LG W30 hands-on review

Software

The LG W30 ships with a near stock version of Android. The OS is free of any kind of bloatware or unnecessary services of any kind. The app drawer by default is so empty it almost felt like we were running a prototype running an early build of an OS, rather than a retail unit of a production device.

This level of simplicity and cleanliness is hard to come by. Even devices that claim to have stock Android often come packed with a bunch of apps from the manufacturer on top or some third party apps, but not the W30. For that, we tip our hat to LG.

Default launcher

Going through the default app list, the only offending members were the three Google Docs apps (Docs, Sheets, Slides) and the Google News app, which could not be uninstalled. We wish that wasn't the case but at least they have some value and should come in handy to users. The only other app not usually found in stock Android is LG's Camera app and a Sound Recorder app. The latter records audio files in rather outdated 3gpp or AMR codecs, which is rather odd as most apps these days offer at least AAC or WAV codec options. This made the app somewhat useless and again, it could not be uninstalled.

Additional features

The Settings app has not seen too many additions. You can change the navigation buttons from the default, which is Pixel style two button layout that requires a swipe up to access the app switcher or a traditional three button layout. There are some gestures like double tap to wake or sleep the device, flip to mute and raise to wake. Lastly, a feature called DuraSpeed lets you select apps to run in the background so they open immediately and aren't closed by the app management.

Other than that, this is as close to stock Android as it gets. Only piece of the puzzle that's missing now is updates. LG has never been known to update its devices on time, so we aren't too thrilled about this one. Our review unit was running the May security patch well into August, so things aren't looking too good. We hope LG at least releases semi regular updates if not every month.

Performance

The LG W30 is powered by a MediaTek Helio P22 chipset with 3GB of memory and 32GB of storage. We honestly weren't expecting much from the device in terms of performance considering the age and pedigree of the chipset and somehow the W30 still managed to disappoint us.

Never mind the benchmark results, which are pretty much disastrous compared to all the other 2019 devices in its price range. Even in day to day usage the phone feels lethargic and unresponsive. Apps open and close at their own leisure and scrolling is painfully stuttery most of the time. This is quite possibly the most unpleasant user experience we have felt this year from a phone outside of some extremely low-end devices.

We understand budget devices need to cut some corners to maintain the price and profit margins. But what LG has done here in terms of choosing the chipset is less of cutting corners and more of chopping a leg off on its device. The W30 is ill-equipped to handle even daily tasks and after seeing its performance in basic apps we had neither the patience nor the willpower to try any games on it.

GeekBench 4.1 (multi-core)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi Mi A3
  5686
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 7
  5411
• Realme 3
  4936
• ASUS ZenFone Max M2
  4744
• Xiaomi Redmi Y3
  4292
• Motorola One (P30 Play)
  4183
• LG W30
  3534

GeekBench 4.1 (single-core)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi Redmi Note 7
  1650
• Xiaomi Mi A3
  1531
• Realme 3
  1482
• ASUS ZenFone Max M2
  1257
• Xiaomi Redmi Y3
  1242
• Motorola One (P30 Play)
  867
• LG W30
  688

AnTuTu 7

Higher is better

• Xiaomi Mi A3
  140633
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 7
  139075
• Realme 3
  132764
• Nokia 5.1 Plus
  119428
• Xiaomi Redmi Y3
  103259
• ASUS ZenFone Max M2
  103243
• Motorola One (P30 Play)
  81024
• LG W30
  76697

GFX 3.0 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi Redmi Note 7
  22
• Realme 3
  20
• Xiaomi Mi A3
  20
• Nokia 5.1 Plus
  16
• Xiaomi Redmi Y3
  10
• ASUS ZenFone Max M2
  10
• LG W30
  10
• Motorola One (P30 Play)
  9.8

GFX 3.0 Manhattan (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Realme 3
  34
• Xiaomi Mi A3
  34
• Nokia 5.1 Plus
  29
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 7
  19
• Xiaomi Redmi Y3
  19
• ASUS ZenFone Max M2
  19
• Motorola One (P30 Play)
  18
• LG W30
  17

3DMark SSE 3.1 Unlimited

Higher is better

• Xiaomi Redmi Note 7
  1409
• Realme 3
  1189
• Xiaomi Mi A3
  1131
• ASUS ZenFone Max M2
  579
• Xiaomi Redmi Y3
  565
• LG W30
  514