[Smartphones] | LG V30 | First impressions

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LG V30!

So LG has managed to give us the most amazing, powerful V series of smartphones. Their audio capabilities have been second to none. But they were always received rather poorly by the masses.

The V10 and the V20 were incredible beasts, but were soon lost amidst the echoes of Samsung galaxies and Apples of the world. But the Korean giant hopes to change that with their latest flagship offering, the V30.

The LG V30 has been unveiled at EFA, Berlin. I must say, LG has done it! They have managed to iron out all the little things that bothered me about their previous offerings, and make a truly unique monster.

Here are my initial thoughts on the gorgeous LG V30.

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A 6 inch OLED beauty

LG focused on the basics this time; what really matters down the line. The first thing that strikes to anyone who gazes at it is the display. LG made the move to OLED with this V model and it is splendid.

It is a 6 inch FullVisionTM display with slight curves along the edges. It looks pretty much similar to the Galaxy S8, but not as curved as one. The panel is bright, it's super vibrant and the colors are just beautiful.

Speaking of displays, LG ditched the second screen that was present on top of the main display on its predecessors. It is replaced by a software button that floats across the screen and offers the same shortcuts.

To show your name up top, the same is substituted by an always on display.
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Excellent cameras

Also unlike it's predecessor, the V30 ditches the removable back, and the battery is sealed shut. That battery is a 3300 mAh unit. That combines with the latest Snapdragon 835 optimised CPU, and the OLED panel should ensure excellent runtime.

The headphone jack remains on the phone. Thank LG engineers for that! Because that headphone jack is hands down, the BEST PERFORMING AUDIO PORT I've yet seen in my life.

Cameras have gotten a spec bump too. The main camera is a 16 mp sensor with a crazy f/1.6 aperture! This makes it the largest aperture on a smartphone till date. The second sensor is a 13 mp wide angle sensor.

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Long live the Headphone jack!

I noticed that they've reduced the field of view by a small margin, to minimise the barrel distortion, that we all came to dislike on the V20.

These cameras will undoubtedly be a tough pair for the galaxy S8 to compete with. I can tell right off the bat, this set up is a lot more capable than the recent Note 8. (Review dropping soon)

The camera UI has seen a lot of changes. There are a crap load of options hidden everywhere. It also supports a new kind of video format called 'flat log color profiling'. It essentially captures a lot of dynamic range, so the user can edit it extensively later on.

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S8 look-alike
The User interface has seen some changes as well. It still is every bit as colorful and cartoonish as 
ever, but the animations are a lot nicer now. The frame rates have improved, which gives the phone a touch of maturity. LG seems to be on the right track here.

The software could use some work, but I am positive it will get better with time.

Other things like wireless charging, IP68 water resistance, MIL SPEC 810G drop resistance are greatly appreciated. I mean, even the essential phone doesn't have them. Not even the headphone jack!

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The best of 2017..yet!

Overall, I am blown away by the LG V30. This is the first year where I can highly recommend an LG V series device over the Galaxy note device!

Stay tuned for a full review where I will address battery life and camera performance in greater detail.

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