APPLE IPHONE X VS. LG V30: BATTLE OF THE BEZEL-LESS BEAUTIES

Alongside Samsung, LG was one of the first major manufacturers to jump on the “bezel-less” bandwagon. Barring some minor niggles about audio quality and storage space, we loved the LG G6 (check out our full impressions in our LG G6 review), so we’re understandably excited about the impending U.S. release of theLG V30. There are plenty of reasons why we’re excited — the V30 is bringing improved audio, a stunning 6-inch bezel-less OLED screen, and the raw power of the Snapdragon 835.

But it’s not just Samsung and LG in the bezel-less game now. Other companies are starting to catch on, and bezel-less concepts are popping up left, right, and center. Apple recently threw its hat into the ring with the iPhone X — its vision of a bezel-free future. With Apple’s newest and most powerful A11 Bionic processor, a 5.8-inch Super Retina OLED screen, and all the usual iOS polish, the iPhone X is a serious contender looking to rule the roost for the Cupertino, California giant. But who has the edge in this battle of the titanic screens? Which phone should you put your money behind? We take a look at both the LG V30 and the iPhone X in this head-to-head, and see how they fare when trading blows.

SPECS

	iPhone X	LG V30
Size	143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7 mm (5.65 x 2.79 x 0.30 inches)	151.7 x 75.4 x 7.4 mm (5.97 x 2.97 x 0.29 inches)
Weight	174 grams (6.14 ounces)	158 grams (5.57 ounces)
Screen	5.8-inch Super Retina OLED display	6-inch P-OLED display
Resolution	2,436 x 1,125 pixels (458 ppi)	2,880 x 1,440 pixels (537 ppi)
OS	iOS 11	Android 7.1.2
Storage	64GB, 256GB	64GB, 128GB (on the V30+)
MicroSD card slot	No	Yes, up to 256 GB
NFC support	Yes (Apple Pay only)	Yes
Processor	A11 Bionic with 64-bit architecture, M11 motion co-processor	Snapdragon 835, with Adreno 540
RAM	3GB	4GB
Connectivity	4G LTE, GSM, CDMA, HSPA+, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi	GSM, CDMA, HSPA, EVDO, LTE, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi
Camera	Dual 12 MP rear, 7MP FaceTime HD front	Dual 16MP and 13MP wide angle rear, 5MP wide angle front
Video	Up to 4K at 60fps, 1080p at 240fps	Up to 4K at 30fps, 1080p at 30fps, 720p at 120fps
Bluetooth	Yes, version 5.0	Yes, version 5.0
Fingerprint sensor	No, has Face ID instead	Yes
Other sensors	Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer	Gyroscope, accelerometer, compass, proximity sensor
Water resistant	Yes, IP67 rated	Yes, IP68 rated
Battery	2,716mAh 21 hours of talk time, 13 hours of internet, 14 hours of video playback, and up to 60 hours of audio playback Fast charging – 50 percent charge in 30 minutes, wireless charging (Qi standard)	3,300mAh QuickCharge 3.0 fast charging, wireless charging (Qi standard)
Charging port	Lightning	USB-C
Marketplace	Apple App Store	Google Play Store
Colors	Space Gray, Silver	Cloud Silver, Moroccan Blue
Availability	AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Apple	AT&T, LG
Price	$999	$750
DT review	Hands-on review	Hands-on review

Apple’s A10 Fusion processor, which powered the iPhone 7, was still capable of showing the door to the Galaxy S8’s Snapdragon 835, so it comes as no surprise that the upgraded A11 Bionic is capable of thoroughly wiping the floor with the competition. The Snapdragon 835 in the LG V30 is going to put up a good fight but, based on tests of the A11, the iPhone X is far superior to the V30 in terms of pure power. That doesn’t mean that the V30 is a slow phone. On the contrary — the Snapdragon 835 is a very respectable processor, packing tons of power andscoring highly on Geekbench’s tests. So, while the iPhone X is the more powerful handset, that should be seen as a salute to the power of the A11 Bionic chip, rather than a black mark against the Snapdragon 835 in the V30.

In terms of RAM, the V30 hosts a whole extra gigabyte of RAM compared to the iPhone X, which is currently rumored to have only 3GB of RAM. That being said, it’s hard to say whether you’ll actually be able to feel the difference between the two. Android and iOS deal with memory management differently, so pure numbers can’t dictate real-life performance when comparing iPhones to Androids.

It’s a similar story when it comes to hard drive capacity. Apple offers models with 64GB and 256GB hard drives, while LG only offers 64GB, with 128GB being available in certain markets with the LG V30+. But, while that’s all you’re ever going to get with the iPhone X, you can boost the LG V30’s available memory by up to 256GB, thanks to a MicroSD slot. While iPhone users may become annoyed with their eventual lack of storage, and be forced to invest in something like a Leef iBridge, or rely on the iCloud for storage, V30 owners will be able to swap out MicroSD cards whenever they run out of storage. That said, both models do offer a significant amount of space, and diligent users are likely to have plenty of storage for some time to come.

It’s a tough call between the two phones where pure specs are concerned. While the V30 offers slightly more RAM, and the option of expandable storage, it’s hard to beat the iPhone X in terms of raw power.

Winner: iPhone X

DISPLAY, DESIGN, AND DURABILITY