Pros
- Good ergonomic design
- Dust and Water proof
- Stunning camera
Cons
- No 2.5D curved display
- Battery life is pathetic
- No Daydream VR support
Introduction
The G series of LG has always been a prestigious flagship series of the South Korean company. Last year when LG G5 was launched, it created waves in the hearts of the gadget lovers with features like ‘Always ON’ display. Mobile World Congress which is held at Barcelona is the place where every new smartphone in the G series is introduced.
As expected, LG introduced its latest smartphone, LG G6 at the Mobile World Congress 2017 in Barcelona. Instead of the latest Snapdragon 835, we have Snapdragon 821 processor in G6. This could be because, Samsung wants the Snapdragon 835 to see the world via only its upcoming smartphone Samsung Galaxy S8. However, Snapdragon 821 is also good enough to provide a great performance to the users. Let’s find more about that in this review.
Like old times, let us begin this review with the specifications. LG G6 sports a 5.7-inch IPS LCD display at a resolution of 2880 x 1440 pixel with 565 ppi pixel density. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor with Adreno 530 GPU and runs on Android 7.0 (Nougat) out of the box. The device comes with 4 GB RAM and 32 GB/ 64 GB internal storage. The mobile features dual primary camera with 13-megapixel primary lens with f/1.8 aperture, OIS besides additional 13-megapixel rear lens with f/2.4 wide-angle camera and a 5-megapixel front camera with 1080p/30fps video recording.
The smartphone is equipped with fingerprint sensor on board to provide an extra layer of security besides supporting USB Type-C 2.0 (3.1 compatible), NFC, GPS, Bluetooth 4.2, WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz and 5GHz) and 4G LTE connectivity features. LG G6 packs a 3300 mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging technology and weighs 163 grams with 148.9 x 71.9 x 7.9 mm size measurements.
Design
There was a lot of hype before the launch of LG G5, but the design of the smartphone didn’t win enough fans. People were confused whether the body was made of metal or plastic. With LG G6, the company has found a solution for all those misunderstandings. We were able to hold the G6 smartphone with much comfort, thanks to its ergonomic curved design on the back and it was fitting easily in the pocket. The mobile feels very solid in hands and the LG really needs applause for manufacturing the G6 with lesser weight.
On the top, we have 3.5 mm audio jack and secondary microphone while the bottom side is stuffed up with loudspeaker, USB Type-C port and primary microphone. The left side contains the volume control buttons and the right side is where you will find the SIM tray. On the front, we have LG brand name below the display panel. Above the display panel, you will find the earpiece, sensors and front-facing camera. On the back, there is dual camera setup which is protected by a glass layer with fingerprint sensor beneath it. As mentioned earlier, the curved design on the back really helps you to hold the smartphone with much comfort, but if you are a curved display lover, you will hate LG G6. Moreover, a curved display at this price would have been much better. In this case, there is no much difference between LG G6 and any other mid-range smartphone.
We suggest you to go with the Black or Silver models of the smartphone if you are looking for a rich premium look with LG G6.
You might also like: Moto G5 Plus Review
Display
LG G6 sports a 5.7-inch IPS LCD display at a resolution of 2880 x 1440 pixel with 565 ppi pixel density. Since the display is larger, the smartphone comes with 18:9 aspect ratio. I am personally a 16:9 aspect ratio admirer. That’s why before getting the smartphone in hands, I wasn’t expecting anything great in the viewing experience. But, LG G6 surprised me with its aspect ratio performance. In fact, the content that you capture using the smartphone is viewed with much elegance on the screen.
You will not find issues with the brightness of the device. In our tests, we were able to read the text and view the content without any difficulty even under direct sunlight. The brightness is slightly higher in the indoor conditions. There is also a comfort view mode to safeguard your eyes and lessen the strain on your brain. By default, it comes with a blue filter. But, I used the black and white for more safety.
The viewing from different angles is also pretty good and the color production is also commendable with the support of HDR10 and Dolby Vision technologies. Anyways, currently only a few titles on Netflix or Amazon Prime supports these technologies.
