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LG’s new 4K projector is its first and most expensive

4K projectors are becoming more versatile these days, and LG’s HU80KA is no exception. It won a Best of Innovation award at CES earlier this year and will be available at retailers in the US later this week.

Brighter is better

In addition to being LG’s first 4K projector, it will also be its brightest yet at 2500 lumens. But it will also be the brands most expensive costing $3000.

The HU80KA has a unique upright box shape and is capable of outputting a 4K picture up to 150-inches onto a wall or ceiling.

There’s a lid on top of the projector that opens when you want to use it.

Its design also makes it incredibly versatile. You can set it on the floor, tabletop or hang it from the ceiling. Its built-in handle and cord reel make it easy to carry from room to room.

It features support for industry-standard HDR10, wireless connection for external devices, Bluetooth, two built-in 7W speakers, as well as HDMI and optical audio.

The HU80KA also has LG’s webOS Smart TV software, so you’ll have access to all your favorite streaming platforms.

If you’re interested in buying the LG HU80KA be sure to check out their website for a list of retailers that will stock it.

The post LG’s new 4K projector is its first and most expensive appeared first on The Gadgeteer.

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LG’s new 4K projector is its first and most expensive originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 6, 2018 at 8:00 am.

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LG V30 review

When I made the decision to go back to an Android smartphone after a brief vacation to Apple land this summer, my choices for a new phone were between the Samsung Galaxy S8, Samsung Galaxy Note8, Pixel 2 XL, and the LG V30. I ruled out the Samsung devices because I’m not a fan of the curved sides or the fingerprint sensor location. That meant that my choice was narrowed down to the new Pixel 2 XL and the LG V30. Fortunately for me, Verizon Wireless sent me a loaner unit of the LG V30 which I’ve been using on and off for the last couple of weeks. Let’s take a look to see if I end up choosing to buy the LG V30 or the Google Pixel 2 XL. 

What is it?

The LG V30 is LG’s latest flagship Android smartphone running Android OS version 7.1.2.

What’s in the box?

LG V30
USB (Type-C to Type-C) Cable
USB (Type-C to Type-A) Cable
SIM Eject Pin
Quick Reference Guide

Hardware specs

Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 835 2.45 GHz x 4 + 1.9 GHz x 4 Octa-Core MSM8998
Display: POLED 6.0″ QHD Plus FullVision™ Display (2880 x 1440) with 538 ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Operating System: Android 7.1.2 Nougat
Memory: Flash: 64GB RAM: 4GB
Expandable Memory: Removable microSD up to 2TB (sold separately)
Network: CDMA, GSM, UMTS, LTE frequencies: 1.9 GHz CDMA PCS, 800 MHz CDMA; GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz; UMTS 850/900/1900/2100 MHz; LTE Bands 2/3/4/5/7/13/20/46/66 Data Transmission: EVDO, EVDO Rev A, 1xRTT, LTE, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, GSM, HSPA+, HSPA
Camera (rear): 16 MP Standard-Angle Lens f/1.6
Camera (front): 5 MP Wide-Angle Lens f/2.2
Bluetooth: 5.0, Wi-Fi, NFC
Battery: 3,300mAH, Non-removable
Dimensions: 5.97 in x 2.97 in
Weight: 5.57 oz

Design and features


The LG V30 looks a lot like the Samsung Galaxy S8 with polished metal rails around all sides and rounded edges which thankfully, aren’t curved like the S8’s edges. The LG V30 also has a glass back which allows for Qi wireless charging.

Like the S8, the LG V30 has a buttonless front with a very nice 6-inch display that has minimal top and bottom bezels.

The back of the phone has a dual camera lens and an LED flash at the top with the perfectly placed combination fingerprint sensor/power button in the upper center exactly where your index finger rests when you pick up the phone.

On the left side of the V30 are separate volume buttons that have very good tactile feedback and are raised far enough that it’s easy to find each button with your finger without looking.

On the opposite side of the phone, you’ll find the combination SIM/microSD card tray.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think LG and Samsung are the only high-end smartphones that still offer a microSD card slot. I used to demand this feature in any new phone that I would purchase because I wanted the security of backing up my photos to a card. But in this day and age, I find that I don’t care about this feature quite so much due Google Photos automated image back up to the cloud. It’s still a nice feature to have though.

