The LG G6 stands as the LG brand’s flagship phone for 2017, and a marked improvement over the G5, which focused on modular attachments. For this unboxing, we’ll take a look at what the G6 is like once you get it.
Upon opening the LG G6 box, you get:
- LG G6 unit (1 pc.)
- Travel Charger (1 pc.)
- USB-C cord (1 pc.)
- SIM card port opener (1 pc.)
First things first, the LG G6, in comparison to phones from other brands, looks reasonably thick. However, when comparing it to its direct flagship competitor, the Samsung Galaxy S8, it’s actually thicker. In fact, I’d even go so far as to say that if the Galaxy S8 will set the standard for thickness and weight for future phones, the LG G6 misses the bar. Comparatively, the G6 feels heavier, and visually looks thicker than the Galaxy S8.
But let’s not dwell on that. Comparing it to the LG G5, the G6 looks marvelous. The premium feel is undeniable, from the clean shimmer of its glass-like build, to the button placement choices and general aesthetic. Additionally, the screen on the G6 got larger, thanks to smaller, thinner bezels, allowing for a 5.7-inch screen without actually making the phone bigger. By comparison, the G5 only had a 5.3-inch display caused by thicker bezels. In general, the G6 benefits from having the freedom to pursue a slightly modified design like the larger screen size, because it no longer has to worry about modular attachments.
For the button placement, the LG G6 makes familiar choices that make perfect sense. First, it carries over the back power/lock button that stems all the way from the G3, while also adding a fingerprint sensor. Users on the go, or people who can only use their phone with one hand, should find this helpful. Now, they can unlock their phone by simply moving their finger to the sensor. Alongside this fingerprint sensor/power button would be the two rear cameras. One, 13-megapixels, and the other, a 13-megapixel wide angle lens, and together they form the main camera. This is a marked improvement from the G5, which had a 16-megapixel camera, plus an 8-megapixel wide angel lens.
Second, the volume buttons go on the left side of the phone, versus devices that place them either on the right, or on the back. Not a bad choice overall, as right-handed people may find it more comfortable to adjust volume using their pointer finger instead of their thumb. Meanwhile, the right side of the phone has the SIM card holder, the top has the headphone jack, and the bottom has the USB-C port and the speaker grill.
Based on the first few minutes of use, I have to say that the UI feels smooth and there’s barely any waiting time for apps to load. In addition, the UI and icons look vibrant, with each color popping instead of looking faded. When the device is locked, LG also adds a nice touch by letting you still see the battery life, time, and date even if the screen is asleep.
The overall great initial experience and the lightning-fast transition between apps is thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 2.35 GHz and 1.6 GHz Quad-Core Custom 64-bit Qualcomm Kryo processors that run the device. Considering that the G5 had a Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 820 Quad-core (2.15 GHz Kryo & 1.6 GHz Kryo), this also proves to be an improvement. While 2.35 GHz sounds like a small upgrade from the 2.15 GHz, the actual experience feels like it’s leagues better. For the internal memory, on the other hand, the G6 sticks to 4 GB RAM, same as the G5.
What excites me most, surprisingly, is the increased battery life. At 3,300mAh, the G6 theoretically should last longer than the 2,800mAh G5 battery. All that remains, now, is determining whether or not the specs spend this energy wisely.
Be sure to check the blog when we finally release our full review for the LG G6! Will it prove to be better than the G5, or be a similar disappointment to it? Did the return to a non-modular design work for this phone? Find out soon!
More photos of the LG G6: