LG G6 Hands on Impressions: Return to Form

Last year, LG took a gamble with G5 by going modular. Users could quickly add extra functionality to their G5 by swapping out different modules, such as a camera extension or DAC accessory. Unfortunately, it was an inelegant solution and the gamble obviously didn’t pay off.

Fast forward a year later and the South Korean electronics giant is looking to redeem itself with the LG G6. While they skipped the modular design, the G6 still has a few nice surprises. Is it enough to set it apart from the competition though? I was lucky enough to get some extended hands on time with the new flagship and here are my impressions.

The Display

The LG G6 sports a large 5.7 inch QHD display with an unusual 18:9 aspect ratio that makes it taller than most smartphones you’ve encountered before. It’s a similar approach to what Samsung has done on its Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus.

There are a few differences between LG and Samsung’s new offerings though. For one thing, the G6 makes use of an IPS panel while the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus use Super AMOLED displays. Also, Samsung’s new flagships have curved displays while the LG G6 has a flat display. Samsung’s flagships are undoubtedly gorgeous, but I still have my doubts about the benefits of this kind of curved screen. To me, the LG G6’s display is still the more practical and usable display.

Build Quality and Design

There’s no mistaking the LG G6 as anything less than a premium flagship smartphone. There’s a layer of glass on top of its metal frame, giving it a really sleek and glossy appearance.

Unfortunately, that also means it’s going to be a smudge magnet, but it’s hard to complain once you’ve actually held the G6 in your hand.

There’s not a lot of hardware buttons along the edges as there would be on a typical smartphone. You’ll only find the volume rocker on the left side of the device.

The power/lock button is actually located on the back of the device, which is how LG has been doing it on the G series since the G2. This is also where you’ll find the fingerprint sensors and the new dual camera setup.

Performance

The LG G6 is driven by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 821 SoC with a 2.2GHz quad core processor and Adreno 530 graphics. You also get 4GB of RAM to go along with at least 32GB of internal storage. The G6 runs Nougat 7.0 out of the box so there’s no months long wait until you get the latest version of Android.

The LG G6 performs about as well as you would expect from a proper 2017 flagship. They’ve dialed down on the unnecessary bloatware although you still get the LGUX UI overlay that has been refined over the years.

Interestingly enough, aside from the weird screen aspect ratio and dual cameras, there aren’t a lot of new gimmicks. Personally, I’m all for trimming down the features that will likely go unused anyway.

Overall Impressions

The LG G6 is a return to form for the South Korean electronics giant. I appreciate that they innovated and improved where it mattered without dumping a whole lot of new features that aren’t likely to be used by a majority of users. Price-wise, it’s also exactly where it should be as a 2017 flagship smartphone with a Php37,990 SRP, and if you pre-order it, you’ll also get the LG Tone Infinim Bluetooth neckband headset valued at Php 7,490, an LG G6 case valued at Php 1,500, not to mention an extended one-year LG warranty for a total of Php 8,990 value-added freebies.

LG G6 Specs

  • 5.7″ QHD+ FullVision IPS display (1440 x 2880 resolution, 565ppi) protected by Gorilla Glass 3
  • Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 821 SoC
    • (2 x 2.35 GHz Kryo + 2 x 1.6 GHz Kryo) quad core processor
    • Adreno 530 GPU
  • Android 7.0 Nougat with LGUX 6.0 UI overlay
  • 4GB RAM
  • 64GB internal storage, expandable via microSD (up to 2TB)
  • 13mp f/1.8 + 13mp f/2.4 wide-angle rear cameras with dual LED flash
  • 5mp f/2.2 wide angle front camera
  • Up to LTE-A
  • WiFi a/b/g/n/ac
  • Bluetooth 4.2 LE
  • GPS with A-GPS support
  • NFC
  • FM radio
  • Fingerprint sensor
  • 32-bit Quad DAC chip
  • IP68 water and dust resistance
  • USB Type-C 2.0
  • Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0
  • 3,300mAh battery
  • Colors: Mystic White, Astro Black, and Ice Platinum
  • Price: Php37,990

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.