LG V30 hands-on: Samsung should be worried

LG V30 hands-on: Samsung should be worried
LG finally did it: it’s created a phone that feels as premium as anything Samsunghas to offer. The V30 might be the company’s first phone that really captures mainstream recognition.
At least, that’s how I feel after spending over a week with a pre-production version of the device. We’ve known what the V30 will look like for months thanks to a massive amount of leaks and LG’s incessant teasing. That didn’t stop me from being impressed when I first saw it in person and held it in my hands. LG’s taken what it learned from the G6, which kicked off 2017’s wonderful bezel-killing trend, and cranked it up a notch.
The V30 has one of my favorite takes on small bezels so far. The top and bottom bezels are even smaller than on the G6, S8, or Note 8 – let alone any other devices. There’s no potentially-distracting notch like on the Essential phone or the upcoming iPhone 8. The side bezels are a little thicker than on Samsung’s devices, particularly because the edges don’t curve so dramatically, but the upside is that you don’t get distracting glare on the edges either.
Those bezels surround a stunning 6-inch display, LG’s first OLED panel on one of its flagship phones since the G Flex 2. It gets a little brighter than the S8’s screen, and it seems more accurate using default settings, though some might prefer Samsung’s punchier colors. Either way, it’s one of the best screens I’ve laid eyes on.
The V30 uses a glass back like the G6, but the overall look has been refined. It’s less boxy and utilitarian, and instead sleeker and more comfortable to hold. The rear glass has an almost pearl-like reflectiveness to it. I think it looks better than the S8 or Note 8 – at least on par – and it’s fingerprint sensor is actually in a sensible location. You can only get it in silver at launch, however.
LG hasn’t sacrificed durability for the looks – it’s rated to the same MIL-STD-810G drop resistance and IP68 water resistance as the G6. That said, I doubt the glass back will survive drops nearly as well as my old metal V20 did.

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