LG V30 - A (VERY) Long Term User Review!

The LG V30 has had its ups and downs since launch and Eber has been through them all. Let's find out how one of 2017's most anticipated smartphones has matured over the months since its release.

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Review unit provided free of charge by LG. This video is sponsored by NVIDIA & NZXT. As per Hardware Canucks guidelines, no video direction was received from manufacturer. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

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[SeanAdams]

I wouldn't actually call this a long term review as much as I would call it a late review. None of the points touched upon benefit from having taken longer to review the phone. In fact, most of the conclusions reached sound like every critical review released within the same week as the V30 itself.

I didn't understand why he said the manual controls make no sense. His reasoning was that you wouldn't use them for every single picture you take. That's like saying the engine in a sports car makes no sense because you're not driving at 160 mph (260 kph) all the time. The feature is there so that it can be accessed when needed, not all the time. For a review labeled "very long term" I'd have expected more than just the reviewer going outside and hitting the shutter button in automatic a few times.

it seems that people just do phone reviews for the free clicks. Only a very few are actually adding to the knowledge space with what they produce, with some I've come across even saying they think doing so is a waste of time.

[DJaquithFL]

At our house we have the LG V30, Note 8 and iPhone X .. by far the most versatile and problem-free phone is the LG V30.

Banding .. easy fix .. disable Auto Brightness. I use 75% and scheduled Comfort View. It's an easily fixed software issue not a hardware problem.

Get a thin case or skin. If the rear glass breaks it's a $15 problem Vs iPhone X's $500 or 2X $199 AppleCare which you're insane not to purchase. Further, Android 8 is indeed available to Korean V30's and coming soon to other countries. The only reason to purchase a Note 8 is if you like or need a Stylist, women with long nails like my wife will indeed appreciate the Stylist S Pen for typing etc.

[shifty]

You know I wish all reviewers/youtube channels would follow up 6 months later if they are able to keep review units with these long terms user reviews.

Stunning videography and audio as always.

Thanks for this.

[gidderman]

Still rockin' my LG V30 in 2019! To me it is the best smartphone out there. It is lightweight, which is something often overlooked, and that makes it one of the best phones to handle constantly. It fits in the hand well (for me at least), has pretty good battery life, nice camera setup with the wide angle lense (which is probably the best feature on it), an easy on the eyes oled screen which i much prefer over my G6 (i do notice the G6 is a bit sharper of an image however), and i dont mind the lg software, i find it to be much less intrusive than say... touchwiz (ugh). Also notable is that they put the fingerprint scanner in the exact location it 'should be' on every smartphone ever made, and i like how it is also the power button which in a phone case like i have, keeps it from being turned on all the time in my pocket (as the power button on the side of other phones will often do). So in summery its the worst phone ever for the manufacturers cause i will keep using it until lg or someone else actually makes something better. I looked at the V40 and its just a gimmicky redo not worth it, the note 9 was a contender but it is heavy and has the stupid touchwiz interface (not a fan). Perhaps this year will bring something better such as the note 10 or v50? We shall see... Until then LONG LOVE THE V30 :)

[CafeRacer]

I sense a fraud here. Im guessing this is a long term review in the sense that you're reviewing it again after waiting a while. Not really based on long term usage. I had my v30 for a month and had no issues with screen burn in or color banding. The camera is fantastic, especially compared to this lead weight (Note8) im carrying around. Updates aren't an issue. My wife's g4 was running 7.1 before we replaced it. My Note 8 sports 7.1.1 (yeah 7.1.2 is higher).
Simple things like turning on hifi dac one time in the pull down was lost on you. Every time you hug a compatible headphone in it automatically comes on after that first time.
The UI on LG is way more stock than the Note 8. No Bixby. Button. And the sides don't scratch easily. They do dent when slamming against the ground though.. all in all, I think your review is based off a 1 hour impression of the phone, not long term use..

