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A lot of people instantly think of huge players like Samsung and Apple when it comes time to upgrade to a new cell phone, but there are other options out there too that offer comparable performance at an often much lower price. If you can get over the need to have Samsung or Apple attached to  your phone, there’s a wide market of smaller manufacturers that produce excellent phones that have gained a lot of traction worldwide in recent years. We’re going to look at two different options today, one from LG and one from Xiaomi. This article compares and contrasts the LG v30 and the Xiaomi Mi6 and we’ll do our best to give you a sense of which phone is the better buy when it comes time to upgrade. This review will cover a number of aspects of the phone, ranging from Display and Camera to Storage and Design. We’ll start off, first, with display.

Display and Design

Display is often one of the most important aspects to consider when looking for a new phone. After all, if you’re going to spend a ton of time looking at the screen it’s important for it to look good. The display is just the front of your phone though, so it’s important for the rest of the device to feel premium, comfortable, and cool too.

The LG v30 features a 5.7 inch screen with a 2560 x 1440 pixels IPS display. One of the more unique features of the LG v30 that really sets it apart from competitors is the addition of an additional secondary 2.1 inch display. This secondary display allows users to easily multitask and do more than one thing at once on their phone, a feature with increasing demand as we begin to expect more and more from our phones.

LG v30

LG v20 Secondary Display

 

The Xiaomi Mi6 ships with a 5.15 inch Full HD 1920×1080 pixel display with a four-sided curved glass display. While the Xiaomi Mi6 definitely has a beautiful and capable display, it really can’t compete with the larger screen size and dual display features of the LG v30.

We would, however, like to draw attention to the design of the four-sided curved display that we mentioned above. This unique twist of the display is detailed below, but it isn’t groundbreaking enough to make up for the smaller screen size and lower resolution than the LG v30.

Xiaomi Mi6

The Xiaomi Mi6 Four-Sided Display

The Xiaomi Mi6 is available in Black, Silver, Blue and the unique Ceramic finish we’ve included below. The ceramic finish is really neat and classes up the phone a lot, making it feel pretty high end. There’s not much information available in terms of colors for the LG v30 currently, so it’s difficult to compare the two.

Xiaomi mi6

The Xiaomi Mi6 Ceramic Finish

It will be interesting to see how the secondary display performs on the LG v30. The screen was also present on the LG v20 and got generally good reviews. We’ll have to see if LG is reinventing the wheel with the v30 or sticking to the format it saw success with in the LG v20.

Winner – LG v30


Camera

The cameras on the LG v30 are 21 megapixels for the main camera and 13 for the front facing camera. There are also rumors and some leaked images that suggest that there will be “dual dual cameras” meaning two lenses for both the front and the back. This inclusion follows in Apple’s footsteps by pairing a regular wide-angle lens with one of double the focal length. It’s unique, however, in that the dual cameras will be for both the front and the back. The detailed specifications for the main camera are the inclusion of 4K Video Recording, 6P lenses, and the 21MP+8MP Dual Camera we discussed above.

LG v30

Mockup of tentative LG v30 dual front camera design

The Xiaomi Mi6 falls a little short in this category with a dual 19 megapixel main camera and 8 megapixel front facing camera. The detailed specifications of the main camera are f/2.0, 6 element lens,1/2.3 inch lens, with a Sony IMX400 Sensor.

Both phones will likely feature the dual camera, but the LG v30 is one of the only phones on the market that will likely include dual cameras both on the front and the back of the phone. Even if the dual camera is only featured with the main lenses, the phone still pulls ahead due to the better specifications. The LG v30 wins again.

Winner – LG v30

 

 


Battery

This section seems simple at first look, but until we get our hands on both phones for testing it will be difficult to declare a clear winner. Going off pure numbers, the LG v30 pulls ahead with a 4400 MAH battery versus the Xiaomi Mi6’s 3200 MAH, but there’s a lot more to battery life than pure battery capacity. The efficiency of the operating system design and the way the phone actually uses the battery life it has available means just as much or more than maximum capacity.

Because we don’t have the LG v30 to test yet, it’s not prudent to declare it the front runner because we have no idea how efficient the phone will be when it comes to utilizing that big battery.

Winner – Unclear, though numbers point to the LG v30.


Performance, Processing, and Storage

One of the most important things to consider when looking for a new phone is how fast the phone will run. I mentioned above the importance of a good display on your phone of choice, but the display really doesn’t mean much at all if your phone isn’t speedy and responsive.

Both phones ship with 6 GB of RAM, which is a decent amount and should allow the phone to run without any issues.

