As has been the case in previous years, many of the biggest and most exciting announcements at MWC happen even before the show officially kicks off. And unsurprisingly, LG has beat everyone else to the punch (except Blackberry) and unveiled the latest addition to its flagship G series of smartphones. While a recent barrage of leaks has left little to the imagination, we’re going hands-on with the LG G6!
Design
It’s difficult to gauge which direction LG has gone with their latest flagship
It’s difficult to gauge which direction LG has gone with their latest flagship. In some aspects it feels like the company has taken a safer route, while in other ways LG’s penchant for risk taking is easily seen. This is more or less evident when it comes to the design of the phone. One one hand, LG has opted for what is pretty much the current standard in terms of build quality, while also adding design elements and features that are a first for the series, and smartphones in general.
See also:
LG G5 review
April 8, 2016
Given that the G5 amounted to nothing more than a failed experiment, it’s not surprising that LG decided to do away with modularity with its successor. The LG G6 features a metal frame that is sandwiched between to Corning Gorilla glass panels, which is a build that we are all too familiar with at this point. It does retain some signature elements though, such as the rear-mounted power button, and for those of you that were wondering, the G6 does come with a headphone jack.
While the battery isn’t removable, it does feature a big 3,300mAh battery
There are a couple of changes with the new design that are huge when compared to previous LG flagships. First, the unibody construction means that the battery is no longer removable. LG was the final holdout in this regard, but the company has attempted to make up for it by putting a 3,300mAh battery in the device – the largest the company has ever put in one of their phones.
The second, and more significant result of the new design is that the LG G6 comes with an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, which means that the phone can be submerged for long periods of time, at a depth over one meter, and under pressure. This is a feature that is becoming increasingly important to even the average consumer, and the lack of a removable battery will be completely worth it for many.
Display
Where LG is really pushing boundaries is on the front. The bezels of this phone are impressively thin, not only along the sides of the display, but in regards to the top section and bottom chin, as well. The G6 comes with a 5.7-inch display, but the handling experience is akin to a smartphone that is much smaller than what that screen size would suggest.
The G6 is surprisingly easy to use with one hand
The G6 is surprisingly easy to use with one hand, but apart from the design, some of the credit has to be given to the display’s new aspect ratio. The LCD screen features a Quad HD resolution with an 18:9 aspect ratio, or 2:1 if you simplify it, that results in the screen being taller and narrower than other smartphones, and allows you to more easily wrap your hands around it.
The new aspect ratio also means that if you split the screen in half, you will get two perfectly symmetrical squares, and LG has tweaked their user interface to take advantage of this. You’ll see that many stock LG apps have been updated to follow the proportions created by the 2:1 aspect ratio, and even elements like the lockscreen and wallpapers were designed with it in mind.
The screen has built-in HDR support to provide brighter, sharper, and more brilliant colors, and both Dolby Vision and HDR 10 are supported here, so you’ll be able to enjoy movies and TV shows from streaming services that offer HDR content, like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
The rounded corners on the LG G6 aren’t just for aesthetics
You may have noticed that the corners of the display are rounded, and match the rounded corners of the phone itself. The rounded corners have been included not only because of the pleasing aesthetics, but because they do serve a practical purpose. When you usually drop a phone, it tends to land on a corner the majority of the time, and having the corners of the display rounded off allows for the stress of the impact to be better dispersed, which adds to the durability and reduces the odds of getting a shattered screen.
Cameras
The G6 retains the dual rear camera system from its predecessors, with one standard angle lens being coupled with a wide angle lens. Unlike the G5 and V20 however, where the cameras were of two different resolutions, both the rear cameras of the G6 are of the same resolution. What you get here is two 13MP cameras, which means that you won’t be losing any resolution when switching between the two. LG has also improved the transition between the two cameras, and made it noticeably smoother.
See also: LG V20 review
Of course, 13MP seems to be a step down from the 16MP standard lens found with the V20 and G5, but LG says that the move to a lower resolution was made to eliminate a camera bump on the back. The sacrifice in resolution didn’t result in bigger pixels, and the aperture still remains the same at f/1.8, so although it is too early to make a call on the performance of the camera in low-light situations, it is slightly concerning at the moment.
The camera app has also been refreshed and is another one of LG’s apps that have been updated to take advantage of the 2:1 aspect ratio. LG has used the extra horizontal space available to offer previews of multiple shots that you’ve taken, instead of the single latest one that is available with most other camera apps. One of the biggest additions to the feature set of the camera is a manual video mode, which means that you no longer have to wait for the V-series to enjoy manual video controls.
Related reading:
Best Android smartphone cameras
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Under-the-hood specs
Under the hood, the LG G6 comes with typical flagship specifications, including the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, Adreno 530 GPU and 4GB of RAM. 32GB of internal storage is going to be the standard, but a 64GB model will also be released in select Asian markets. If storage is a concern, the good news is that expandable storage via microSD card is available, for up to an additional 2TB of memory.
Some people may be disappointed that the device isn’t packing the new Snapdragon 835 processing package, but LG made it pretty clear that they are no longer interested in winning the spec race anymore, and instead, would rather focus on offering an optimized and smooth user experience, which they feel is more important to consumers.
The G6 also features wireless charging and a Hi-Fi audio DAC… in some regions
The device also features wireless charging and a Hi-Fi audio DAC, but unfortunately, these features are going to be region specific. So, while wireless charging will be available only in the US, the audio DAC will be limited to select markets in Asia. LG says that this is an informed decision based on consumer wants and needs in each particular region. For example, the demand for wireless charging is quite high in the US, while it isn’t as important in other regions, such as South Korea.
For a closer look at the G6’s specs, check out the table below:
| Display | 5.7” Quad HD 18:9 (2880×1440) |
| Processor | Snapdragon 821 quad-core |
| GPU | Adreno 530 GPU |
| RAM | 4GB RAM |
| Storage | 32GB storage |
| MicroSD | Yes, expandable up to 2TB |
| Cameras | Rear: 13MP dual (71 degrees + 125 degrees), 1.12µm pixel size, Aperture (wide – f/2.4, normal – f/1.8)
Front: 5MP 100 degrees, 1.12µm pixel size, f/2.4 |
| Battery | 3,300mAh, non-removable, wireless charging |
| Water resistant | IP68 |
| Connectivity | USB Type-C, NFC |
| Software | Android 7.0 Nougat |
| Colors | titan, black and white |
Software
The LG G6 is running Android 7.0 Nougat, with the latest version of the G UI on top. The updated user interface features a refreshing new look with natural and vivid colors which can be seen throughout many of the apps and the included set of wallpapers.
Don’t miss: Android 7.0 Nougat review
LG has also updated all the icons to make them the same size and more uniform, with all of them now being squares with rounded corners, to complement the design of the screen and the phone. The rounded corners can also be seen in the background of folders and pop up menus. The LG G6 also comes with Google Assistant on board, which is really good news, and makes the LG flagship the first non-Pixel smartphone to be running the useful Assistant.
Wrapping up
So, there you have it for this quick look at the LG G6! We have some idea of what is to come in the smartphone world this year, and LG is certainly facing some stiff competition. We can only wait to see of the G6 is what LG needs to gain some much needed traction in this ultra-competitive space.
Stay tuned with Android Authority to know more about the LG G6, and for more great coverage from MWC 2017.
- LG G6 specs, price, release date, and everything else you should know
- LG G6 pricing and availability: what we know so far
- The curved corners on the LG G6 aren’t just cosmetic
- PSA: Not all LG G6s are created equal