LG Crafts G6 With Look and Feel of High-End Smartphones

With Mobile World Congress starting Feb. 27, the smartphone update season has begun in earnest. LG Electronics fired the first salvo during the show with the LG G6, a high-end device that boasts a large screen and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor. The way is clear for LG at MWC because Samsung isn’t scheduled to introduce its high-end handset, the Galaxy S8, until a March 29 media briefing and Apple won’t showcase its latest iPhones until September. However, the LG G6 has a new design concept that could be remarkably similar to the Galaxy S8. The G6 promises to be an attractive option for many smartphone buyers this year. But the handset has some limitations that may hinder it from being a serious rival to the Galaxy S8 and iPhone 8. This slide show will cover the reasons why the LG G6 could be a top popular model in 2017 and a few reasons why it might disappoint buyers.

In a sign of things to come, LG has eliminated the physical home button in the G6. Instead, the device has virtual buttons on the home screen and a fingerprint sensor on the back. Samsung is said to be planning the same feature in the Galaxy S8 and Apple, too, could remove the Touch ID button in the iPhone 8.

The removal of the home button leaves more room for the display. The G6 features a 5.7-inch screen with a 2,880-by-1,440-pixel resolution and an 18:9 aspect ratio, which LG says should deliver a better visual experience.

There are two rear-facing camera lenses in the G6, both of which come with 13-megapixel sensors. The main camera is a standard lens featuring optical image stabilization and a wide-angle lens. A 5-megapixel camera is on the front.

LG’s G6 has been “built for the unexpected,” the company says. The device has an IP68 rating, so it’s resistant to debris intrusion and can survive in up to 3 feet of water for up to 30 minutes. It’s also been built to meet military-grade standards, ensuring it survives a drop at several feet.

The G6 is one of the few handsets available now that supports Google Assistant, allowing users to search the internet, control the smart home, make calendar appointments and much more.

LG isn’t offering the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor in the G6. Instead, the handset will use last year’s model, the speedy Qualcomm Snapdragon 821. However, it appears Samsung, which worked with Qualcomm on the 835 chip, will be the first to offer it in it the Galaxy S8.

LG last year differentiated its G5 by offering a removable battery in the device. That feature, along with the ability to swap out other components, is now gone. LG is following other high-end device makers by not allowing customization to its device.

The G6 will be offered with the customer’s choice of 32GB or 64GB of onboard storage, which isn’t much when smartphone users are taking more videos and photos than ever. However, users can use a 2TB microSD card for additional storage.

Beyond the highlights, the LG G6 has several critical supporting features, including a more responsive fingerprint sensor. The device is compatible with Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 technology for faster battery-charging and supports Bluetooth 4.2. It also supports mobile payments through Android Pay.

LG has confirmed it will release the G6 in South Korea first on March 10 for just under $800, and then begin rolling out the smartphone to other markets, including the United States. In a statement, LG said it anticipates “full-scale” availability in the third quarter of 2017.