LG K30 & Moto G6 Play were released in the same month which is May 2018. Currently, they fall in the same price range and are close competitors.
For the comparison, we’ve picked LG K30 from T-Mobile /MetroPCS and Factory Unlocked LG G6 Play.
In this post, we’re are going to find out the differences and similarities between the 2. So, Let’s start with the differences
Difference between LG K30 & Moto G6 Play
Left – LG K30, Right – Moto G6 Play
1. Price & Release Date – Difference between LG K30 & Moto G6 Play
| PRICE & RELEASE DATE | LG K30 MetroPCS / T-Mobile | Moto G6 Play Factory Unlocked |
|---|---|---|
| Model Number | LM-X410MK/X410TK | XT1922-9 |
| Release Date | May 2018 | May 2018 |
| Current Price | Around $70 | Around $80 |
As discussed before, Moto G6 Play and LG K30 released in the same month in May 2018.
Moto G6 Play was priced much higher than K30 at the time of its release. Over a period of time, the difference in price got diminished. As of now, they fall in the same price bracket of $70-$90.
The price is quoted from eBay.com for a new phone.
2. Body & Design – LG K30 vs Moto G6 Play – Differences
| BODY & DESIGN | LG K30 | Moto G6 Play |
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Aurora Black | Deep Indigo |
| Body Material | Metal & Plastic | Polymer Glass |
| Dimensions | 5.85” x 2.95” x 0.34” | 6.12” x 2.84” x 0.36” |
| Weight | 5.93 oz | 6.35 oz |
| Waterproof | ✖ | Splash Resistant |
Moto G6 Play comes in Deep Indigo Color, while K30 from MetroPCS is available in Aurora Black Color.
Moto G6 body is all plastic (Polymer Glass) with no use of metal. LG K30 has a metal back & a plastic frame.
K30 is smaller and lighter than the G6 play. You can check out the dimensions in the above table.
Moto G6 Play is not waterproof but at least its Splash resistant, thanks to its water-repellent design.
3. Display – LG K30 vs Moto G6 Play – Differences
| DISPLAY | LG K30 | Moto G6 Play |
|---|---|---|
| Screen Size | 5.3" (inches) | 5.7" |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 | 18:9 |
| Screen Resolution / Wallpaper Size | 1280 x 720 pixels | 1440 x 720 pixels |
| Pixel Density | 277 ppi | 282 ppi |
G6 Play has a bigger 5.7 inches display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. LG K30 has a 16:9 display with a screen size of 5.3 inches.
Both the phones have HD displays with near about the same pixel density.
4. Network – LG K30 vs Moto G6 Play – Differences
| NETWORK | LG K30 | Moto G6 Play |
|---|---|---|
| GSM/CDMA | GSM | GSM + CDMA |
| GSM Unlock Status | Locked | Unlocked |
| Carrier | T-Mobile / MetroPCS | Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint & Boost Mobile |
| Wifi Calling | ✔ | ✖ |
As G6 Play is Factory Unlocked its compatible with all major US Carriers (GSM as well as CDMA) such as Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint & Boost Mobile. LG K30 is locked to MetroPCS / T-Mobile but can be unlocked.
G6 Play lacks Wifi calling which is present on MetroPCS / T-mobile LG K30.
5. Connectivity & Storage – LG K30 vs Moto G6 Play – Differences
| CONNECTIVITY & STORAGE | LG K30 | Moto G6 Play |
|---|---|---|
| Screen Mirroring / Miracast / Screen Share | ✖ | ✔ |
| Internal Memory / ROM | 32 GB (Up to 23.65 GB Usable) | 16 GB / 32 GB |
| Maximum SD card capacity/sd card size | up to 256 GB | up to 128 GB |
There is no option to Cast / Mirror screen on LG K30. You need a chrome cast for screen mirroring/casting on LG K30. Moto G6 Play does have Cast option in Settings.
G6 Play comes in both 16 GB & 32 GB variant. For this comparison, we’ve picked a 32 GB G6 Play.
6. Software & Audio – LG K30 vs Moto G6 Play – Differences
| SOFTWARE & AUDIO | LG K30 | Moto G6 Play |
|---|---|---|
| Android Version | Android Oreo 8.1 | Upgradable to Android Pie 9.0 |
| Android User Interface (UI) | LG UX 7.0 | Stock / Vanilla Android |
| Mini View / One-Handed Operation / Swipe to Shrink Screen | ✖ | ✔ |
| Speaker Location | Back | Front-Ported |
| Surround Sound / Audio Technology | DTS:X 3D Virtual Surround | Dolby Audio |
| Number of Microphones | 1 | 2 |
Running on Stock Vanilla Android, it’s easier to roll out updates on Motorola Phones. Moto G6 Play software is upgraded to Latest Android 9.0 Pie. K30 is still on Android Oreo 8.1
The Loud Speaker on Moto G6 Play is louder with better audio quality, thanks to its positioning. It’s ported in the front and also functions as an earpiece during a call.
G6 Play has 2 microphones for stereo audio recording. K30 has a single mic.
With earphones plugged in, K30 can produce Virtual surround sound effects using DTS:X audio technology. G6 Play uses Dolby audio technology instead.
7. Hardware & Benchmark – LG K30 vs Moto G6 Play – Differences
| HARDWARE & BENCHMARK | LG K30 | Moto G6 Play |
|---|---|---|
| Processor / CPU | 1.4 GHz Quad-Core, ARM Cortex A53 | 1.8 GHz Quad-Core, Cortex A53 |
| RAM | 2 GB | 2 GB / 3 GB |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 MSM8917 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 427 MSM8920 |
| Antutu Benchmark Score | 38303 | 57946 |
G6 Play comes in 2 variants with 2 GB & 3 GB RAM. For this comparison, we’ve picked the 3GB RAM variant with 32GB internal memory. LG K30 comes in a single 2 GB RAM variant.
