LG V30 vs Galaxy Note 8: Has LG finally caught up to Samsung?

LG made a big showing today in announcing the V30, a follow-up to this year’s G6.

How does LG’s V30 and Samsung’s Note 8 stack up? That’s what we’re here to answer.

Samsung announced the Note 8 last week, bringing back the Note line after a rough 2016. As was the case with the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, it’s a stunning device. The 6.3-inch AMOLED Infinity Display is plenty of room to jot down notes with the S Pen, and the camera system is now a 12MP dual camera set up with both sensors packing optical image stabilization.

In a move that has become a Samsung staple, the Note 8 is packed to the brim with the latest specs. The Snapdragon 835 processor takes advantage of 6GB of RAM for a blazing fast experience. Samsung also included a few software tweaks to take advantage of the S Pen, including Live Messages, Always On display notes and translation.

In a welcome return to form, the V30 matches the Note 8 in design. The V30’s 6-inch FullVision OLED display is every bit as good as the Note 8’s Infinity Display, and that’s saying something given Samsung has the best displays around.

Where the V30 falls short is with specs and feature-set. LG included the same Snapdragon 835 processor, 3,300mAh battery and a similar 13MP dual camera system. But the V30 only boasts 4GB of RAM, is missing an S Pen-like feature and has terrible software out of the box. Even for all of the V30’s slight spec shortcomings, its easy to forgive them all, except the terrible software.

Both the V30 and Note 8 are fantastic devices, but the Note 8 has superior specs and features, there’s no way around it. The ultimate decision will come down to you, but only one device checks off every imaginable checklist you’d want from a smartphone, and that’s the Galaxy Note 8.

See how the V30 and Galaxy Note 8 compare in the chart down below.