Galaxy Note 8 vs LG V30: Features, Specs, Camera, Price [Comparison]

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Just days after Samsung unveiled its flagship Galaxy Note 8, LG Electronics has taken the wraps off its V30 smartphone. Both the devices will go on sale later this month. The V30 looks far better than the LG G6, which was launched earlier this year. If you are looking to buy a premium Android smartphone, you might be wondering which phone is right for you. Let’s dive into the detailed Galaxy Note 8 vs LG V30 comparison to see where they are similar and where they differ from each other.

These are the latest and greatest smartphones from Samsung and LG. Both devices will carry a premium price tag.

Galaxy Note 8 vs LG V30: Design

The Note 8 borrows its design heavily from the Galaxy S8. You get Samsung’s signature metal and glass body with a gorgeous edge-to-edge Infinity display. However, corners on the Note 8 aren’t as pronounced as they were on the Galaxy S8. The phone has a giant 6.3-inch display, but thanks to its bezel-less design, it sits nicely in your hand. It has a screen-to-body ratio of 83.2%.

Since Samsung has retained many of the design elements from Galaxy S8, the Note 8 has a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, which makes it a bit difficult to reach because of the phablet’s large size. The dual camera system sits next to the fingerprint scanner on the back panel. The Note 8 has the power button on the right.

The LG V30 has a 6-inch FullVision display with a screen-to-body ratio of 82%. LG doesn’t seem to follow a signature style for the V line of phones. The V30 looks more like LG G6 than V10 or V20. This phone also has a metal and glass design, though it feels more premium than any other LG phone launched before it. The V30 is slightly smaller than the Note 8.

The LG V30 features the fingerprint sensor/power button on the rear panel. It is slimmer (7.3mm) and lighter (158g) compared to the Note 8, which is 8.6mm thick and weighs 195g. Both devices come with IP68-rating for water- and dust-resistance. But if you want a sturdier device, the V30 should be your choice. It has received the Military-grade MIL-STD 810G certification, meaning it can survive rough and harsh conditions.

Galaxy Note 8 vs LG V30: Display

The Note 8 sports a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED Infinity display. It has a Quad HD+ resolution of 2960 x 1440, which translates into a pixel density of 521ppi. The LG V30 features a 6-inch FullVision P-OLED display with a 2880 x 1440 resolution and 538ppi of pixel density. Google’s upcoming Pixel 2 is said to use the same P-OLED display. Both devices have their screens protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 5.

Both the Note 8 and V30 have weird aspect ratios because of their bezel-less screens. The Note 8 has an aspect ratio of 18.5:9 rather than the standard 16:9. The V30 display uses an 18:9 aspect ratio. As if that wasn’t enough, both handsets come with an Always-On functionality and HDR support. The LG V30 also supports Dolby Vision and Google’s Daydream VR.

Galaxy Note 8 vs LG V30: Hardware specs

Earlier this year, Samsung’s Galaxy S8 had an advantage over LG G6. The S8 was powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 chipset, while the G6 was running an older Snapdragon 821 processor. Now the competition is between the Note 8 and V30. This time, both phones run the Snapdragon 835 SoC. The LG V30 offers only 4GB RAM, which has become a standard for premium phones. However, Samsung has upgraded the Note 8 RAM to 6GB.

Both phones come with 64GB and 128GB of storage options. Samsung also offers 256GB of internal storage in select markets. The Note 8 users can further expand storage by up to 256GB via a hybrid microSD card. LG V30 allows you to expand storage by up to 2TB. The Galaxy Note 8 runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat with Samsung’s custom TouchWiz UI on top. The V30 runs Android 7.1.2-based UX 6.0+ software.

Both Android handsets offer wireless charging, fast charging with Quick Charge 3.0 support, Bluetooth 5.0, a USB Type-C port, and the 3.5mm audio jack. What’s more, both phones are powered by a 3,300mAh non-removable battery.

For security, the Note 8 has an iris scanner and facial recognition besides the rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. The phablet comes with Samsung Pass, where you can store all your passwords. It supports Samsung Pay right out of the box. The LG V30 supports voice recognition/facial recognition in addition to the fingerprint scanner, for biometric security.