Another influence on the performance of the phone is its processor, and the Xiaomi Mi6 comes

Snapdragon

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 and 835

out on top in that respect. The phone feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 Quad Core Processor at 2.45 GHz. The LG v30 falls behind, disappointingly, with a rumored Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 821 Quad Core Processor at 2.30 GHz.

It’s interesting that the LG v30 would ship with a processor that’s already outdated, and rather disappointing considering how far ahead the phone is compared to the Xiaomi Mi6 in other categories. At the end of the day, your phone’s performance is king. The LG v30 loses major points in this category.

In terms of battery, there’s virtually no difference. Both phones ship with a 128 GB higher-end model, expandable up to 256 GB with external storage.

Winner – Xiaomi Mi6


Extra Perks and Features

There’s a lot of things that can make a phone unique and put it above its competitors, and the LG v30 has no shortage of these extra perks that make the phone really fantastic.

LG V30

LG v30 Concept

First off, there’s the secondary screen feature that we discussed above. This is something pretty unique to LG’s v20 and v30 and may even be enough to warrant a purchase on its own if you’re really into multitasking and, say, using your phone for video while browsing the web. With how rare it is to fully devote your attention to one form of media, the LG v30 really caters to the modern consumer with this new and interesting feature.

Also present in the LG v30 (and absent in the Xiaomi mi6) is the technology for wireless charging. While wireless charging technology is still in its infancy and at this state isn’t much better than just plugging your phone in, it’s nice to see some support for a cool quirk (which will undoubtedly become a huge industry changer as technology advances).

LG’s phone will also be waterproof, a feature that is really great both for convenience and for making the most out of your phone’s life. While the waterproofing of the phone is nice if you for some reason want to browse Reddit or Facebook while in the shower, the feature is nice more for the fact that dropping your phone in a puddle or a pool won’t completely wreck the system. The Xiaomi Mi6 features a splashproof design, but not waterproofing.

The Xiaomi Mi6 is a great phone, but it isn’t exactly innovative or packing tons of extra features. The LG v30 wins this category with the inclusion of a lot of “extras” that set it apart from the rest of the crowd.

Winner – LG v30


Price

This is where the Xiaomi really pulls ahead. The Xiaomi Mi6 is available for $360 for the 64 GB storage model and $420 for the 128 GB model. The 128 GB model with the ceramic finish is available for just a bit more at $435.

While there’s not enough information on the LG v30 yet to know a completely accurate price, estimates based on released and rumored specifications put it at close to, or even over, the $1000 mark.

LG v30

The LG v30’s specs and features come at a price. – Courtesy Entrepeneur.com

It may be easy to quickly look through the categories and determine that the LG v30 is hands-down the winner, but these phones are difficult to compare because they set out to accomplish different things.

With the Xiaomi Mi6 you’ve got a great and affordable phone that’s still more powerful in some ways than the LG v30. The LG v30 is a flagship intended to compete with high-end offerings from Apple and Samsung and has the specifications and features to play with the big boys.

At the end of the day, even if the LG v30 is declared the winner, it’s price point will price out a lot of consumers. If you can get a phone that’s almost as good for less than half the price, why wouldn’t you? Still, for those consumers looking for luxury the LG v30 will be there and offering a smartphone that’s dressed to impress.

Winner – Xiaomi Mi6


Final Verdict

After going through the categories we discussed above, GeekReply is confident to declare the LG v30 the more powerful and fully-featured phone. Those features come at a price, though, and consumers who can settle for a little bit less will be well served with the choice of the Xiaomi Mi6.

At the end of the day, however, the LG v30 is shaping up to be a better phone overall and we feel good about giving it the victory in this battle of the underdogs.

Top Phone – LG v30

LG V30

A mockup of the LG V30 Design

As Editor here at GeekReply, I'm a big fan of all things Geeky. Most of my contributions to the site are technology related, but I'm also a big fan of video games. My genres of choice include RPGs, MMOs, Grand Strategy, and Simulation. If I'm not chasing after the latest gear on my MMO of choice, I'm here at GeekReply reporting on the latest in Geek culture.

Mobile Devices

3 Video Games About Women’s Health

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Video games have transcended entertainment to become powerful tools for promoting health and wellness. One notable genre in this realm is fitness gaming, exemplified by titles like Hatsune Miku Fit Boxing, which motivates players to engage in physical activity to enhance their fitness levels. Building on this foundation, developers have ventured into women’s health with games designed to raise awareness and empower players to take control of their well-being. Here are 3 video games on women’s health that provide valuable health information and foster a sense of agency to uplift women around the world.

