LG G6 Hands-on, Initial Review: Back To Basics

LG G6 Hands-on, Initial Review: Back To Basics

LG has finally unveiled their latest flagship in Barcelona, Spain for Mobile World Congress yesterday, and it couldn’t be more different from last year’s model. Instead of making a phone centered around something new and risky like modular accessories, the Korean company instead focused on iteration, settling for a safe (and relatively boring) phone with suggestions sourced from their fans. The funny thing is that the G6 may just be LG’s best phone yet. Contradictory? You bet it is.

LG G6 Specs

  • 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 quad-core processor
  • Qualcomm Adreno 530 GPU
  • 4GB RAM
  • 5.7-inch QHD+ Fullvisison display , 2880×1440 resolution, Gorilla Glass 3 protection
  • 32GB/64GB expandable storage, via microSD
  • Twin 13-megapixel rear camera, f/1.8 aperture, OIS, LED flash
  • 5-megapixel front camera
  • Dual SIM
  • WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Fingerprint scanner, IP68 certification
  • 3300mAh battery
  • Android 7.0 Nougat

The G6 is LG’s attempt at a big-screen phone that doesn’t look or feel like a big-screen phone. As much as people want gigantic displays in the palm of their hands, they don’t want the associated bulk that comes with the increased real-estate. Companies like Samsung and Xiaomi have already caught on to that particular dilemma, and have designed around the limitation by using curved screens and near bezel-less displays.

LG’s solution to the big screen, small phone problem is to shrink the bezels as much as possible (up to just 1mm on the sides, according to the company) and make the screen taller. The result? The G6 is only as wide as the original G5 despite having a bigger 5.7-inch display compared to the latter’s 5.3-inch panel.

If the LG G6 has a core competency, it would be the display. The 5.7-inch, QHD+, 18:9 (2:1) display is quite a sight to behold, despite making the G6 taller than most phones in the market today. LG’s proud of the fact that the G6 is capable of Dolby Vision and HDR-10, which is the first phone in the world to do so. With Netflix pushing out HDR content in the next few months, future owners of the G6 will be covered once the tech hits the PH (and if your internet speeds can handle it).

The G6 also sheds the modularity gimmick of the G5, and settled for a fully enclosed body made out of metal and encased in Gorilla Glass 3. Good riddance too – the accessories for the phone were never really impressive to begin. While we’ll miss the removable battery, the tradeoff is that you’re getting IP68 certification, which means the G6 can take a tumble in water without dying.

The dual rear camera is still there, though the big change now is that both cameras have the same kind of sensors. To be precise, both shooters have 13-megapixel, Sony IMX258 sensors. The difference is the lens – the main camera has a f/1.8 71-degree lens and OIS, as well as PDAF and OIS. The secondary wide angle camera has a f/2.4, 125-degree fixed-focus lens for better panoramic shots. The front camera has a 5-megapixel, f/2.2 100 degree lens for selfies.

It’s been well publicized that the G6 won’t be using Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon processor to power it since Korean rival Samsung managed to get first dibs for the chipset. That means the G6, despite being a current gen flagship, will come with a Snapdragon 821 processor. Adding insult to injury, the RAM of the phone will just be 4GB and storage in some markets will be just 32GB though there are countries that will receive 64GB phones. Sure, you can stuff in bigger microSD card in the G6 if 32GB isn’t enough (hint: it’s not) but in our opinion 64GB should be the minimum for any flagship offered in 2017.

It’s not all bleak though – the G6 will come with a 3300mAh battery which is bigger than the one offered in the G5, and will have Quick Charge 3.0 thanks to its USB Type-C connector. It’ll have the same quad DAC capabilities as the V20 (though that will be available in select markets only) and comes with Google’s Assistant, one of the few phones in the market to offer Google’s machine-learning AI.

LG has finally learned that good phones, not gimmicks, make for good sales. The G6 isn’t as flashy or as groundbreaking as their G5 (or even their V20) but it’s poised to be their best seller, if they price it right. Speaking of pricing, we have no firm idea on pricing or release date as of yet, we’ll update this article as soon as we get word.

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