Review by Brendon Petersen
Unlike its predecessor, the G6 is not a modular phone nor does it have a removable back or battery. What is does have though, is a full metal body, IP68 rating and a new FullVision display.
At first glance, the G6 is a very understated, almost boring looking, device, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore it. According to LG, the G6 has been designed in response to customer surveys and people telling the company what they want in their smartphone and the overwhelming response centered on functionality and features.
LG G6
The most noticeable feature is the 5.7-inch QHD+ (2,880 x 1,440 resolution) FullVision display with an 18:9 screen aspect ratio.
LG says that compared to conventional 16:9 aspect ratio displays, the 18:9 format offers more viewing space and a more immersive experience when streaming videos and playing games.
TheG6 is the first smartphone to feature Dolby Vision technology as well as HDR 10, both of which are standards for High Dynamic Range (HDR).
While having a large display on a smartphone is pretty much everyone’s biggest tech desire (other than having a battery that lasts forever) no-one wants a larger phone which is awkward to hold or carry around which is why LG has slimmed down the bezels on the G6 to bring a large screen without making the phone awkward to use.
LG backed up this claim by saying bringing Dr. Andris Freivalds from Pennsylvania State University onto the satge at the G6 launch. He, along with Dr. Ji Yong-gu from Yonsei University, tested the G6 for stability when holding the phone, comfort in various postures and actions, as well as muscle fatigue when using the smartphone for long periods. According to their results, the LG G6 received the highest marks in all test categories.
“One of LG’s most talked about smartphone features is the camera.”
The G6 continues the dual rear-facing camera setup that was first unveiled in the G5 but includes a few new features including bumping up the megapixels on the 125 degree rear-facing wide-angle lens to 13MP and a 100 degree field of view 5MP front-facing camera.
Selfie lovers now also benefit from a new Square Camera Mode which divides the 18:9 ratio display into two identical squares. The LG G6 can also take perfectly square photos in 1:1 ratio which makes it ideal for Instagram. You’ll also be able to choose other ratios, such as 4:3, 16:9 and 18:9.
Colour range
LG also lets you take pictures in 1:1 ratio in one window, while checking, editing and uploading pictures in another window immediately after shooting. If GIFs are your thing then you can create your own by combining between 2 and 100 photos from the gallery.
Jumping on the AI assistant trend, LG has included Google Assistant on the g6, making it the first non-Pixel smartphone to have this functionality. The company says that it will work seamlessly and intuitively with LG apps.
“The LG G6 offers users new visual and manual experiences, as it marries an expanded screen with the convenience of one-handed use,” said Juno Cho, president of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “LG will continue to lead smartphone innovation with a focus on convenience and reliability in order to exceed consumer expectations.”
Taking wild bets on modular phones and throwing in often gimmicky features in the past has in the past has caused LG Mobile to sit in the shadow of Apple, Samsung and Huawei.
The G6 appears to have all the right specs to make this phone a winner for LG, but only time will tell how well it does against the likes of Huawei’s P10 and Samsung’s upcoming S8.
Local pricing and availibilty for the lG G6 have not yet been announced.
Specifications:
- Chipset: Snapdragon 821 Processor
- Display: 5.7-inch 18:9 QHD+ FullVision Display (2880 x 1440 / 564ppi)
- Memory: 4GB LPDDR4 RAM / 32GB or 64GB UFS 2.0 ROM / MicroSD (up to 2TB)
- Camera:
- Rear Dual: 13MP Wide (F2.4 / 125°) / 13MP Standard OIS 2.0 (F1.8 / 71°)
- Front 5MP Wide (F2.2 / 100°)
- Battery: 3,300mAh (embedded)
- Operating System: Android 7.0 Nougat
- Size: 148.9 x 71.9 x 7.9mm
- Weight: 163g
- Network: LTE-A 3 Band CA
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac / Bluetooth 4.2 BLE / NFC / USB Type-C 2.0 (3.1 compatible)
- Colors: Astro Black / Ice Platinum / Mystic White
- Other: Water and Dust Resistant / Fingerprint Sensor / UX 6.0 / Dolby Vision / HDR10 / Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 / 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC
