LG K30 Review: Does it Offer More Than the K20 Plus?

LG K30: At First Glance

Smartphone lovers and LG fans alike were really looking forward to everything about LG K30 when it was announced in 2018. This is because this device is the successor of the LG K20 Plus.

As a successor, LG K30 is expected to clearly exceed whatever the LG K20 Plus had to offer when it was released in 2016.

Now, the question before us is – does the K30 really offer more than its predecessor or it just has a change in name? This question and more will be answered in subsequent paragraphs of this review.

LG K30: Design, Dimensions and Weight

Many smartphone manufacturers understand that many fans appreciate a stunner when it comes to the overall design of their phones. With that said, it’s fair to say LG made an attempt in giving us a stylish smartphone in LG K30.

The LG K30 has a plastic build which shouldn’t surprise you for a low-end smartphone. After all, it’s normal for manufacturers to compromise some aspects of a device to suit the price.

Even with this plastic build, the design is stylish – it won’t excite you nor shame you either.

To start with, surrounding this phone are black bezels. The bezels are thick at the top and at the bottom while the sides are relatively slim.

The lower bezels are actually bare – no navigation keys nor front-mounted fingerprint sensor on here. This then makes you wonder why LG made the bezels thick anyway.

Surrounding these bezels is a dimension of 148.6 x 75.0 x 8.6 mm. With such a dimension, you can be sure this phone wouldn’t be too big for your hands.

Speaking of big, the LG K30 weighs 168.1 g.

Comparatively, the more expensive Samsung Galaxy A10 weighs the same as the LG K30. On the other hand, the Huawei Y5 2019 and the Moto E6 Plus weigh less at 146g and 149g.

However, the LG K30 weighs more than the K20 Plus which is 140g. We can’t tell why the K30 is heavier than its predecessor but you can trust that the K30 won’t be a burden.

On the curved edges of this average-weight device, you’ll see the volume bar on the left. The SIM and microSD card slot on the other hand is located on the right.

Still on its edges, there’s the audio jack at the lower edge beside the Micro USB charging port. The top curved edge is bare – nothing on here.

Having multiple color options to choose from when getting a smartphone can be a strong need for smartphone lovers. For that need, LG provides only two color options – blue and black.

When it comes to branding, there’s no indication that LG K30 is an LG brand just by looking at its surface. The only place you’ll find an LG logo is on the lower back of this phone.

The back of this phone is made of metal which makes it rather slippery when in your hands. It’s advisable you get a phone case for that.

In addition to the back, there’s a rear-facing camera on top followed by an LED flash and fingerprint sensor. Far below that back is also a back-facing speaker.

A rear-facing speaker is never convenient especially when you’re trying to watch that game without earphones. This is one downside that wasn’t appreciated in the K20 series.

Away from that, for some funny reason, LG put a hard-to-remove sticker on the phone’s back. This sticker is simply there to warn users that the back cover is not to be removed.

It’s not an unusual warning by manufacturers, however, the sticker should have been easier to take off. Nevertheless, you can take out this sticker but just be ready to do a lot of wiping off with some alcohol or medicated spirit.

One definite upside about this phone is that it doesn’t look cheap and neither will it knock your socks off. That said, I will be rating this design section an eight out of ten in this LG K30 review.

LG K30: Display Features

In the display department, the LG K30 follows the pattern of its predecessor – the K20 Plus. To start with, the K30 has the IPS LCD display type.

For emphasis, this IPS LCD is a common display technology found in low-end and mid-range smartphones. The reason for that is because IPS LCD is less expensive than the AMOLED display.

One great benefit of using the IPS LCD is the great viewing angles it provides. For clarity, viewing angles are important in a smartphone because it maintains the clarity of a display even when you rotate or tilt the smartphone.

However, a common downside of the IPS LCD is its ability to drain the battery juice. Even at that, it won’t be so unbearable if you have a reliable battery.

Another aspect of the LG K30 display feature is the HD (1280 x 720) resolution. Actually, HD is the least good as far as resolutions are concerned.

LG’s excuse for not making this an FHD resolution instead is probably because of the need to make this a low-budget device. Anyway, the main reason HD isn’t so desirable is because of its limiting display quality.

In a real sense, if you want a great cinematic experience and crispy colors popping on a screen, the HD won’t cut it. You can add a few cash and get the LG Stylo 4 or the Honor 7X which offer an FHD+ resolution.

As for the display screen, the LG K30 is 5.3″ inches in size. This is the same size as the LG K20 series and if you’re familiar with those, you should expect a moderate screen size for your viewing pleasure.

With absolutely no difference from the K20, the display section deserves an eight in this LG K30 review.

LG K30: Camera Features

We can all agree that the camera feature of a smartphone is usually one thing we love to get right. Well, the LG K30 has a 13 MP rear-facing camera and a 5 MP selfie camera.

Asides from a high megapixel (MP), aperture (ƒ.) is another determinant of good camera quality. Having said that, this 13 MP camera has an aperture of f/2.0 while the 5 MP camera has an aperture of ƒ/2.2.