[saracenrush]

For a 2019 owners experience read here. Owner for 2 days. Bought at JB HiFi in Australia.
Phone is currently on offer here so I picked it up to replace my ageing Note 3. Screen issue is not present on my handset. I take it LG has taken the time to rectify this issue. It looks great. Very dark blacks. Zero bleeding.
I find the phone to be very fast and have a decent battery life. Sure it could be longer, but it's up there with the best. Performance is good too. Of course we always want stronger, faster and longer from everything in life but I find this is miles ahead of my old phone but that's to be expected of course.
As for bloatware, there's not much but as with all other android devices this can be easily disabled in the app manager.
The rear camera is very good and I'm not used to this level of low light performance from a phone. The wide angle camera is a nice addition too.
Currently the phone is running android 8.0.
The front facing camera is rather poor, but I never use it so it's no big deal to me. It looks like the same quality as that found on my old Note 3.
Overall I'd give this phone a 9/10 in my early experience with it. So far so good.

[GabrielaaCOLOMBIANA]

Have had the V30 for 3 weeks now. I can confirm (personally), that I have had no issues with the screen whatsoever. Its truly a beautiful experience with the camera and that Quad DAC (if you love good quality music). I am extremely happy with this phone, no disappointments at all

[Dr.Kreijger]

LG really need to remake their software because the issues with the V30 are mostly software related (bad camera processing, bad skin for android and a non regular software update).

[visavisYT]

I am buying a refurbished unit of this one. I think older flagships are better than buying today's midrange smartphones.

[GerbilNoises]

WOWOWOWOW i just got my v30 after a long wait and i have to say it is buttery smooth and runs like a dream! I LOVE IT

[gizmofreaks]

this is still the best music phone in android world i am using it from may

[aznwierdone]

Thanks for such an in depth review!! I wish more channels had long term reviews, or even touching on the post release software support.
Great job eber! I always look forward to your reviews

[CarlosElPeruacho]

As an LG V30 owner, I've not noticed any issues with my display, though I generally don't run it at full brightness because it's usually too bright for my tastes. I really enjoy the Quad DAC, I never had to go into a menu to turn it on, it was on by default from the start, and it activates as soon as you connect an audio cable to the headphone jack. I've compared it to my wife's S8 in the car, and I've listened to it on high-end headphones. The V30 just sounds better. The display has been great for me personally, and when using it with Google daydream, the experience was remarkably close to my Oculus Rift, however, there is no competing with the tracking controls found in room scale VR kits. I don't use the camera much but that wasn't why I got it, but what I have used has been more than satisfying.

[GriffinWiebel]

I have a V30. The first one I got had serious banding issues. Returned it for a replacement. My current V30 is fine, but, when the brightness is low, dark objects either don't render or have a pixelated look.

[borisahsmann]

Good to hear I'm not the only one who hates glass backs.
I do like this phone though. I would get if it were cheaper, mostly because of the high quality DAC and AMP.

[AscendAB]

My LG G6 is sadly still on Android 7.0, whilst my Nexus 5X is already running 8.1.0.
It's just sad.

[davyvanlaere]

Picked this up at the end of 2018 for 399 ... My last phone was also an LG which i bought for the same reason. As long as those LG prices keep dropping in price like that, i'll keep on buying yesteryear high-end LG's ;)

[RicoKen]

The REPEATED comment over and over about the phone shipping with Nouget and not updated to Oreo seems so BIASED as Samsung, HTC and the carriers have not updated the S8s Note 8s and such either.

So far only 5 or 6 phones have Oreo and it took Samsung almost half a year to update from Marshmellow to Nouget last year.

You are welcome to your opinion on the camera ..i use my dual cameras almost every day in my V20 ..very convenient .

[freddyjohnson]

Ive had mine for 8 months. I absolutly love it

[terminalfx]

Got mine in late 2017 also - and now it's August 2019 - OLED display still holding deep blacks. No edge bleed, no burn-in/shadowing.
Love this phone but may wait for the v50 to come down in price before making the jump forward.