The top edge of the LG V30 has a microphone and what’s swiftly becoming an endangered port: a 3.5mm headphone jack.

If we examine the bottom edge of the V30, we find another microphone, a USB Type-C port, and a speaker. The location of the speaker is a little unfortunate if you like to hold the phone in your right hand like I do which ends up covering the speaker and muffling the sound.

The fit and finish of this phone get a thumbs up from me. It looks nice, feels solid, and is comfortable in hand. Speaking of in hand, the LG V30 passes the Gadgeteer squeeze test with no complaints, but if I give it a really strong shake, I can hear the volume buttons rattling ever so slightly. Yes, I know I am crazy to still be doing the Gadgeteer squeeze test after 20 years 😉

Display

This phone sports a 6 inch POLED display. If the addition of a P in front of OLED is confusing you, you’re not alone. The P stands for the plastic base layer that is used instead of a glass base layer which is used in most OLED displays.

The display has thin bezels and virtual navigation buttons that can disappear automatically in some apps like Chrome shown above.

The nav buttons reappear if you swipe up from the bottom edge of the phone.


In some apps, you can close the nav bar with the small arrow on the left side of the nav bar.


Sometimes you’ll see a double arrow next to the nav bar that will prompt you to switch to the 18:9 display mode.

If you’ve been following the Pixel 2 XL displaygate bruhaha, you’ve heard about the blue tint issue that the Pixel 2 XL has when you tilt the screen. The LG V30 has the same “issue” which is not a surprise since LG makes the Pixel 2 XL and they both share the same POLED display technology.

I wasn’t able to photograph the display well enough to demonstrate the blue tint issue, but suffice to say, that I personally do not find it to be the huge catastrophe that some people feel it to be. I didn’t even notice the problem on the V30 or my Pixel 2 XL until after people started talking about it and then I could see it. But the thing is, I don’t care because I’m not using my phone with it tilted away from me. I use my phones facing my eyes straight on and at that angle, there’s no blue tint.

Then there’s the burn-in issue that some people are seeing on the Pixel 2 XL. This can be an issue with OLED displays, but again, I’ve yet to see it on my loaner LG V30 or my Pixel 2 XL. That said, I’m more anxious about the potential for burn-in than the blue tint issue so I plan to keep an eye on my Pixel 2 XL’s display. Now back to the LG V30 review…

When it’s all said and done, I find the LG V30’s display to have sharp crisp text and bright vivid colors. It’s enjoyable to read, surf and watch videos on it and I have no complaints about the display at this time.

Camera

LG phones usually have decent cameras, but they aren’t known for their cameras like the iPhone and last year’s Pixel XL.

The stock camera app is pretty basic except for the handy built-in sharing bar that you can use to send images to a calendar event, Bluetooth, the LG Memo app, email, and the Verizon messaging app.


The also has a selection of modes that you can use to spice up your shots. But missing is a portrait mode which has becoming a big selling point for the iPhone and the Pixel 2.


The LG V30’s dual camera lens does offer a really nice wide angle mode that will allow you to fit in a lot more “stuff” in your images. Both images above were taken from the same distance, but the only difference was toggling the wide angle mode in the image on the right.


I was impressed with the images that I shot with the V30. Click any of these example images to view the full sized shot.



All my shots came out great if a bit oversaturated… but I personally like that look when it’s not overdone.

Audio quality

I already touched on the fact that I don’t like the placement of the speaker on the bottom right of the phone. There’s also the fact that it’s just a mono speaker. While most people probably won’t be listening to a lot of audio/music through that speaker, it is a little disappointing that LG didn’t put more effort in that area. My guess is that the decision to go with the placement was to keep the phone as small as possible and the screen’s bezels equally small.

But plug in a pair of headphones and your ears will be happy. Audio through headphones wired and unwired sounds very very nice.

Software and user interface


The LG V30’s user interface is pretty basic even with LG’s layer on top of stock Android. LG offers a few extras like the pop out shortcut bar that harkens to Samsung’s edge display. The difference is that you can’t swipe the edge of the screen to pop out the bar, you have to tap on the little tab. Since the tab is quite small, it makes the effort a little frustrating at times. I don’t know about you, but I rarely use these extra nav bars since it’s just as easy to put my most used app shortcuts and widgets right there on the first home screen.

