• Best smartphones 2018: The best phones available to buy today Upcoming phones: The future smartphones of 2018

  • Our quick take With big phones increasing in popularity, the LG V30 lands in a space that’s more competitive than ever before. The Samsung Galaxy S8+ and the Note 8 are particular rivals and there’s competition from devices like the (more affordable) Huawei Mate 10 Pro.The overall experience of the LG V30 is a positive one, though. We love the design and that full-screen design that others have failed to embrace. It’s a phone that feels good in the hand, offering waterproofing and the convenience of that 3.5mm headphone socket (which sounds truly excellent, by the way).At its core the V30 is a phone with heaps of power and good battery life - plus fast charging options - and a camera that, while not the best, offers creative options you cannot achieve from most other devices. Within that, there’s a uniqueness that gives the LG V30 appeal.But the display isn’t the best you’ll find on a device at this size. While it doesn’t suffer like the Google Pixel 2 XL (which is to the detriment of the whole experience), the V30 can perform poorly in some conditions. For some, that might be a situation that never arises, but for others, it could well be the deal-breaker. Best LG V30 deals  Alternatives to consider… Samsung Galaxy S8+The Samsung Galaxy S8+ might be pretty old, but the fact that it’s still putting new phones in their place is indicative of how accomplished it is. A beautiful curve-edge display, which is bright, sharp and brilliant, tops this striking design. There’s plenty of power in this waterproof phone, along with battery life that will get you through the day, as well as the convenience of a microSD card slot and 3.5mm headphone socket. It’s also cheaper than the V30, which offering just as much power and a camera that’s hugely impressive, if not as creative on the video front and lacking that second lens.Read the full review: Samsung Galaxy S8+ Huawei Mate 10 ProWith the Mate 10 Pro Huawei has cracked that big phone formula. This is one of the most accomplished devices from Huawei ever, offering a big screen experience in a package that’s wonderful to look at and use. There’s a pair of great cameras on the rear and even EMUI has been reduced to the point that it no longer feels like it’s getting in the way of the experience.This all comes at a price that makes the Mate 10 Pro appealing, but Huawei has ditched the headphone socket and we didn’t always find it to have the strongest network performance.Read the full review: Huawei Mate 10 Pro Google Pixel 2 XLThere’s a lot to love about the Pixel 2 XL. It has one of the best cameras on the market and while it might lack the V30’s wide-angle lens, it’s generally a better performer in all conditions. There’s plenty of power, that raw front-of-the-update query Android Oreo and an incredibly slick software experience. The display doesn’t offer a great experience however, with Google tuning it for a natural colour experience and in the process stripping all the life out of it. That’s been addressed with software updates, but we’d sooner pick the V30 for the display, even if that struggles in some areas too.Read the full review: Google Pixel 2 XL  Close LG V30 - 4.0 / 5 FORAGAINST Great design and build waterproofing 3.5mm headphone socket and headphones sound great thanks to Quad DAC wide-angle camera good battery life good fingerprint sensor placement Display isn’t the best quality out there some software quirks (failed Bluetooth) and bloat apps camera performance could be better in some areas SQUIRREL_142084 Best LG V30 deals

Embracing quality design

  • 151.7 x 75.4 x 7.3mm; 158g Gorilla Glass 5 front and rear IP68 waterproofing

Samsung Galaxy S8+

The Samsung Galaxy S8+ might be pretty old, but the fact that it’s still putting new phones in their place is indicative of how accomplished it is. A beautiful curve-edge display, which is bright, sharp and brilliant, tops this striking design. 

Huawei Mate 10 Pro

With the Mate 10 Pro Huawei has cracked that big phone formula. This is one of the most accomplished devices from Huawei ever, offering a big screen experience in a package that’s wonderful to look at and use. There’s a pair of great cameras on the rear and even EMUI has been reduced to the point that it no longer feels like it’s getting in the way of the experience.

Google Pixel 2 XL

There’s a lot to love about the Pixel 2 XL. It has one of the best cameras on the market and while it might lack the V30’s wide-angle lens, it’s generally a better performer in all conditions. There’s plenty of power, that raw front-of-the-update query Android Oreo and an incredibly slick software experience. 

Big OLED display, but how does it perform?

  • 6-inch, 2880 x 1440 pixels (536ppi) 18:9 aspect ratio OLED panel

Hardware power and battery performance

  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, 4GB RAM 64GB storage, microSD card slot 3300mAh battery, Quick Charge 3.0

Music sounds better with you

  • Quad DAC (32-bit, 384kHz) aptX HD via Bluetooth 3.5mm headphone socket B&O Play headphones in the box

One of the most fun cameras you’ll find on a smartphone

  • Main: 70-degree, 16-megapixel, f/1.6, OIS Wide-angle: 120-degree, 13-megapixel, f/1.9 Front: 5-megapixel

V30 software leans towards LG

  • Android 7.1.2 Nougat Plans for Oreo update Some app additions

To recap

At its core this is a phone with power and good battery life - with fast charging options - and a camera that - while not the best - offers creative options you cannot achieve on other devices. Within that, there’s uniqueness that makes the LG V30 appeal. But the display isn’t the best you’ll find on a device at this size.