LG has launched the highly anticipated LG G6 at MWC. From prior teasers and analysis we pretty much knew what to expect and that is what LG delivered. In summary it’s a large screened smartphone which is still comfortable in the hand, it has lots of cute photography tricks due to the 2:1 screen and camera hardware packed in by LG, and many users will appreciate its water and dust resistance.
If the LG G6 is a success the firm can thank consumer feedback and opinions which were behind the design of this year's flagship. The new G6 is said to be a "back to basics" approach focussing upon features that consumers actually want and these, according to LG, are:
- A big screen (5.7-inch) that fits in one hand.
- A flexible camera for close ups and wide angle shots.
- A way to view and review photos while you are still taking shots - LG Square Camera mode.
- Built for unexpected accidents it is IP68 certified for water and dust resistance, plus resistant to accidental knocks and drops.
LG reckons it has achieved to tick the above boxes by creating its smartphone with the specs as listed below:
- Chipset: Qualcomm 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: Front 5MP Wide (F2.2 / 100°), Rear Dual: 13MP Wide (F2.4 / 125°) / 13MP Standard OIS 2.0 (F1.8 / 71°)
- Audio: two high AOP mics and high-fidelity recording capability
- 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)
- Colours: Astro Black / Ice Platinum / Mystic White
- Other: Water and Dust Resistant / Fingerprint Sensor / UX 6.0 / Dolby Vision / HDR10 / Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0
Niceties among the above specs we haven't talked about previously include; the high PPI offered by the display which supports Dolby Vision and HDR10, a good amount of RAM, fast built-in UFS storage, and the flexible array of imaging options thanks to its trio of camera lenses and sensors.
On the software side, LG's new G6 comes with Android 7 installed and key signature apps that make the most of the dual-square multi-tasking possibilities in-app and with dual apps. Watching the promo video gives some good examples of Square camera and landscape modes in action. LG boasts the G6 offers Vulkan support and it Game Battery Saver can help you game for longer. The voice activated Google Assistant is built-in for hands-free help.
LG's water and dust resistance looks quite useful. It's not just splash-proof, LG says the phone can be submerged in up to 1.5 meters of water for as long as 30 minutes. Helping the phone's durability further is the build design with consideration given to temperatures and impact accidents. For example there's an internal heatpipe and heat generating components are placed as far apart as is possible.
LG is yet to confirm pricing but a number of UK operators have said they will stock the smartphone when it becomes available and have pre-registration forms.
