LG V30 v Samsung Galaxy Note 8

Price When Reviewed

LG V30: $799

Samsung Galaxy Note 8: $930

Best Prices Today: LG V30

Those looking for large, powerhouse Android devices will no doubt have both the LG V30 and Samsung Galaxy Note 8 on their radars. These two behemoths come with top-end hardware, performance, and prices.

But on which one should you spend your hard-earned money? We compare the giants of the Android world.

The LG V30 continues the company’s ‘V’ line of large phones, which lean heavily in the direction of photography and video capture.

Samsung on the other hand has bravely launched a new Note model after the disasterous Note 7, which had to be withdrawn from sale after a number of units caught fire or exploded.

It does show a deep commitment to the Note range from Samsung, and one that looks like it could be well rewarded. But LG has been making great strides in its hardware in recent years, so these titans are worthy adversaries.

LG V30 vs Note 8: Price and Availability

Premium smartphones are never going to be cheap, but the Note 8 does take things into new territory with its whopping £869 price tag. You’ll likely be buying it on a contract and so the price may not bother you so much, but  buying the Note 8 SIM-free is still the cheapest way to buy it, of course.

Now, to be fair, you’re getting a whole lot of technology for your money, and the Note range is practically a PC these days, especially thanks to the optional DeX station that can dock the unit to a display, keyboard, and mouse setup.

That being said, a DeX dock will set you back an additional £99, which brings the cost nearer £1000.

LG’s V30 seems reasonable in comparison, but it still weighs in at a shade under £700, so these handsets are not for the faint of wallet.

The Galaxy Note 8 is available to buy now. There’s no official date for the LG V30, but you can register your interest with Carphone Warehouse, and we expect the unit to appear in shops in the next month or so.

LG V30 vs Note 8: Features and Design

Displays

Obviously one of the most standout features of these devices is their displays. The LG V30 boasts a 6in OLED panel, which has rich, bright colours, and a 1440 x 2880 resolution for crisp text and images.

The modern design reduces the bezels to almost non-existent, which LG claims gives the front of the unit a makeup of 83 percent screen and 17 percent body.  

Samsung is no slouch in this area either, with the taller Note 8 besting its rival by employing a 6.3in Quad HD Super AMOLED display. Again, the bezels are kept to a bare minimum, while the screen delivers gorgeous visuals.

As both of these are phablets, it’s not surprising that they’re on the large size. The slim bodies make them comfortable to hold, but using them really is a two-handed affair.

The V30’s dimensions of 151.7 x 75.4 x 7.4 mm make it slimmer and shorter that the Note 8’s 162.5 x 74.8 x 8.6mm, with the latter having an excuse due to the S-Pen stored within its frame.

S-Pen

Samsung has led the way with smartphone stylus for some time now, and the current S-Pen that accompanies the Note 8 is as precise and easy to use as it’s ever been. It marks the Note range out from its competitors, adding a new layer of productivity to the premium device.

Hi-Fi DAC

LG has a trick of its own under the hood of the V30 though, with the inclusion of a Hi-Fi Quad DAC, that’s sure to appeal to audiophiles who want top quality sounds from their mobile device. 

Water resistance

IP68 ratings for both devices mean that can survive a dip in water with no ill effects. Very good to know when you’re spending this kind of money on a device.

Processor, memory, storage, and OS

Performance-wise the V30 and Note 8 have comparable specs, with the former utilising the latest Snapdragon 835 processor and 4GB of RAM, while Samsung has installed its own Exynos 8895 chip that also appears in the Galaxy S8 and S8+. 6GB of RAM gives it a slight edge over the V30, but we expect the two to be neck and neck in the speed stakes.

The storage on offer is similar too, with either handset containing 64GB built-in and a MicroSD card slot offering an expansion of up to 256GB.   

LG has announced that the V30 will arrive with Android 7.1.2, while the Note 8 is marginally behind with 7.1.1. Hopefully both will move up to the newly revealed Android 8 not long after release.

Cameras

Another area where the handsets have strong showings is that of cameras. Both come with dual lens units for the main optics.

The LG V30 has a 16MP f/1.6 standard lens paired with a 13MP f/1.9 wide angle variant. These combine to offer 2160p video at 30fps, and plenty of scope for crystal clear still images.

Samsung has fitted the Note 8 with two 12MP cameras, one a f/1.7 wide-angle lens, accompanied by a f/2.4 telephoto lens. Dual optical image stabilisation should keep things steady, and the 4K video at 30fps makes it a powerful tool for capturing those important moments.

LG V30 vs Note 8: Specifications

	LG V30	Samsung Note 8
Price	£699 (US pricing TBC)	£869 (US$930)
Operating System	Android Nougat 7.1.2	Android Nougat 7.1.1
Display	6.0in OLED, 1440 x 2880 touchscreen, 537ppi	6.3in, Quad-HD, 18:5:9, 1440 x 2960, 521ppi, Super AMOLED, Always-On display
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, octa-core	Exynos 8895, octa-core
GPU	Adreno 540 graphics	ARM Mali-G71 MP20
RAM	4GB	6GB LPDDR4
Storage	64GB or 128GB	64GB
Primary Camera	Dual 16MP main camera (3-Axis, laser and phase detection autofocus), support for 2160p video at 30fps	12MP dual-lens (f/1.7 wide-angle + f/2.4 telephoto with 2x optical zoom), OIS, records 4K video at 30fps
Selfie Camera	13MP front camera	8MP f/1.7
Wi-Fi	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual band, Wi-Fi Direct, DNLA, hotspot	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/ 5 GHz), VHT 80 MU-MIMO, 1024QAM
Bluetooh	5.0, A2DP, LE, aptx HD	5.0, ANT+
LTE	4G LTE	4G LTE
SIM card	Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)	Single SIM (Nano-SIM) Dual SIM (Nano-SIM)
Battery	3300mAh non-removable	3300mAh non-removable
USB	USB 3.1, Type-C 1.0 with fast charging (Quick Charge 3.0)	USB 3.1, Type -C, fast charging, wireless charging
MicroSD	MicroSD support up to 256GB	MicroSD support up to 256GB
Water resistance rating	IP68	IP68
Dimensions	151.7 x 75.4 x 7.4 mm	162.5 x 74.8 x 8.6 mm
Weight	158g	195g

Best Prices Today: LG V30