LG V30 Signature Edition launches in South Korea with Android 8.0 Oreo, ceramic body, 6 GB RAM

It feels like flagship phones have gotten progressively more expensive recently, perhaps more so than we’ve grown used to. Yet while the likes of Samsung and Apple have pushed the boundaries on pricing, particularly over the past few months, there has always been a higher tier reserved for elite, special edition devices that offer a luxury experience for those with money to burn.

The latest addition to this upper echelon is the LG V30 “Signature Edition”, which goes on sale today exclusively in South Korea. LG has confirmed that it is only producing 300 units of this limited edition version of its flagship phablet, making it quite a collector’s piece for Android aficionados.

As you might expect, the extra-special model won’t be cheap. The folks at ZDNet report that buyers will be expected to pay 2 million won (roughly $1,800) for the privilege of owning the rare hardware. By comparison, that’s more than the iPhone X (1.63 million won, $1,450), the base model Note 8 (1.09 million won, $965), and the vanilla LG V30, which sells for 949,300 KRW ($842).

So, if you can by some incredible miracle get hold of one, is the Signature version worth the extra cash? Personally, I’d lean towards no, as the upgrades on offer, while quite enticing on the surface, don’t exactly make up for the $1,000 price jump over the regular V30.

The biggest change is the phone’s new zirconium ceramic plate build which replaces the standard V30’s glass body. LG says this will make the phone – which is available in Black or White finishes – even more resistant to scratches and marks over time. The Signature Edition’s only other design flourish is the option of having LG laser engrave your name on the phone’s rear. Fancy!

On the hardware front, the ultra-premium phone receives a slight RAM bump from 4 GB to 6 GB and offers 256 GB expandable storage as standard. Otherwise, though, you’re looking at the same specs and features found on the regular V30, including a 6-inch P-OLED FullVision display, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 SoC, and a wide-angle dual-camera (16 MP and 13 MP sensors).

The Signature Edition phone – a moniker LG uses for its marquee home entertainment products – also runs Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box. While it won’t be too long now until Oreo rolls out to all V30 devices, it’s nevertheless a nice bonus for those shelling out the extra cash. The same could also be said of the Bang & Olufsen wired earphones and H5 Bluetooth earphones that come bundled with every purchase.

What do you make of the LG V30 Signature Edition? Is it worth the lavish asking price? Let us know in the comments.