Tampon Run – Menstrual health

Created by Girls Who Code alumnae Andrea Gonzales and Sophie Houser in 2014, Tampon Run is an old-school 8-bit online game where the main character, Luna, lobs tampons to destroy enemies, who will confiscate the tampons if she lets them pass by. Interestingly, the concept of weaponized tampons is based on a real incident that occurred in 2013, where Texas state troopers confiscated tampons as potential projectiles, but not guns, from visitors observing a vote on abortion restrictions at the Texas State Capitol. The goal of Tampon Run is to destigmatize periods and menstrual products, which, up until recently, have not been properly studied to measure their absorbency, which underscores the need to address menstrual health so that women can get better care.

In between tossing tampons, Luna shares empowering messages about how periods are a natural part of women’s lives and should not be a source of shame or embarrassment. The game is available to play on the Tampon Run website and can be downloaded from the Apple App Store for iOS users.

PCOS Vitality – PCOS

Polycystic ovary syndrome is a complex hormonal condition and the leading cause of female infertility that affects approximately 5 to 6 million women in the US, according to the Endocrine Society. Common features of the condition include having irregular menstrual periods, hyperandrogenism, and polycystic ovaries. Additionally, some studies estimate that up to 88% of women with PCOS are overweight or obese. While there are weight loss programs helping women tackle PCOS, focusing on aspects like lifestyle, symptom management, diet, and other tips for how to lose weight with PCOS, the condition itself remains grossly under-researched. For some women, it may take years to confirm that they have PCOS, as there are other disorders that mimic PCOS signs and symptoms that must be excluded.

The lack of research has extended to a lack of awareness among the general population and is what clinicians from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland are trying to address with the 2023 game PCOS Vitality. Essentially a learning tool, the game takes users through a simple obstacle course. As you click toward the finish line, you are asked simple trivia questions about PCOS. The game is free to play on Focus Games’ website.

Bound by Blood – Period poverty

Period poverty refers to the lack of regular access to period products, painkillers, or underwear during a menstrual cycle. In the US, where 16.9 million menstruating women live in poverty, two-thirds cannot afford basic menstrual products. Period poverty has also been associated with mental health issues and urinary tract infections.

Available to play on the itch.io website, Bound by Blood was created by Jessica Gates in 2017 and aims to educate players about the reality of period poverty. Users take the character of Beth, a homeless woman who wakes up in her car and realizes that she’s started her period. Players then make a series of choices to try to stay as hygienic as possible in spite of lacking resources such as menstrual products and clean restrooms. There isn’t really a way to “win” the game, and it is instead a peek into the reality of life where period products are inaccessible and how this affects women’s quality of life.

Through these games, players not only gain valuable insights into various aspects of women’s health but also find themselves actively engaged in their own well-being. As developers continue to explore this emerging field, the potential for video games to serve as educational tools and catalysts for change in healthcare remains promising

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Consoles

Despite popular belief, PS4 sales in the UK skyrocketed last year

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PS4 sales in the UK climbed by a shocking 633 percent year-over-year in 2023, so apparently the old system isn’t dead yet. The previous year’s very limited supply of the system is likely a major factor in this figure, since the console’s lifespan was drastically reduced because of chip shortages caused by the pandemic. Still, it’s proof that PlayStation’s original platform has unmet demand.

With the very low prices of PS4 software (both in-store and online at the PS Store), this strategy makes a lot of sense. Plus, it’s future-proof, so there’s no harm in stocking up on PS4s while new-gen pricing is still high, since if you decide to switch to a PS5 in the future, you can transfer all of your purchases across. Not to mention that the majority of new releases still come out on the PS4, with several offering free PS5 upgrades.

While the percentage rise may seem huge, real PS4 sales will probably be much lower. It’s a sign that the gadget, which is now a decade old, isn’t completely dead yet, and we expect it to keep receiving maintenance for a while longer. Of course, this is great news for Sony, because the company would rather have PS4 players playing on its last-gen gadget than none at all, even if it would love to have them upgrade to PS5.

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Consoles

New PS5 firmware is available for download!

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A PS5 firmware update on a cold winter morning is unmatched. The latest PS5 system software update is 23.02–08.40.00 from Sony. Does this one add useful features or just boost system performance?

Though closer to the latter, it’s more than Sony’s favorite patch note. It fixes security issues, improves messages and usability, and boosts system software performance. Official patch notes for this 1.185GB update:

  • We updated system software security
  • We improved system software stability and performance
  • Some screens now have better messages and usability

That’s it. PS5 gets another win to recover from its midweek slump. Do you share our enthusiasm for this firmware update? Comment below. To spice things up, make your comment rhyme.

 

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