Galaxy Note 8 vs LG V30: Camera

It’s the age of dual cameras. Neither Samsung nor LG Electronics wanted to disappoint their fans. Both the Note 8 and V30 sport a dual camera setup on the rear. The Note 8 features a 12-megapixel wide-angle lens with OIS support and an f/1.7 aperture, and a 12-megapixel telephoto lens with an f/2.4 aperture. The telephoto lens also supports OIS while offering 2x optical zoom and 10x digital zoom.

The Note 8 dual camera setup comes with a Live Focus feature that allows you to take portrait shots similar to the Portrait Mode on the iPhone 7 Plus. A Dual Capture mode lets you use both the rear cameras simultaneously to take both wide-angle and zoomed-in versions of the same shot. The Note 8 also has an 8MP selfie camera with an f/1.7 aperture.

The LG V30’s dual camera setup consists of a 16-megapixel standard angle lens with an f/1.6 aperture and a 13-megapixel 120-degree wide-angle lens with an f/1.9 aperture. LG claims the V30 is the world’s first smartphone camera to ship with an f/1.6 aperture. It means the camera will be able to capture more light than others and take outstanding pictures in low-light conditions.

The V30 camera uses a crystal clear glass lens rather than plastic, which would help improve the quality of photos. However, only the 16MP standard lens comes with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). The wide-angle lens allows you to take a 3D-like panorama sweep with a distinct fish-eye effect without you having to move the device. LG’s latest flagship also has a Cine-Video mode, which lets you apply preset filters while recording videos.

The LG V30 has a 5-megapixel camera on the front for selfies.

Galaxy Note 8 vs LG V30: Other features

A Galaxy Note phablet is incomplete without the S Pen stylus. The Note 8 comes with an improved S Pen. The stylus offers features like note creation, screen capture and edit, smart selection, Screen Off Memo, and text translation. Samsung has also added a new feature called Live Message to the S Pen. It records your path to writing a short message and turns it into an animated GIF with effects like neon lighting and sparkles.

Just like Galaxy S8, the Note 8 support Samsung DeX, a dock that turns your phone into a desktop when you connect it to a keyboard, monitor, and mouse. The Note 8 also comes with Samsung’s Bixby virtual assistant. LG’s phone doesn’t have its proprietary voice assistant. It comes with Google Assistant, which is deeply integrated with the operating system. With V30’s Google Assistant, users can interact with LG’s smart home appliances.

Audio is where LG V30 has the edge over the Note 8. The V30 comes with a Hi-Fi Quad DAC to offer an immersive audio experience. Also, the V30 is the first smartphone to support the Master Quality Authenticated  (MQA) technology that enables high-resolution audio streaming in a small file size without any loss of quality.

Galaxy Note 8 vs LG V30: Price and release date

The Galaxy Note 8 is up for pre-order in all major markets including the US. The phone has been priced at $930, if you buy an unlocked version. Different carriers in the US are offering some cool deals on the device if you want to take advantage of any of them. The phone will be available on the store shelves on September 15.

LG Electronics, on the other hand, has not announced the price of its new flagship smartphone yet. Yeah, we don’t know how much the V30 is going to cost in different markets. Since it’s a premium smartphone, we can expect it to cost at least $600, though the actual price may go up to $1,000.  The company has confirmed that V30 would go on sale in South Korea on September 21st. The Korea launch will soon be followed by other major markets such as the US, UK, and the Middle-East.

Galaxy Note 8 vs LG V30: Conclusion

Let’s admit it. The LG G6 didn’t have what it would take to compete against the Galaxy S8. But this time, LG seems to have listened to consumers. The V30 has everything you would expect from a premium smartphone. But challenging the Note 8 in Android market wouldn’t be easy. The Note 8 has a beautiful design, powerful specs, and Samsung’s marketing clout. Where LG V30 excels is audio experience and military-grade protection. Now it would all depend on how much LG Electronics plans to spend on marketing the device.

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