User Interface
LG G6 runs on LG UX 6.0 which is based on Android 7.0 (Nougat). One can hardly find fans for the UI of LG smartphones even though they are highly customizable. With the LG G6, the company has upgraded the UI of its older smartphones by integrating slighter improvements. By default, the homescreen displays all the apps on homescreen. If you need an app drawer, you can enable it in the settings. You will also be able to customize the lockscreen by changing the positions of weather animation, swipe effect, shortcuts, position of the lock etc.
If you are not satisfied with the themes that are shipped with the device by default, you can download the extra ones from internet. You will also be able to edit the navigation buttons that appear within the screen at the bottom. Besides the common button, you will also be able to add buttons to open the notification drawer or shortcuts to QSlide+ and Capture. You can also set the scale of the apps separately and their sizes on the screen. The notification window comes with two page design and supports Chromecast and Miracast. The smartphone will be available in 32 GB and 64 GB storage variants and it can be expanded up to 256 GB using microSD card.
Performance
LG G6 is powered by the combination of Snapdragon 821 and 4 GB RAM. Though Snapdragon 835 is about to be available very soon, it is very likely to appear first only in Samsung Galaxy S8. However, it would have been better LG also got a chance to add the latest Snapdragon processor. Performance wise, you will not find issues in the smartphone. There would be issues only for those of you who are concerned about having the latest processor. After using the smartphone for a little while, I found that the LG G6 will not disappoint you either in games or during multi-tasking.
Battery is one of the aspects why you will hate LG G6. For normal users, the battery will last up to a day. I had to charge the battery manually by the end of the day even though it was charged full daily in the morning. But, the Quick charge technology will help you overcome the battery challenges of the smartphone. The fingerprint sensor works very fast, but it would have been better if it was added on the front side of the mobile.
Audio and Video Quality
One of the reasons behind why we buy smartphones is the music player. LG G6 has its own native music player with cloud support. The Now Playing screen is very simple and you will find controls at the bottom and album art in a square shape at the top. There are features which will let you play the music on another device. There is folder view to find the music by the name of the folders.
The best part is that the app will find the musical video on YouTube for the tracks that you listen. To enhance your listening experience, there are bass, treble and vocal boosters. The video viewing experience as discusses earlier is very good on the large display panel of G6. I watched movies such as Avatar and it was a good treat to our eyes.
Camera
LG G6 relies much upon its dual camera setup to take good quality pictures. As expected, the smartphone doesn’t disappoint us in this case and its image capturing capabilities is its outstanding feature. This makes the LG G6 special among other competitors in the market. Last year, LG G5 came with a stunning 16-megapixel primary camera and an 8-megapixel selfie camera. On the other hand, the latest G6 comes with a 13MP dual camera setup. The landscapes can be captured beautifully in both 16:9 and 18:9 aspect ratios.
The camera however lacks a small thing in the area of specifications. It comes with Sony IMX258 sensor which is also found in mid-range smartphones. The smartphones with dual camera setups are known for taking photos in the low light conditions. Using LG G6, I was able to take photos without much noise in the low light conditions, but they are not the best in the market. The wide angle camera and the primary camera do their jobs better in the case of taking photos. The dynamic range however is not as good as Google Pixel, but it is better than any other high-end smartphone in the current market. The photos captured in the HDR mode gives a good treat to our eyes. The app is also simple and allows you to control almost all the settings just like in DSLR cameras.
The videos can be captured in 4K resolution at 30fps and the other videos with lower resolution can be captured at 60fps. The front camera is however only 5 MP just like V20 instead of an 8-megapixel sensor.
Here are my final words about the camera. If you are a shutterbug, you must probably buy the LG G6 smartphone and you will not regret buying it.
Conclusion
For all those video watching lovers, watching a video in 18:9 aspect ratio might not make you happy. But, in our experience, it was quite a good treat to our eyes. However, if you still want to watch the YouTube videos in 16:9 aspect ratio, you have the option to do so in the settings. The integration of Snapdragon 835 processor could have improved the battery life, but the Snapdragon 821 still does a good job and moreover you have the Quick charge technology to charge your battery quicker. It would be a great mistake if the camera of the smartphone is not discussed now. LG G6 has one of the finest cameras in the market at present. So, buying a LG G6 is not a bad idea.
You might also like our TUTEZONE section which contains exclusive tutorials on how you can make your life simpler using technology.
