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Last year wasn’t a great one for LG as the company as the LG G5 vastly underperformed, leading LG to completely revisit their plans for the LG G6. As we get closer to Mobile World Congress 2017, we have been learning more and more information about the device that is looking to take on the likes of the Galaxy S8.
Initial Rumors
Although this wasn’t much of a rumor, considering it came out in February of 2015, LG actually trademarked the LG G6 moniker. This came along with the LG G7, LG G8, and LG G9. Regardless, the trademark all but confirmed that the company has no plans to change the moniker of its flagship for the next few years.
Design
The first big rumors regarding the G6 were in reference to the design language for the device. Due to the underwhelming performance of the LG G5, the company decided to pivot away from modularity, in favor of a more traditional smartphone design.
This rumor continued to make its rounds until LG confirmed the speculation in early January. This confirmation also came after the first render of the G6 was leaked. The design appeared to be similar to that of the LG V20, which was launched in late 2016.
The renders showed that LG would be keeping the dual-camera setup that was present on both the G5 and the V20. However, there isn’t much information available regarding the camera quality on the G6. All we can assume for now is that LG will likely be incrementally improving the camera setup, or we could see the same module which was used in the V20.
Moving away from all of the renders from case makers (and there were plenty), we finally got what appeared to be an official press render of the G6. The render showed off the left side of the device, along with the front camera and bezels.
Drawing conclusions from these renders, the G6 will feature an aluminum body with a new slim-bezel display. In fact, early in January, LG announced an all new QHD LCD display panel which is likely to be used in the G6. This panel is a bit different from the norm, however, as it measures in at an aspect ratio of 18:9. For comparison the LG G5 has an aspect ratio of 16:9.
This led to much speculation that LG would be slimming down the bezels for its next flagship. Considering that Samsung has been rumored to do the same, and Xiaomi beat everyone to the punch, this came as no surprise.
Since the official press render leaked, there have been some more images that have appeared showing of the G6. One of which were supposed images of a LG G6 prototype. These images confirmed the non-modular design, along with the dual-camera setup and fingerprint scanner placement.
Then, we saw a new image of a fully-furnished device with a glossy black back. This seemingly confirmed early reports that the front and back of the G6 would be made from glass, with the edges of the G6 being made from aluminum.
Finally, the most recent leak of the LG G6 shows the device in all of its glory. A set of new images confirms the same information from previous leaks, as well as showing off all 4 sides of the G6. Some of you will be happy to see that the 3.5mm headphone jack will make its return, after there were some concerns that LG would join the ranks of Apple and Motorola and remove the aging technology.
LG G6 Possible Specs
So now that we have had a better look at what the device will supposedly look like, let’s take a look at what we think will be under the hood. The G6 will feature a 5.7-inch QHD+ LCD Display, with an aspect ration of 18:9 (or 2:1) and a resolution of 1,440 x 2,880 pixels. The new display will also be 10% brighter, while consuming 30% less power when compared to previous options.
Now for the fun part. Initial reports claimed that LG would be taking advantage of the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. However, these reports were short lived after a new rumor surfaced which has suggested that Samsung is “hoarding” Qualcomm’s supply of the Snapdragon 835 for the Galaxy S8/Galaxy S8 Plus release.
This has led to speculation that LG will revert “back” to the Snapdragon 821 processor. This processor was launched in late 2016 and provides a slight improvement over the Snapdragon 820 which was found in many 2016 flagships. There are still some of us holding out hope that the reports of the Snapdragon 835 being unavailable are nothing but folks blowing smoke, but who knows.
Spec/Feature Breakdown:
- 5.7-inch QHD LCD Display; 18:9 aspect ratio
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 Processor
- USB Type-C
- Wireless Charging
- Fingerprint Scanner
- Google Assistant
- LG Pay/MST Payments
- 148.8 x 72.3 x 8.3mm
Odds & Ends
In an effort to get everyone hyped about the upcoming smartphone, LG released a teaser video which asked consumers “What’s on your wish list for the ideal smartphone”. The answers consisted of the following:
- Big screen
- Smaller Body
- Waterproof
- Capture it all at once
- Reliable
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr-N5cZBcl0
The video states that all of our “wishes for the ideal smartphone will come to life”, and that it would be arriving in “February 2017”. This has helped those of us who love to speculate, to be able to put the pieces of the puzzle together to figure out what LG will be releasing.
Google Assistant
Currently, only a handful of devices include native Google Assistant support, but the LG G6 may be the latest to be added to the list. A rumor has suggested that LG and Google have reached a partnership to bring Google Assistant to the G6, along with the 2 new LG Android Wear 2.0 smartwatches that were recently unveiled.
This would be a huge move in the right direction for Google, as it would hopefully open the door for more OEMs to bring Assistant to our 2017 devices. These are nothing more than rumors, but if Google’s new smartwatches are made by LG, then we would feel a bit more confident.
LG Pay
What could be a huge focal point for LG and the G6 is the launch of LG Pay. The company has been working on an MST payment option for sometime, and what better time to introduce the new payment option than alongside the G6.
Previously, LG’s plans for LG Pay revolved around the “White Card”, but that approach was abandoned in favor of the convenience which is provided by MST. If launched along with the G6, LG Pay would provide a way for users to make payments at credit/debit card terminals without pulling out your wallet and could work with older terminals which don’t include an NFC landing pad.
Announcement/Launch Date
LG has confirmed it will be unveiling the LG G6 at a press conference during Mobile World Congress 2017. This event will be taking place on February 26th, which is one day before MWC 2017 officially gets underway.
As for when we could see the G6 on store shelves, Evan Blass has revealed that the device will launch in South Korea on March 9th. The device will launch in the US on April 7th.
This is a little bit later than when the G5 was released last year, but LG is doing everything it can to release its flagship before Samsung launches the Galaxy S8. With Samsung’s self-imposed delay of its 2017 flagship, this may be the best opportunity that LG has to make a dent in the market and rebound from a subpar 2016.
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