Hola there folks. MWC 2017 is in full swing and LG has just revealed its G6 smartphone for the world to see. This device sheds the modular design adopted by its predecessor, the G5, and instead favors a metallic unibody with rounded corners. Let’s take a closer look at their latest high-end smartphone — LG G6.
We already knew a lot about the G6 prior to its launch — thanks to the rumor mill, which came up with specs, renders and full-fledged photos of the device ahead of the launch. The device we got to see today is quite similar to expectations and LG seemed to have gone for a conservative approach with a few tweaks and twists of its own rather than trying something entirely out of the box.
Talking about the launch, Seong-jin Jo, Vice Chairman and CEO, LG Electronics, said,
Our mobile business serves as an essential part of the industry 4.0 era. I will make a priority to turn our mobile business around and provide the customers with a quality product and features they desire the most.
The G6 comes with a 5.7-inch QHD+ ‘Full Vision’ display that has a resolution of 2880×1440 pixels with an 18:9 aspect ratio. This aspect ratio is kind of unusual and we’re not sure why LG went with it but the company itself decided to offer a detailed explanation about the Univisium technology. Also, the said display now also packs support for Dolby Vision and HDR 10, which makes it the very first smartphone to include this technology.
LG brought on stage, three-time Academy award winner Vittorio Storaro to help us better understand the ideology behind the unusual screen aspect ratio. He introduced the concept of Univisium, which means unique vision in Latin, and has been shooting his movies in the said 2:1 (18:9) aspect ratio. This, he believes, removes the need for cropping stuff out of the screen as it is more wider as compared to 16:9 ratio screens. The screen, thus, is being called the center of the design language for this device.
Talking about the same, Juno Cho, President of LG Mobile Communication Company, says,
It will open a new era of an immersive experience to users. The innovation we’ve shown here today doesn’t only apply to the G6 but will be seen in upcoming products as well.
The Korean giant has packed a brand new user interface into the LG G6. Called UX 6.0, the user interface has been fully optimized for LG G6’s display, and it is thanks to this UI that you can watch 16:9 ratio content in your 18:9 aspect screen without a hitch. The G6 also packs highly advanced multi-tasking capabilities. So basically, you can now surf the web while watching a movie on your video player, or type a memo, while using a calculator, everything is on your screen at once. These apps are aligned one top of another in a 1:1 ratio.
Further, to ease the usability the company has carried out an immense amount of research. And LG, on stage, also said that they tested the design ergonomics alongside Edge displays, where they found that users were tired using the latter and more random touches were accounted for. Thus, the Korean giant focused on keeping the bezels to the minimum, pushing any camera bulge inside and including rounded edges on the LG G6.
As far as the processor in concerned, the device runs on the Snapdragon 821 — which could mean that the G6 isn’t LG’s most premium device for 2017 after all — and packs enhanced front and back cameras. On the rear, the said device includes a dual wide-angle 13MP camera setup with optical zoom tech developed in co-operation with Qualcomm. On the front, the LG G6 also packs a 103 wide-angle camera with an auto-shoot feature. Further, to maximize the visual camera experience, you now have a 1:1 square camera mode which makes it possible for you to click and preview your photos at the same time.
On the software side, G6 runs Android 7.0 Nougat and is the first non-Google phone to come with the Google Assistant (which falls in line with expectations of the rumor mill). Talking about this integration, Scott Huffman, Vice President at Google said,
We’ve worked closely worked with LG to make sure the Google Assistant is great from the moment you turn on your device. LG G6 has also been optimized so that the Google Assistant works even when the screen is turned off. We’ve started with English and German, we’re adding more languages over time.
It is juiced by a 3,300 mAh battery, which is now being tested more aggressively to prevent any mishaps. The LG G6 is also packed with heat pipes to help mitigate overheating issues (taking a direct dig at Galaxy Note 7). And the phone is IP68 resistant, which means your phone is completely water and dust resistant. It also includes a fingerprint sensor on the back underneath the camera setup.
Finally, the LG G6 is available in mystic white, astro black, and ice platinum colors. There is currently no information on the availability and pricing of the LG G6, but we’ll surely update you once we know more about it.
Additional reporting by Anmol Sachdeva
