Michael Grothaus 04/10/2017 - 4:06pm

The iOS and Android phablets fight! We compare the LG V30 up against the iPhone 8 Plus

October already? Would you look at the time. We're rapidly approaching the end of 2017 and the beginning of a whole new year. Just as well for iPhone fans, actually, as despite holding its big launch event in the usual September slot, Apple's lead model - the iPhone X - is not expected to be available in large quantities until after 2018 begins. At least that's according to several prominent analysts, including KGI Securities Ming-Chi Kuo and sources speaking to the WSJ.

The line goes that the iPhone X's fancy 3D face scanner requires two key components which work together. One of those components is allegedly only being produced in the tens of thousands of units per day in Apple's Asian manufacturing plants. That's at odds with the presumably hundreds of thousands of units of all the other components being produced, creating a component supply bottleneck with this one particular bit of kit. It's also at odds with the millions of people who want an iPhone X! Kuo estimates Apple will see record-breaking pre-orders of between 40 and 50 million.

Alongside the flagship iPhone X, Apple also unwrapped the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus as successor models to last year's iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, for the first year in a long time forgoing the "S" iterative naming convention.

Apple’s 2017 iPhone lineup is more diverse than ever before. It sells iPhones ranging in size from the 4in iPhone SE all the way up to the 5.8in iPhone X. Currently Apple offers five distinct series of iPhone at the same time, comprising eight individual models.

The full range from top to bottom includes the iPhone X, the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and the iPhone SE.

But how does the iPhone 8 Plus compare to other phablets on the market, like LG’s new V30? We took a look to find out.

iPhone 8 Plus vs LG V30: Specs

Here are the specs for the iPhone 8 Plus:

  • Display: 5.5in Retina HD display with 1920x1080 resolution at 401ppi, 3D Touch enabled
  • Dimensions: 158.4mm x 78.1 mm x 7.5 mm
  • Weight: 202 grams
  • Storage: 64 or 256GB
  • Memory: 3 GB RAM
  • Processors: A11 Bionic
  • Front camera: 7 MP
  • Rear camera: 12 MP Dual Lens telephoto and wide-angle
  • Battery: 2675 mAh, Wireless charging

And here’s the specs for the LG V30:

  • Display: 6in 2880×1440 P-OLED at 537 ppi
  • Dimensions: 151.7mm x 75.4 mm x 7.4 mm
  • Weight: 158 grams
  • Storage: 64GB + microSD up to 2TB
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Processors: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
  • Front camera: 5 MP
  • Rear camera: Dual Lens 16 MP telephoto and 13MP wide-angle
  • Battery: 3300 mAh, Wireless charging

The LG V30 gets off to a good start with 25% more RAM than the iPhone 8 Plus at 4GB or 3GB. However, even with all that RAM, the V30 can’t compete in the speed department against the iPhone 8 Plus. That’s because the iPhone 8 Plus features Apple’s new A11 Bionic chip with its neural engine. It can run circles around anything Qualcomm can currently produce. In short, the iPhone is much more powerful than the V30.

As for storage, both phones come in 64GB versions, but only the iPhone 8 Plus also offers a 256GB model. Then again, the V30 features microSD expandable storage up to a whopping 2TB, which the iPhone can’t match.

iPhone 8 Plus vs LG V30: Display & Design

As you can tell from the pics, the V30 and the iPhone 8 Plus couldn’t look any different. The iPhone 8 Plus still has large forehead and chin bezels while the V30 is nearly bezel-free with an edge-to-edge screen design. To be fair, Apple offers a similar design in the new iPhone X, but we’re not comparing that phone. Display size, the V30 is 6in, which is half an inch more than the 5.5in iPhone 8 Plus display. What’s impressive is because of the lack of bezels, the V30 can actually fit that bigger display into a smaller body.

iPhone 8 Plus vs LG V30: Battery

The V30 has the bigger battery at 3300 mAh, but each phone should last around the same amount of time in average daily use. Both phones also feature wireless charging, which is nice as the tech gains more adoption and wireless charging pads can be founding more places.

iPhone 8 Plus vs LG V30: Cameras

As far as front camera’s go, the iPhone 8 Plus beats the V30 with its 7MP front camera (the V30’s is only 5MP). Things get a little closer when we talk about the rear cameras. Both feature dual lens modules, but the V30s offers more megapixels at 16MP for the telephoto lens and 13MP for the wide angle lens. The iPhone 8 Plus offer 12MP lenses in both. Both also shoot 4K video.

iPhone 8 Plus vs LG V30: Cost

Unlocked the iPhone 8 Plus will cost £799 (64GB) and £949 (256GB). The LG V30 will cost £799. Considering either phone gets you 64GB for £799, the deciding factor of which to buy comes down to screen size and display (V30 wins there) and of course, which OS you prefer, Android or iOS.

The LG V30, for my money, though, offers up A LOT more bang for your buck. It is a true flagship in every sense of the word, with new design, new specs, and new features, whereas Apple’s iPhone 8 Plus kind of feels like an afterthought that just kind of happened off the back of the iPhone X.

How you feel about either handset is entirely up to you, but I, personally, cannot get past Apple charging more for the iPhone 8 Plus than it did for the iPhone 7 Plus – where are all these expensive new features? I don’t see them.

If You Want The LG V30, Get It Via Sprint

Why? The carrier has a pretty insane deal running for the LG V30, which goes a little something like this, according to the company's press release:

  • Although other major U.S. carriers will have LG V30, Sprint’s premium LG V30+ boasts twice the onboard memory – 128GB– and a higher quality sound experience for music and video enjoyment.
  • V30+ will be available in all Sprint stores, at www.sprint.com and by calling 1-800-SPRINT1 beginning on Oct. 13 for just $38 per month with Sprint Flex and $0 down
  • For a limited time, new and upgrading Sprint customers can choose LG V30+ with Sprint Flex and will get a second lease on us – that is just $38 per month for two.