With a bunch of flagship smartphones coming in this Q4, we decided to take a look at the V30+ in our review here. For this one, we have the Google Pixel 2 going against it for a comparison.
| SPECS | LG V30+ | Â Google Pixel 2 |
| Display | 6″ 1440 x 2880 P-OLED (~537 ppi)
Gorilla Glass 5 |
5.0″ 1080 x 1920 AMOLED (~441 ppi)
Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Dimensions & Features | 151.7 x 75.4 x 7.3 mm, 158g
Hybrid dual-SIM tray |
145.7 x 69.7 x 7.8 mm, 143g
Nano-SIM card & eSIM, metal + plastic unibody, IP67-certified |
| Chipset | Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835 | Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835 |
| CPU | Octa-core (4×2.45 GHz Kryo & 4×1.9 GHz Kryo) | Octa-core (4×2.35 GHz Kryo & 4×1.9 GHz Kryo) |
| GPU | Adreno 540 | Adreno 540 |
| Memory | 4 GB RAM, 128GB + microSD | 4 GB RAM, 64/128GB |
| Connectivity | LTE Cat. 16, 802.11ac, Wi-Fi Direct, BT 5.0, GPS, Stereo FM, USB 3.1 Type-C 1.0, NFC, 3.5mm headphone jack (ESS Sabre ES9218P DAC) | LTE Cat. 15, 802.11ac, dual-band, BT 5.0, GPS, USB 3.1 Type-C 1.0 |
| Cameras | Rear: Dual: 16 MP (f/1.6, 1 µm, 3-axis OIS, PDAF) + 13 MP (f/1.9, no AF), phase detection & laser autofocus, LED flash[Video] 2160p@30fps, Cine Log Format Front: [Video] |
Rear: 12.2 MP (f/1.8, 27mm, 1/2.6″, 1.4 µm), OIS, phase detection & laser autofocus, dual-LED flash[Video] 2160p@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps Front: [Video] |
| Battery | Non-removable Li-Po 3300mAh | Non-removable Li-Ion 2700mAh |
| OS | Android 8.0 (Oreo) LG UX 6.0+ |
Android 8.0 (Oreo) |
| SRP | PhP 42,000.00/$840 | PhP 43,990/$880 |
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Design
The stark contrast in size and presentation only shows that each has their own target market. The V30+ will definitely appeal to those who are more into flashy paraphernalia while the Pixel 2 allures designers who are into simplicity and form without having too many elements.
Despite having no physical buttons on the front, the V30+ makes use of the space more as opposed to the Pixel 2 having a front-firing stereo setup.
On the back, again, the Pixel 2 has a simpler arrangement with a two-tone design opposed to the V30+’s glass-covered affair.
The sides stand out more on the V30+ with its finish and with only volume buttons. However, on the Pixel 2, not only it has an inverted button setup, it also lacks a headphone jack.
Even on the larger Pixel 2 XL, it can only accommodate a single nano SIM due to design and compatibility limitations while the V30+ has a hybrid SIM tray.
Display
Moving over to their displays, the V30+ has a P-OLED panel while the Pixel 2 has an AMOLED panel. On the surface, they’re pretty much the same offering the same brightness levels and color contrast. They differ a lot though when it comes to color gamuts that they support with HDR10 for the V30+ and 95% DCI-P3 for the Pixel 2.
With the 18:9 WQHD+ display that the V30+ has, content consumption is natively better despite not being to be able to use the display fully.
User Experience
Despite the Pixel 2 being smaller in size, it actually uses its form factor more intelligently than the V30+. Not only does it stock Android experience complement the phone’s design, it’s actually easier on the eyes by having less flashy animations and flatter design. The inverted power and volume buttons it has can be off-putting for the most part, which we did find annoying.
LG’s UX 6.0+ is commendable for its attempt to keep in line with how the V30+ is presented physically. A premium design deserves an equally-premium interface which LG gladly provided to an extent.
Camera
With the Pixel 2 and its bigger brother on top of DxOMark’s Mobile scores, it actually translates well when compared with the V30+’s shots. Details stand out more with better exposure balance, dynamic range, and color contrast, needing little-to-no post-processing for those feed-worthy shots.
What the V30+ has going for itself is its Cine Log format, allowing for professional use due to its flatter output and wider dynamic range. While not visually impressive out of the box, adding a bit of color-grading to the V30+’s takes definitely takes the cake.
Performance
The V30+ and Pixel 2’s internals are nearly identical, giving out similar results in both benchmarks and real-world performance. Any game will run smoothly on either with multitasking not being an issue on either. With pure casual usage though, the Pixel 2’s more mature and optimized stock Android experience gives a faster and more impressive impression.
| Device | AnTuTu | PCMark Work 2.0 | Geekbench | Androbench |
| LG V30+ | 173349 | 5611 | SC: 1910
MC: 6373 |
Seq. Read: 690.84MB/s
Seq. Write: 205.52MB/s Ran. Read: 77.08MB/s Ran. Write: |
| Google Pixel 2 | 170241 | 7185 | SC: 1915
MC: 6282 |
Seq. Read: 763.6MB/s
Seq. Write: 195.95MB/s Ran. Read: 168.68MB/s Ran. Write: |
Battery
These smartphones’ batteries aren’t impressive by any means, but they do get the job done for almost a day’s worth of usage. Regarding charging time though, the Pixel 2 tops up faster than the V30+’s larger pack with their respective fast chargers included in their boxes.
| Device | Battery | MS Battery Rating | Charging-Time (0-100) |
| LG V30+ | 3300mAh | 38h 4m | 1h 59m |
| Google Pixel 2 | 2700mAh | 35h 36m | 2h 10m |
Audio
The front-space estate that the stereo setup took up for the Pixel 2 definitely can be counted on whenever needed. Playing games and watching videos are perfect examples of using this setup, and even with music, this trumps the V30+’s single bottom-mounted speaker.
However, after plugging in a decent pair of in-ears and turning the DAC on for the V30+, the whole game changes. The clarity, consistency, and range that the V30+ provides at point-blank range are definitely lovely. It’s been done with the G6 and G6+ before, but it’s one of those features that’ll never get old due to a niche that mobile manufacturers have yet to still pry and discover.
Verdict
Wrapping things up, the V30+ has the better display in terms of immersion, a built-in DAC, and allows users to shoot in Cine Log format for a wider scope. On the other hand, the Pixel 2 is more consistent, has better cameras, and is a tad faster with its better storage. For you, which is it? The LG V30+ or the Google Pixel 2? Let us know in the comments below!
