LG G6 Review: Design Elegance And Efficiency A Winning Combination
Meet The LG G6, A Beautifully Designed Android Smartphone
There's absolutely no question about it. LG obviously launched the new LG G6 right in the middle of the marketing buzzsaw that is Samsung's Galaxy S8 launch. And while it's fair to compare the G6 against the backdrop of the Samsung dynamic duo, some of the reviews I've seen so far, in my humble opinion, are unnecessarily critical of LG, largely due to timing I think. Since when did we become so jaded, like undercover restaurant critics in our own inner circle, that we can't judge a product based on its own merits? I'm not calling anyone out but I'm here to tell you that the LG G6 is likely a very competent alternative to the Samsung Galaxy S8. No doubt there are caveats, as there will be with Samsung's new bauble. But let's not be so dismissive, shall we? We're going to take a different, more balanced view here.
The LG G6 is, quite simply, a beautifully-designed, premium Android Nougat-driven smartphone - and yep, that's just the lead-in...
The LG G6 is, quite simply, a beautifully-designed, premium Android Nougat-driven smartphone - and yep, that's just the lead-in...
We were in Manhattan in late February for the LG G6's unveiling. At the time, the company wasn't ready to release final production units to the press. Further updates and refinements were on tap and we didn't get a final retail-ready unit until a couple of weeks ago. Since then, LG has officially begun shipping the phone via all major carriers. The good news is, our early hands-on video is right here and it will give you a great feel for how LG approached the design of their new Android flagship. Have a quick gander and then we'll dig deeply into the specifics and offer our opinion and analysis of the LG G6 on the pages ahead...
Price All major carriers - $650 - $719 (Free Google Home promotion currently)
The most standout feature of the LG G6 is its display and it can't be overstated enough how gorgeous it is, with its ultra-thin side, top and bottom bezels and a rather unorthodox 2880x1440 resolution. This is what's known as an 18:9 aspect ratio, loosely based on the film format called Univisum. If you do the math, it's actually a 2 to 1 (2:1) ratio where the horizontal view is twice as wide as the vertical height, if you were to hold a device in landscape mode, for example. Jurassic World was recently shot in this format and aspect, but other than artsy-fartsy cinematographers, smartphone manufactures are beginning to move to this format, including Samsung with the Galaxy S8 series and even Google, which is urging app developers to support it (bets on the next Pixel device display format anyone?).
The most standout feature of the LG G6 is its display and it can't be overstated enough how gorgeous it is, with its ultra-thin side, top and bottom bezels and a rather unorthodox 2880x1440 resolution. This is what's known as an 18:9 aspect ratio, loosely based on the film format called Univisum. If you do the math, it's actually a 2 to 1 (2:1) ratio where the horizontal view is twice as wide as the vertical height, if you were to hold a device in landscape mode, for example. Jurassic World was recently shot in this format and aspect, but other than artsy-fartsy cinematographers, smartphone manufactures are beginning to move to this format, including Samsung with the Galaxy S8 series and even Google, which is urging app developers to support it (bets on the next Pixel device display format anyone?).
Beyond its fancy new display resolution and sleek, thin bezel design, you've got a fairly current setup of hardware components onboard the G6. It's powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 and though the Snapdragon 835 just launched and is powering the Galaxy S8 series, the previous generation flagship is no slouch by any stretch. You can bet that it's very stable at this point and supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 technology. That's all backed up by 32GB of storage, 4GB of RAM and a 3300 mAh battery, which is the only config option for the device.
Also onboard are three cameras -- dual rear-facing 13MP shooters -- one standard view 70º f1.8 with optical image stabilization and a second wide-angle 125º camera with f2.4 aperture and no OIS. The standard camera also has laser, phase-detect and contrast auto-focus capability. The front camera is a 100º wide-angle shooter with f2.2 aperture. We'll cover much more on camera performance later.
With the LG G6 you get a very stock assortment of bundled items, including a quick charger with USB Type-C cable (yes, that's the synch/charge port type for the G6), lit pack and sim extractor tool. However, for a limited time, the LG is bundling a free Google Home smart assistant speaker with the G6 and pricing with major carriers like AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile range from $650 to $719 (or monthly contract payments). If you factor in the $129 value of Google Home, that weighs the LG G6 in at $521 to $590. If you don't fancy a Google Home device, that places the LG G6 squarely in super-premium smartphone territory, but before we get ahead of ourselves, let's dig in for a closer look at what is undoubtedly also a super-premium Android handset.
Also onboard are three cameras -- dual rear-facing 13MP shooters -- one standard view 70º f1.8 with optical image stabilization and a second wide-angle 125º camera with f2.4 aperture and no OIS. The standard camera also has laser, phase-detect and contrast auto-focus capability. The front camera is a 100º wide-angle shooter with f2.2 aperture. We'll cover much more on camera performance later.
With the LG G6 you get a very stock assortment of bundled items, including a quick charger with USB Type-C cable (yes, that's the synch/charge port type for the G6), lit pack and sim extractor tool. However, for a limited time, the LG is bundling a free Google Home smart assistant speaker with the G6 and pricing with major carriers like AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile range from $650 to $719 (or monthly contract payments). If you factor in the $129 value of Google Home, that weighs the LG G6 in at $521 to $590. If you don't fancy a Google Home device, that places the LG G6 squarely in super-premium smartphone territory, but before we get ahead of ourselves, let's dig in for a closer look at what is undoubtedly also a super-premium Android handset.
