Samsung vs. LG: Comparing Specs for the Galaxy S9 & the LG V30

With the Galaxy S9 finally making its debut, flagship season is officially underway. But even though Samsung's latest offerings are the newest phones out there, they already face some stiff competition — namely, the LG V30.

The LG V30 has only been on the market since September, making it a "new" phone in its own right — and with reports that LG may be delaying the G7, it should remain the company's flagship device for a while. With that, it's clearly one of the natural foes of the Galaxy S9, so let's see how they stack up against each other.

The Specs

While specs are clearly important, a lot goes into how a device feels. Still, take a look at this chart below to get a rough idea of how these two devices compare.

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What the LG V30 Does Well

As you can see from the chart above, these two devices are similar in a lot of ways — however, LG's V30 clearly defeats the Galaxy S9 in a few key areas. If you want a larger yet thinner device, the V30 is probably for you. Its 6-inch screen is ever-so-slightly bigger than the S9's 5.8-inch, and yet it's still almost half an inch thinner. On top of that, its 3,300 mAh battery is 10% bigger than the S9's 3,000 mAh offering.

Aaron Yoo/Flickr

What the Galaxy S9 Does Well

What the Galaxy lacks in size and battery, it makes up for in performance. It's the first Android phone to use the Snapdragon 845, powering its out-of-the-box Android 8.0 Oreo (of which only unlocked LG V30s currently have). It also has stereo speakers, making it the superior multimedia device (despite the smaller battery).

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Conclusion

While you can't go wrong with either of these devices, they're tailored to different types of people. The LG V30 was the top dog a few months ago, but is now located somewhere in the amalgam of late 2017 flagships. Still, it's a great phone with a massive battery that you will likely find much cheaper than the Galaxy S9. If you care about battery life and cost more than raw performance, this is still a great phone.

Now, the Galaxy S9 is a great device for the tech trailblazer. It will be the first phone to ship with the Snapdragon 845, and the stereo speakers will make gaming and movie-watching a great experience. Samsung's screens are always top-notch, so you won't have to worry there.

I intentionally didn't bring up the camera, as both phones go toe-to-toe here. The LG V30 had the largest smartphone aperture at f/1.6, but will be dethroned by the Galaxy S9's f/1.5. Additionally, the V30's camera has a 16 MP shooter, while the S9's is 12 MP. Still, the tech inside the S9's camera is supposedly incredible, so if mobile photography is important to you, wait and see on the Galaxy S9.

LG전자/Flickr

Overall, either phone is a worthy choice. However, if money isn't really an object to you — the answer probably lies with the Galaxy S9. As with most tech, the answer is usually to just "get the newest one," and this is rarely more true than with Android phones.

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Cover image by Chris Smith/Twitter