One Week with the LG G6 in the Philippines

Will the LG G6 Make it Big in the Philippines?

We’ve been using the brand new LG G6 here in the Philippines for over a week now and we’d like to check-in with you guys with our initial observations before we share our full review next week. The G6 is critical for LG as their previous flagship offering, the LG G5, flopped worldwide. There’s definitely a lot riding on the G6 as the pressure for LG to deliver a competitive Android flagship is at an all time high.

Here’s a quick refresher on the specs for your appreciation:

LG G6 Spec Sheet

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 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 Best Looking Smartphone LG Has Shipped (And the Display is Beyond Amazing)

This is the most premium-built smartphone that LG has ever made. A definite step-up versus the lightweight and plastic feel of the LG G5 and a worthy design challenger to the flagships of others manufacturers. This is mostly due to two three factors:

You have Gorilla Glass wrapped all over the device (back and front) which gives it a classy feel in the hand and an elegant look.
The front is nearly bezeless which allows for a bigger screen at a smaller form factor. The display is just as big as an iPhone 7 Plus but it is much smaller and easier to handle than Apple’s phablet.
The new “tall screen” orientation is gorgeous to look at, though we have concerns that most applications aren’t yet built to take advantage of this new display form factor.

Perhaps our only issue with it so far, as with any other device covered in glass, is that it’s a massive fingerprint magnet. You’ll definitely need to have a case with you or carry a cleaning cloth if you’re a bit of neat freak.

Competitive Camera Optics, Wide-Angle is Always a Treat

We’ll delve more into this come the full review, but top-line the cameras of the LG G6 are made for fun and not super serious photography. The wide-angle is our most used feature as we can get more people in our “group-fies” with the selfie camera or group shots with the primary shooter. It’s the type of camera that you just want to keep taking photos. It’s fast, convenient, and pretty much can capture anything and everything.

Some Concerns on Gaming Performance

If we have one initial concern it’s the gaming performance. Marvel Future Fight has been lagging at Medium and High performance settings. We would understand some delays with “High” but it’s unacceptable for it to not play buttery smooth at “Medium”. We’re still investigating this so check back in the full review when we release it next week. And yes, to we already turned off the gaming performance battery saver option in the settings.

Full Review Next Week!

Watch out for our full review next week. We’ll just use the remaining days to do a few more tests as we’ve narrowed the stuff we want to spend some more time on already.

If you’re interested to get one, the pre-order for the Philippines starts on April 17. It’s priced at Php37,990 and if you pre-order you get the LG Tone Infinim (Php7,490), LG G6 case (Php1,500), and an extended one-year warranty.

Curious to see how the G6 stacks up to its competition so far? Check out our comparos below:

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