The LG G7 ThinQ is the next smartphone to come from the South Korean company and we’ll see it launch within the next month. Here’s everything we know so
The LG G7 ThinQ is the next smartphone to come from the South Korean company and we’ll see it launch within the next month. Here’s everything we know so far about the LG G7 ThinQ.
LG normally releases two flagship phones a year, one in the form of the G-Series at the beginning of the year and the other in the form of the V-Series towards the latter half of the year.
We were thinking we might get the LG G7 during February but instead we got a revamped 2018 AI-touting version of the LG V30 – the V30S ThinQ at Mobile World Congress. At that show, LG also announced updates to the low to mid-range K8 and K10.
We’ve always called the LG G7 that name because that made logical sense following previous device releases.
There’s been a shuffle in how LG presents its phones recently, with the LG V30 series pitching itself much more as a general powerhouse and trying to shed the image of being a phone specifically for videographers.
After that report had come out, the new „Future LG G7“ appeared on UK support pages on LG’s website and in the Google Play store. Both of these have since been removed.
In early April 2018 it was rumoured that the G7 could follow the nomenclature first signposted by the LG V30 ThinQ. And that has proved true – the LG G7 will be the G7 ThinQ, confirmed by an official post on the LG Korea site.
LG’s ThinQ platform was first announced at CES 2017, all products that carry the ThinQ branding will be artificially intelligent (or at least feature AI technologies) to better understand your habits and needs.
Thanks to that official LG post we also know the following: „LG Electronics will unveil the LG G7 ThinQ at Metropolitan West in Manhattan, New York on the 2nd, and a public event on Yongsan Ip Park Mall in Seoul on the 3rd. We plan to invite domestic and overseas media to jointly explain new products and experience events.“
So it’s set in stone that LG will launch the G7 ThinQ on 2 May so we should see UK and US availability later that month.
Korean news reported that networks were originally expecting an April launch. The same report suggests that the LG V40 will move from a September release to November.
Whether that’s the case or not – and as it’s the first time we’ve even heard of a V40, it could be pure speculation. We’ve now also heard the new phone could be a LG V35 ThinQ instead with a 6-inch display.
These renders by Ben Geskin show a ’notch‘ design as do the official renders that have appeared online, giving us a really good look at the upcoming flagship. The G7 design certainly takes a few tips from the LG V30 as you can see.
And these renders, posted by Android Headlines, show the LG G7 ThinQ in five colours: Aurora Black, Platinum Grey, Moroccan Blue, Moroccan Blue (Matte), and Raspberry Rose.
There will be dual-cameras on the rear of the device and a circular fingerprint sensor. That’s according to an Android Headlines report claiming to have seen official (internal) documentation about the device.
LG does like to experiment with design (remember the modular G5), but overall we’re expecting a conservatively-designed smartphone that’s light on gimmicks.
Large displays were the biggest trend of flagship smartphones in 2017, with many devices opting for an 18:9 (or thereabouts) aspect ratio over the standard 16:9 we’d seen previously.
LG was one of the first companies to introduce this, with the G6 offering a 5.7-inch display within a similar footprint to the 5.3-inch LG G5. It has a Quad HD+ resolution at 2880 x 1440 pixels for a pixel density of 564ppi and it offers HDR10 and Dolby Vision support. The G7 will be HDR10-compatible for both recording and playback.
It is not yet clear what size the G7’s display will be, though we’d expect it to be between the 5.7-inch of the G6 and the 6-inches of the V30. The 18:9 aspect ratio will no doubt remain and a Quad HD+ resolution as a minimum is likely too.
We’d also expect it to be OLED, but with LG getting some negative press following the release of the Google Pixel 2 XL, we’d expect the focus to be on quality.
Is LG set to lead some of the G7 ThinQ marketing on the G7’s display being brighter? Some leaks seem to think so, with potential claims of twice the brightness of the G6.
LG has had a good track record over the last couple of years in terms of camera performance and we’d expect the G7 to follow suit. There will also be some AI enhancements to the camera software, too.
A dual 16MP camera will be on the rear, with a standard lens coupled with a wide-angle lens. According to the Android Headlines leak, the wide-angle camera will feature a 107-degree field-of-view, while the standard camera has a f/1.6 aperture.
Expect optical image stabilisation, phase detection autofocus and manual mode for adjusting shutter speed, ISO, exposure and white balance, as the G6 offers.
The LG G6 and the V30 both come with a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, though the resolution might increase for the G7 and it’s possible we might see other technology too, such as facial recognition technology like the V30 offers.
There will also be a portrait mode on the front camera as well as live photos and 3D camera stickers. There’s not yet a hint of anything Animoji-like.
Apparently, you will also be able to apply portrait effects after the shot has been taken.
Unlike many of the 2017 flagships, the G6 features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 rather than the Snapdragon 835. However, we’d expect the LG G7 to feature Qualcomm’s high-end Snapdragon 845.
Like the V30S, the G7 ThinQ – and other ThinQ products – will put a focus on AI technologies. As a result, the G7 ThinQ features Voice AI that responds to voice commands,
Vision AI, which relates to the camera and how it can be made more convenient for the user. LG has also said the phone will feature Empathy AI, but doesn’t say what this relates to.
The G6 has 4GB of RAM, 32GB of internal memory and microSD support for storage expansion so we’re expecting at least double the storage on the G7. A couple of devices, such as the OnePlus 5T and the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 offer 6GB of RAM so perhaps LG will make the jump for the G7 though nothing has been rumoured as yet.
In terms of battery capacity, the G6 and the V30 both offer 3300mAh capacities so we’d expect similar under the hood of the G7. No doubt fast charging will be supported and USB Type-C will be the responsible port for charging.