Speaking of home screens, that’s where all your apps icons will live because LG’s custom skin over Android does not include an app drawer.

Another special LG feature allows you to shrink the screen for easier one-handed use. I don’t use this either.

One complaint that I do have about software and the V30 is that the phone doesn’t ship with Oreo. It has Android v7.1 Nougat.

Using the LG V30 for phone calls

I didn’t have any complaints from people I talked to while testing the LG V30. Conversations on both sides of my calls were clear and with decent volume. I also did not have any issues with dropped calls while testing this phone. Signal strength seemed to be no better or worse than other phones that I use and test on the Verizon network in my area.

Overall performance and battery life using the LG V30 for day to day tasks

When it comes to overall system speed, I have no complaints about the V30. Apps launch quickly, screens scroll smoothly, and I didn’t notice any sluggishness or problems navigating between apps.

I didn’t do any special battery life testing, but it felt better than other phones I’ve recently tested. You should have little trouble getting through a day on a full charge and if you barely use your phone, it might last for up to a week on a charge if you turn off apps that constantly ping for new info.

Final thoughts

After spending a few weeks with the LG V30 and the Pixel 2 XL at the same time, I ultimately decided to buy a Pixel 2 XL instead of an LG V30. The V30 is a really nice phone and I’ll be sad to send it back to Verizon because it has wireless charging and a microSD card slot, which I like. It also has the volume buttons on the left side of the phone instead of the right side, which I prefer.

But when it came down to it, my main reasons for going with the Pixel 2 XL instead of the V30 are stock Android, faster OS updates, and full resolution automatic image backup to the cloud. Those benefits tipped the scale for me.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Verizon Wireless. Please visit their site for more info.

 

Product Information

Price: $840.00
Manufacturer: LG
Retailer: Verizon Wireless
Pros:
  • Thin bezels
  • Wireless charging
  • microSD card slot
  • Extra 1yr warranty through Verizon
Cons:
  • Some people may complain about the slight blue tint on the display when not viewed straight on

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LG V30 review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 9, 2017 at 11:00 am.

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Is the LG V30 the best new bang for your buck smartphone this year?

I just heard that the LG V30 will be available here in the US starting on October 5 from Verizon and then later on October 13 from T-Mobile. This may sound surprising, but I’m more excited to try this Android smartphone than I am to get my hands on the iPhone X which isn’t due to ship until Nov-freaking-ember.

Maybe I’m feeling this way because I’m starting to get a little bored with my iPhone 7 Plus which I’ve been using for the past 3 months. My boredom levels didn’t improve even after last week’s OS update to iOS 11 which in my opinion, didn’t feel very magical.

Maybe it’s because I got the opportunity to review the Samsung Galaxy Note8 and it reminded me of why I love Android and started giving me thoughts of running back into the arms of that loveable green robot.

It could also be due to the fact that I like LG devices and used the LG G3 for a year before moving to the Nexus 6P.

Or maybe it’s because the LG V30 is priced up to $200 less than the iPhone X, and has a microSD card slot, wireless charging, 3.5mm headphone jack, 13MP/16MP dual rear lens camera, Quad DAC audio, and a 6″ 18:9 FullVision OLED display.

The only disappointment in the specs that I noticed so far is the OS version – the V30 ships with Android Nougat (v7) instead of the latest Oreo (v8).

I can’t wait to get my hands on this phone. Anyone else interested in the LG V30?

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Is the LG V30 the best new bang for your buck smartphone this year? originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 28, 2017 at 12:49 pm.

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LG V30 takes on the Galaxy Note 8 with a beautiful new look and improved optics

LG’s follow up to the V20 is here, and the rumors and leaks were pretty spot on. To that effect, the new V30 packs in a stunning 6.0″ QHD+ OLED Display with a 2880 x 1440 resolution, but by the size of it you would never guess it was packing in such a large display. That’s because it sports an 82% screen to body ratio (with a 18:9 aspect ratio), allowing the LG V30 to pull off a big screen in a relatively small body that measures just 5.96 x 2.96 x 0.29 inches. 

Design-wise, the LG V30 takes queues from the LG G6, not the V20. And in comparison to its predecessor, we wholeheartedly prefer the V30’s new look, and find it to be more attractive this time around. Overall, the phone is gorgeous, thin, and weighing around 158g, it feels surprisingly lightweight to hold in your hand. The phone is also IP68 water and dust resistant, it’s rocking Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and back, and it has passed 14 different military-standard durability tests – so not only is it pretty, but it’s also pretty tough.

