Hands-on first impressions with the LG G6

midian182

Posts: 9,632   +120
Staff member

LG unveiled today its latest flagship handset at Mobile World Congress, here is the all-new LG G6. We are live on the floor and LG has been kind enough of providing us a review unit a day before launch, so we’ve already spent some time with the phone. And the first impressions are good!

As expected, the G6 abandons the modular design used by its predecessor in favor of a more typical modern smartphone build -- complete with a non-removable battery. The first thing I noticed is how nicely it sits in the hand. The LG G6 is satisfyingly large but not cumbersome, making it perfect for one-handed typing.

While some might still prefer their fingerprint scanner on the front of the device, I found my index finger naturally gravitated to the correct position every time I picked up the G6. It scans my print and unlocks in an instant, and not once during several hours of varied use did it fail to correctly read my print the first time.

Earlier press renders showed off the thin bezels on LG’s flagship, a trend that many of this year’s smartphones are expected to follow. It allows for more screen real estate while keeping the overall footprint at a minimum. The photo below shows the G6 next to the Samsung S7 Edge. As you can see, LG’s device is the smaller of the two, yet still has noticeably more screen space: 5.7 inches compared to the S7 Edge's 5.5 inches. There are no curved edges on the screen, but that will probably mean it’s less likely to break as easily.

That Snapdragon 821 chip moves things along quite snappily. I found it loaded apps and web pages faster than my S7 Edge, and just felt altogether smoother.

The most interesting feature of the LG G6 is that 2880x1440 resolution. LG’s updated custom UI, dubbed UX 6.0, sits on top of Android 7.0 and takes advantage of the 18:9 FullVision display. Using the split screen option with apps and web pages feels intuitive, but the feature shines when used with applications designed especially for it. Being able to review your images on the screen while taking a 1:1 photo felt pretty impressive, and it definitely seems like something that will be popular with Instagram fans. You can check out your recorded videos while lining up another shot, too. And I love the way the calendar app splits up the dates and the events.

Speaking of the camera, while it does seem quite good, I have to admit the S7, which has one of the best smartphone snappers out there, appeared to take slightly better images, especially in low light.

More time will be needed with the LG G6 to draw accurate conclusions, and how much it challenges the current Android king, Google’s Pixel XL, remains to be seen.

From the few hours I’ve spent using the phone, I can honestly say that I like it -- a lot. It's quick, has some unique features, a bright display, and is the first non-Pixel handset to come with Google Assistant. The G5 was far from becoming the success LG hoped for, but the company looks to be onto a winner with the successor.

Our full review of the LG G6 will follow in the coming weeks.

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The more things change, the more they stay the same. There's nothing that makes this device any more desirable than any other high end offering but then again it shouldn't offend anyone either. LG are playing it safe this time around which is not a bad thing. I suspect the next time we see a real shake up in the mobile market is when foldable displays become a reality but until that happens we'll keep seeing shrinking bezels and the usual expected, although unexciting spec bumps. If you're already the owner of a high end device and are satisfied with it then the G6 doesn't look like much of a compelling upgrade. I'm not expecting the Galaxy S8 to to be a "must have upgrade" either if you already own a S7.
 
I take it back. The split screen looks at least somewhat useful.
Not sure how I feel about the rounded corners on the display though.
 
I'm still a Note 4 user, didn't like Note 5, liked Note 7 till the scandal came out, now waiting for Note 8 to finally upgrade.

I like this LG phone, but I don't trust LG, as they are generally not as good as Samsung products.
 
I'm still a Note 4 user, didn't like Note 5, liked Note 7 till the scandal came out, now waiting for Note 8 to finally upgrade.

I like this LG phone, but I don't trust LG, as they are generally not as good as Samsung products.

This...after our household having the bootloop issue with a g2,g4, and a v10 in the space of 6 months we moved away from lg and am not ready to give them a second chance
 
Rounded corners on the screen look ugly. The only thing that can impress me in a phone these days is it's price. Otherwise, it's all the same ****.
 
Rounded corners on the screen look ugly. The only thing that can impress me in a phone these days is it's price. Otherwise, it's all the same ****.

Totally agree. The rounded screen corners make it look obtuse.
 
Why do they always have to use software buttons? there's already a useless space at the bottom, why steal from screen size and use it for buttons why why...
 
I'm still a Note 4 user, didn't like Note 5, liked Note 7 till the scandal came out, now waiting for Note 8 to finally upgrade.

I like this LG phone, but I don't trust LG, as they are generally not as good as Samsung products.

That's because you probably haven't tried one. I have G3 for 2.5 years now and LG finally made a good successor. Not sure what's better on Samsung devices? What I was able to see is they have these omg soooooo ugly Edge devices that cost a fortune and give nothing special.
 
So this is just another boring, forced obsolescence slab of a phone with nothing advantageous over something like a moto z play or a axon 7.
 
Hey look! A rectangular shaped mobile device. Innovative. Inspiriting. Additional buzzword goes here.
 
Hey look! A rectangular shaped mobile device. Innovative. Inspiriting. Additional buzzword goes here.

Well humans have two eyes set side by side so screens will be made to be rectangular and viewed in landscape mode. Our hands also hold things well in portrait orientation and people like reading things that are that shape - which is why they've been making books like that forever.

So I think we have to get used to the rectangle - for better or worse. Not to mention - doesn't Apple hold a patent on it or something? ;)

Personally - I liked the commercial - I think it looks very cool. I'm curious about battery life, but those camera functions could make for some great vacation highlights.
 
Dropped my samsung so had to buy a phone quick. got a lg g3 and was very much impressed. I think it is BETTER than my samsung even though does not have as good reputation.
 
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