Google Pixel 2 XL vs LG V30: What Buyers Need to Know

Pixel 2 XL vs LG V30: Design

With the screen information out of the way, the next topic is the design. There are a few major design elements you need to take into consideration. 

The LG V30 has an all-glass back, which delivers wireless charging. It's also pretty fragile. Aside from the glass, the entire phone is all aluminum, and it looks and feels like a premium smartphone. In fact, the V30 is LG's best smartphone to date, if you ask me. 

Google's Pixel is all metal too, with only a small area of glass on the back. It doesn't have wireless charging. The fingerprint scanner is in the same spot, and they both have USB Type-C. Overall the designs are somewhat similar, even if they look vastly different. 

Here's where things change. The Pixel 2 XL has dual stereo front-facing speakers. Which is why the bezels on the front are a little bigger than the LG V30. This delivers great sound, but the LG V30 has a Quad-DAC chip inside to enhance sound AND a 3.5mm headphone jack. Google's Pixel 2 doesn't have a headphone jack. 

The other big design differences are both in LG's favor. The V30 has dual cameras capable of amazing photos and wide-angle shots, and it comes with a microSD slot to expand storage. The Pixel comes in 64 or 128GB, with no expandable storage. Then, Google went with a single rear camera, but we'll talk more about that in a moment. 

If you want a clean design with premium materials and the most features, the V30 is probably it. That said, the Pixel 2 XL has most of those features along with stock Android and dual front-facing speakers. It all comes down to what you need more. Personally, the V30 design is better, but the design isn't everything.