The LG V30 is heavily focused on imaging, optics and Hi-Fi audio. When it comes to filming video, you can smoothly zoom in on objects. We tried this out and were impressed with how smooth the zooming in is compared to most other phones. In addition to video recording with Hi-Fi audio, there’s also a feature called Cine Effect which produces more cinematic videos. The phone also comes with a Quick Video Editor for easy editing on the fly.

For photos, the camera sports a crystal clear lens for capturing more light and more detailed images with improved dynamic range and darker darks, thanks to a 10-bit HDR image sensor. LG has also preloaded the phone with GRAPHY, which we’d best describe as part EYE.EM / part learning tool. Essentially, GRAPHY lets you browse through a catalog of photos taken by professional photographers. If you spot a photo you like and feel inspired to snap a similar photo, all you have to do is select the photo and you can import the manual camera settings that the original photographer used for that photo. This seems like a potentially great way to up the ante with your photos by cheating, and we wholeheartedly approve.

Fingerprint locks are soooo 2015. Fortunately there are various ways to wake-up the V30. In addition to using your fingerprint, you can use face recognition, voice recognition, or you can knock on the display with your fingers. Other notable specs of the V30 include an improved f1.9 wide angel camera, a 3,300 mAh battery, an SD card slot a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor.

The biggest hurdle for the V30 is whether or not it can properly take on the recently announced Galaxy Note 8. Both devices sport a similar look and a similar large screen to body ratio, but the Note 8 has its iconic S Pen feature. The V30 on the other hand doesn’t have a reputation for blowing up, so it will be interesting to see which device comes out on top with consumers.

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LG V30 takes on the Galaxy Note 8 with a beautiful new look and improved optics originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 31, 2017 at 6:18 am.

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Julie’s gadget diary – I am finally replacing my Nexus 6P


I’ve been using the same phone for a year and a half which is like a decade in Gadgeteer years. The phone I’ve been using is the Nexus 6P and for the most part, it’s been a rock solid performer. So much so, that even after trying other newer phones like the iPhone 7, Google Pixel XL, and Samsung Galaxy S8, that I haven’t wanted to switch. I guess I should say that it’s not that I don’t want a new phone, but it’s that I haven’t wanted to spend money on a new phone when my Nexus 6P is still working just fine. But I finally caved in last night and ordered a new phone without really spending any out of pocket money to do it. 

Yesterday morning Ryan from Colorado emailed me asking if I still had a Saddleback Leather bag that I had reviewed almost 10 years ago. I looked in my closet of unused bags and sure enough, it was still there along with another SB bag. Both bags were in pristine condition and he was happy to get a very good deal on the pair of them considering how much those same bags are selling for today on SB’s site.

I turned around later that night and ordered a new phone. Which one did I order? My choice was between a Google Pixel XL, Samsung Galaxy S8, or an LG G6. I decided to go with the LG G6 because it’s the least expensive of the three phones, has wireless charging and doesn’t have curved screen sides.

My first choice of the three was the Google Pixel XL but it is also the most expensive. My main reason that it was my first choice is that I’d get to run Android O (v8.0) as soon as it rolls out instead of having to wait for the phone manufacturer to roll it out. I also like that photos back up to Google at full resolution.

I decided to go with the LG G6 though because it’s the least expensive of the three phones, has wireless charging and doesn’t have curved screen sides which I don’t really care for.

I also decided to get the platinum version of the G6 instead of the black one just to be a little different and I plan to put a Dbrand skin on the back of the phone to protect it from scratches, so it doesn’t really matter what color it is.

I ordered an unlocked version of the LG G6 from B&H Photo where it’s currently selling for $549.99 with free shipping and no tax if you live outside NY, NJ. It arrives Wednesday. 🙂

If you want to buy an LG G6 at an even better price you can get one for $529.99 through Amazon. The only catch is that it’s the international version of the G6, so it doesn’t have a US warranty and it doesn’t have wireless charging.

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Julie’s gadget diary – I am finally replacing my Nexus 6P originally appeared on on June 11, 2017 at 3:48 pm.

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