G6 Play uses a more powerful processor with higher clock speed. You can check out the hardware specs in the above table.
As a result, the antutu benchmark score of Moto G6 Play (57946) is much better than LG K30 (38303).
8. Camera – LG K30 vs Moto G6 Play – Differences
| CAMERA | LG K30 | Moto G6 Play |
|---|---|---|
| REAR | ||
| Slow Motion | ✖ | ✔ |
| FRONT | ||
| Flash | ✖ | ✔ |
Both K30 & G6 Play have a 13 MP Rear and 5 MP front cameras. The picture quality is above average and both the cameras capture decent pictures.
G6 Play camera has more features than K30. It offers Slow Motion, Manual Mode & Selfie Flash. All these features are missing in LG K30.
9. Battery & Charging – LG K30 vs Moto G6 Play – Differences
| BATTERY & CHARGING | LG K30 | Moto G6 Play |
|---|---|---|
| Battery Capacity | 2880 mAh | 4000 mAh |
| Battery Life / Talk Time | Up to 13 hrs & 40 mins | Up to 36 hrs |
| Quick Charge / Fast Charging | ✖ | ✔ |
Moto G6 Play has a higher capacity battery along with Fast Charging support. You can check the battery capacity of both the phones in the above table along with the approximate battery life.
Learn how to Double your LG K30 Battery Life
10. Root Status LG K30 vs Moto G6 Play – Differences
| ROOT STATUS | LG K30 | Moto G6 Play |
|---|---|---|
| Can be Rooted | ✖ | ✔ |
| The Bootloader can be unlocked | ✖ | ✔ |
| Custom ROM availability | ✖ | Descendant, Lineage OS 16.0 & AOSP |
LG has locked the Bootloader on LG K30 & there is no way to unlock it. So, K30 cannot be rooted. It’s predecessor LG K20 Plus was rootable.
Moto G6 Play can be rooted and you can try various Custom ROMs such as Lineage OS, AOSP, etc.
Similarities between LG K30 & Moto G6 Play
| What they share in Common | LG K30 & Moto G6 Play |
|---|---|
| BODY & DESIGN | |
| Removable Battery | ✖ |
| Memory Card Slot / Expandable Memory | ✔ |
| DISPLAY | |
| Display Type / Technology | IPS LCD |
| Gorilla Glass / Glass Screen Protection | ✖ |
| Contoured /Curved Edge / 2.5D | ✔ |
| NETWORK | |
| Sim Size/Type | ✔ |
| VoLTE | ✔ |
| SENSORS | |
| Accelerometer | ✔ |
| Gyroscope/VR Compatibility | ✔ |
| Fingerprint Sensor | ✔ |
| Ambient Light Sensor | ✔ |
| Proximity Sensor | ✔ |
| CONNECTIVITY | |
| USB Port | Micro USB 2.0 |
| USB OTG | ✔ |
| Bluetooth | ✔ |
| Wifi | ✔ |
| Wifi Tethering / Hotspot | ✔ |
| GPS | ✔ |
| NFC / Android Pay / Android Beam | ✖ |
| MHL / Slimport / HDMI Compatible | ✖ |
| IR Blaster / TV Remote | ✖ |
| AUDIO | |
| FM Radio | ✔ |
| Headphone Jack | 3.5 mm |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | |
| Notification LED Light | ✖ |
| Handwriting / Stylus Support | ✖ |
| Wireless Charging / Qi-enabled | ✖ |
| MEMORY/STORAGE | |
| Expandable Memory | ✔ |
| HARDWARE | |
| GPU | Adreno 308 |
| SOFTWARE | |
| Face Recognition / Smart Unlock | ✔ |
| Flashlight | ✔ |
| Google Assistant | ✔ |
| Dual Window /Split Screen /Multi Window | ✔ |
| CAMERA | |
| REAR | |
| Image Resolution / Megapixels | 13 MP |
| Secondary Rear Camera / Depth Sensor | ✖ |
| Autofocus | ✔ |
| Phase Detection Auto Focus (PDAF) | ✔ |
| Flash | Single LED Flash |
| Zoom | Up to 4x, Digital Zoom |
| Video Resolution | 1080p @ 30 fps |
| HDR | ✔ |
| Face Detection | ✔ |
| Manual Mode / Controls | ✔ |
| Time Lapse | ✖ |
| Video Stabilization | ✖ |
| FRONT | |
| Image Resolution / Megapixels | 5 MP |
| Video | 1080p @ 30 fps |
The similarities between the 2 phones can be found in the above table. You can even check those features which are not present in either of the phones.
CONCLUSION
It’s quite clear from the above comparison than Moto G6 Play is ahead of K30 in most of the areas.
In the nutshell, K30 is better than Moto G6 Play in these fields
- Cheaper
- Thinner
- Metal Back
- DTS:X 3D Virtual Surround Sound
- Wifi Calling
Moto G6 Play beats LG K30 in these areas
- Splash Resistant
- Bigger screen with 18:9 aspect ratio
- Factory unlocked with both GSM & CDMA compatibility
- Front-Ported speaker & Dual Mics
- Android Pie 9.0 Firmware
- More Powerful Hardware
- The camera features Slow Motion, Manual Mode & Selfie Flash
- Higher capacity battery along with Fast Charging Support
- Can be Rooted
If I’ve missed something or some correction is needed, please let me know via the comment section below.
Feedback is welcome.