all.
LG V30 vs Galaxy S8 design – What’s the difference
From a distance, the LG V30 and Samsung Galaxy S8 have similar design traits. Both are curved on the front and back – the S8 much more so – and they both have stretched displays that leave almost no room for a bezel. This modern look was made iconic by Samsung, but it looks just as good on the LG V30.
The V30 is slightly bigger than the regular-sized Galaxy S8 and smaller than the Galaxy S8+; arguably, LG’s latest flagship feels like the perfectly sized phone. The S8 is slightly narrower, though.
The materials from which both phones are made are also alike. Both use Gorilla Glass 5 on both the front and rear of the devices, with a metal rim adding some rigidity in the middle. They both feel great in the hand, although we’ll need to spend more time with the LG V30 to see if it’s quite as well built as the S8.
LG V30 vs Galaxy S8 specs – Which Android phone is more powerful?
In theory, we’re on equal ground here, since the LG V3o and Galaxy S8 both pack Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 chipset, 4GB of RAM and a base storage of 64GB. But there’s more to it than that.
Where the Galaxy S8 sports a 5.8-inch screen, the LG V30 goes larger with a 6-inch display, so potential buyers wanting to consume media might want to consider LG’s latest more seriously. Unless you want to go bigger still with the S8+’s 6.2-inch display, that is.
Both handsets have OLED panel with quad-HD+ resolutions and the ability to display HDR content, although note that this content remains limited.
The other major point of order is that the LG V30 comes with Quad DAC audio support, and while Samsung hasn’t quite ditched the headphone jack yet, this gives the V30 a likely win over the Galaxy S8 in terms of audio quality.
We haven’t as yet fully reviewed the LG V30 and so don’t quite know how well its camera performs, but what we do know are the specs. On the rear it packs one 16-megapixel camera with OIS and an f/1.6 aperture, and a secondary 120-degree wide-angle 12-megapixel camera. The Galaxy S8, on the other hand, has only a single 12-megapixel camera with an f/1.7 aperture.
Megapixel metrics are never the true measure of how good a smartphone’s camera is, so we can’t stress enough that if this is your primary purchasing decision then you should wait until we’ve vetted LG’s latest fully. (Samsung’s unit, for what it’s worth, is excellent).
Keeping the phones running all day is a 3300mAh battery inside the V30 and a 3000mAh cell inside the Galaxy S8. Both support fast charging, plus wireless charging.
LG V30 vs Galaxy S8 price and release date – Which should I buy?
That’s an impossible question to answer right now. The Samsung Galaxy S8 has already proved to us that it’s one of the year’s best smartphones, while we still need to spend some more time with the LG V30 before offering our final verdict.
In reality, the Galaxy S8 is more likely the true iPhone 8 rival, but that doesn’t mean that you should discount the LG V30 altogether – it offers distinct features that you won’t find elsewhere, including a Quad DAC and that wide-angle camera.
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- Buy now: Galaxy S8 (8GB) on Three, £32/month, £29.99 upfront
For the full, end-to-end premium smartphone experience, then, you may be better served by the Samsung Galaxy S8 – but those looking for something different should take a long hard look at the LG V30. It might just satisfy, or even exceed, your needs.
We don’t yet know how much the V30 will cost, or even when it will hit the market, and as such it’s impossible to compare value. But considering the high-end features, we’d expect it to be in the same price range as the £689 Galaxy S8.
Which Android flagship floats your boat? Let us know on Twitter @trustedreviews
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Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
