LG has finally announced the LG G6 for the Indian market. The smartphone is priced at Rs 51,990 and will be available on Amazon. Here's are our first impressions of the device
Last year, LG experimented with a modular design for its flagship smartphone, the LG G5. However, what seems to be working for the Moto Z series, did not turn out to be a money-maker for LG. The company soon decided to junk its modular approach, given the the G5 failed to impress consumers and sales of the device remained sluggish. We are glad LG has moved on from the modular approach for the G6, and instead, decided to chase the bezel-free display trend.
If there is one takeaway we have from MWC 2017, it is that every smartphone maker is focusing on the display. Last year it was all about the camera and battery life, and this year it's all about the display. We have seen this with Sony, Samsung, LG and others with their flagship smartphones. Bringing in 2K resolution (in Sony’s case 4K) and HDR support to the small screen seems to be the big deal this year.
When it comes to the display, The LG G6 has a 5.7-inch 2880 x 1440 display. LG says that they packed a 5.7-inch display in the form factor of a 5.2-inch smartphone. LG has reduced the bezels surrounding the display, but it isn't truly bezel-less. The G6 supports Dolby Vision and HDR 10. Coming to the specifications of the G6, it runs on the Snapdragon 821 platform with 4GB of RAM. The device offers 64GB of inbuilt storage expandable up to 2TB via a microSD card. The entire package is powered by a 3300mAh battery with support for Quick Charge 3.0.
The G6 comes with the company’s UX 6.0, which is based on Android Nougat v7.0. At the back of the device is a dual-camera setup consisting of two 13MP sensors with one of them sporting a 125 degree wide-angle lens. At the front is a 5MP camera with a 100 degree field of view. The LG G6 is IP68 certified for dust and water resistance. The company says that the phone can be submerged underwater for 30 minutes at depths of up to 1.5 meters.
When you hold the LG G6 in your hand for the first time, you do get the feeling of a dominating display on the smartphone. You don't however get the wow feeling that you get when you hold the Galaxy S8 in your hand and that isn’t a bad thing, especially if you are someone that prefers functionality over looks. Another aspect of the G6 is that it is very functional is the placement of the fingerprint sensor. It is placed below the dual-rear camera setup and also doubles-up as the power button. It’s very conveniently located and helps in making the phone feel ergonomic.
The LG G6 is 7.9mm thick whereas the Galaxy S8 is 8mm thick. However, in my hands, it felt like the LG G6 was thicker. The S8 feels so delicate and fragile that I fear I would damage it easily. The metal band around the G6 gives it a sturdier feel. This is of course a very subjective point and some may disagree.
Coming to the camera, we can't comment on the overall quality of the images but we can tell you that the camera is fast and offers an interesting set of shooting modes. There is a mode called Square Camera, where half the screen is used to click the images and the other half is used to view recently clicked image and instantly share it. Other modes include Match shot, Snap shot, Guide shot and Grid shot. All these modes help you use the large display and get creative with your photographs.
The G6 also boasts of a quad DAC, something that isn't a part of the US version of the device, so we in India should feel lucky. We will elaborate on the quality of the audio thanks to the quad DAC in our review.
So what's the verdict? Well, you will have to wait for our review for that. But on first impressions, the LG G6 has chosen function in its design over “sexy” and that's not a bad thing for me personally. The smartphone won't turn heads, but has an ergonomic form factor. It is cheaper than the S8 in India and with the 10K discount on HDFC and SBI cards, looks like a promising option for early adopters (provided you have a card of the two banks in question). It doesn't run on the Snapdragon 835 platform and that is a bummer. The G6 is the first to sport Dolby Vision, but we will have to wait and see how much content is available that supports the format. Stay tuned for our in-depth review to know if the G6 deserves to be your next flagship!
Follow Us
Sameer Mitha
Sameer Mitha lives for gaming and technology is his muse. When he isn’t busy playing with gadgets or video games he delves into the world of fantasy novels. View Full Profile