This 13 MP camera takes pictures that are relatively okay in good lighting. In dim or low-lit areas, you won’t get good shots with this camera.

To make the most out of this camera, you’ll need the right amount of light. Additionally, the 5MP selfie camera takes soft pictures with or without a good amount of light but will not do so well for the gram.

It’s fair to say that both cameras are actually decent. They won’t blow you away but they won’t make you embarrassed either.

As a whole, the camera is what you’ll typically expect from a low-budget smartphone. For that reason, I will rate this camera section an eight in this LG K30 review.

LG K30 Battery Life And Talk Time Review

The battery powering the LG K30 is a 3000 mAH non-removable battery. It’s in this aspect we see something slightly different from the K20 series.

First, the K30 battery is 200 mAH higher than the 2800 mAH battery of the K20. Secondly, the K20 has a removable battery which is something we particularly loved about the phone.

At a time like this when removable batteries are becoming increasingly rear, it was impressive to see some manufacturers still using it. However, it appears LG didn’t want to continue with that trend in the K30.

Having said that, do have it in mind that if anything happens to this battery, you won’t be able to replace it till it returns to LG.

Moving on, the LG K30 has an average battery talk time of 13 hours 40 minutes. On continuous web browsing, you can be sure to get a solid 11 hours on the K30 which is better than the 9 hours 48 minutes on the K20 Plus.

When compared with other smartphones, the Redmi 7A lasts 14 hours 21 minutes and that’s because it has a 4000 mAh battery. The Huawei Y5 with its 3020 mAh battery, lasts 11 hours 8 minutes also on continuous web browsing.

As for video playback, the LG K30 lasts 5 hours 40 minutes at maximum brightness. The Moto G6 Play with its 4000 mAh lasts 12 hours on video playback which is no surprise for such a battery size.

Now that you know what battery life is like on this phone, it’s also important you know if it takes ages to charge the K30. Well, this smartphone does not have a fast charging feature just like its predecessor.

This means you’ll spend close to three hours getting a full charge from 0-100% on the K30.

In brief, despite not having a removable battery and fast charging, the LG K30 will last a whole day on average use. That is enough reason to rate this battery section an eight in this LG K30 review.

LG K30: Storage Options and Performance

The aspect of storage is another feature LG did better in the K30, compared to the K20 Plus. Actually, the K30 comes with 32 GB storage which is better than the 16 GB storage that came with the K20.

As we know, much of this storage doesn’t exactly come with that size on purchase. What this means is that the operating system tends to take up about 8-10 GB of that storage which further limits what you get.

Depending on your use, less than 32 GB may or may not be enough for your storage needs. Just in case it won’t be enough, there is an option to expand the storage using a microSD card.

Fortunately, LG continued with its impressive maximum storage expansion capacity in this phone like its predecessor. To be precise, the LG K30 supports a microSD card that can take up to 2 TB!

With such a storage capacity, you won’t be getting the “storage full” notification necessarily. It’s also important to note that the microSD card doesn’t come with the phone in the box – you’ll have to purchase it separately.

All in all, a higher 32 GB storage and 2 TB storage expansion is one thing to love about the LG K30. For that reason, I will be rating this storage section a nine in this LG K30 review.

LG K30: Security Features and Sensors

Sensors and security features are great additions to smartphones that make you enjoy using the phone even more. Most sensors found in smartphones are the accelerometer, ambient light, gyroscope, compass, proximity, and fingerprint.

Of all these sensors listed above, the LG K30 comes with an accelerometer, compass, fingerprint, and proximity sensor. To provide clarity, I’ll explain them one at a time.

The accelerometer is responsible for how your screen responds when you activate “auto-rotate” on your smartphone. Next is the compass sensor which acts as the name suggests.

It tends to be useful when you have a map or compass app on the phone. This compass sensor gives you direction when you activate an app that provides direction.

The rear-mounted fingerprint sensor is the security feature of this smartphone. This means that you don’t have to unlock your device with a PIN or pattern – you can unlock your device in milliseconds by moving your finger on the sensor.

Also, like the LG K20 Plus and K20 V, this fingerprint sensor also doubles as the power button of the K30. There’s really no downside to this, it’s actually more of an innovation.

As for the proximity sensor, this feature is responsible for turning off the screen display when you’re on a phone call. Such a feature actually helps preserve the battery which is definitely what we need!

In a word, the K30 shares the same impressive sensor features as the K20 Plus. For that reason, I will be rating this section a nine in this LG K30 review.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

On a final note, there’s not so much difference between the LG K30 and its predecessor. If you’re currently using any version of the K20, you most likely have no reason to change to the K30.

This phone still comes with the same features except for the 32 GB – which doesn’t mean much since there’s also a storage expansion of 2 TB.

The battery size also has very little difference when compared with the K20. We also can’t forget that it’s better to have a removable battery like the K20 than a non-removable one on the K30.

If you must upgrade your phone and you love LG so much, I’ll advise you to add some cash and get the LG Stylo 4. This phone has a better display, bigger screen, bigger battery, fast charging feature, and the same storage option as the K30.

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