Once upon a time HTC showed Samsung stiff competition in the Android market, but these days it has LG to fear. The G5 was a fantastic phone, and the LG G6 should be even better – potentially with waterproofing and wireless charging! So, should you wait for the LG G6 or buy the LG G5 now? We round up the LG G6 rumours, including details on the LG G6 UK release date, price and specifications. Also see: Best new phones coming in 2017
Latest update: The Verge has leaked a photo of the LG G6, which reveals very slim bezels and a large 5.7in screen. It says the display will have an unusual aspect ratio of 2:1.
In not so great news, according to rumours the LG G6 will not be allowed to run the Snapdragon 835, since Samsung (which is helping Qualcomm build the chip) gets first dibs. It has now been confirmed that its Galaxy S8 will not launch at MWC 2017, whereas LG has already sent out save the dates for 26 February. Allegedly the LG G6 will be forced to use the Snapdragon 821, which represents only a small improvement over the Snapdragon 821, but we’re not convinced. We have contacted Qualcomm for comment and will update this article accordingly if and when we hear back.
For the first time in 2016 LG announced its annual flagship upgrade at the MWC tradeshow in February, putting it in direct competition with the also announced Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. In previous years LG had held off until later in the year for a late-Spring launch.
This paid off well for LG and the company has already confirmed that it is to follow the same pattern for the G6 with a MWC 2017 launch. Samsung is expected to announce its Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus at an Unpacked press conference, either the day before MWC starts on 26 February or later in March, so expect LG to also pick 26 February to announce its G6. (The HTC 11 will likely be another key rival to the LG G6.)
A save the date email has now gone out from LG for 26 February at 12 noon. This will be the LG G6 launch, so mark your calendars now.
As for when the phone actually goes on sale, the word on the street in Korea is 10 March 2017, which puts its onsale date more than a month ahead of the Galaxy S8’s expected 18 April onsale date. The G6 is expected to launch initially in South Korea, Europe and the North America.
At the top of this page you’ll see LG’s teaser video for its upcoming announcement, which focuses on what people view as the ideal smartphone. A key theme in the video is the idea of a better screen but within a smaller, more manageable body that you can hold in one hand when texting, for example. So that could be what’s on the cards for the G6.
Also see: LG G5 review
LG has always managed to undercut its rivals on pricing, and its ability to make high-end handsets at great-value price points has always been a key reason to choose LG. The LG G5 had a £529 SIM-free RRP in the UK, so we expect LG to keep the price roughly similar for the G6. Given the current economic climate we would certainly be surprised to see it cost any less than the G5.
With the G5 LG tried the whole modular thing with its ‘Friends’ accessories that were bought separately. Now, according to ETNews, it will be going it alone, leaving behind its Friends and its modular design for the all-new LG G6. It says this is because the LG G6 is expected to get a new waterproof design. However, it also says the G6 will retain its removable battery, which doesn’t tally with other whispers we’ve heard.
LG has now confirmed that it is ditching its unpopular modular design to WSJ. A company spokesman said that the company was scaling back the modularity for the G6, and would focus on “aesthetics and usability”.
Some things are likely to stay the same, such as the dual-camera, 32GB of storage as standard and USB-C. But the G6 is thought to feature a more traditional design, possibly with a glass rear and this time with wireless charging built in (there were fears the tech wouldn’t be ready in time for the G6 but in October LG announced a 15W Quick Wireless Charging Pad). It should also get an update to Android Nougat, and some changes to the display.
The LG’s screen is expected to increase from 5.3in QHD on the G5 to 5.7in QHD+ on the G6, but without a huge increase in size thanks to slimmer bezels and a higher screen-to-body ratio. Moreover, the new screen is said to feature a new 18:9 aspect ratio with a 1440×2880-pixel resolution, according to reports. The usual standard for widescreen is 16:9, and though we have seen 17:9 in the Mi Mix those extra pixels are primarily used to house the navigation bar at the bottom. Perhaps LG might use this space to house a second screen, as it has done previously with the V10 and V20.
According to rumours the LG G6 will not be allowed to run the Snapdragon 835 as expected, since Samsung (which is helping Qualcomm build the chip) gets first dibs. It has now been confirmed that its Galaxy S8 will not launch at MWC 2017, whereas LG has already sent out save the dates for 26 February. Allegedly the LG G6 will be forced to use the Snapdragon 821, which represents only a small improvement over the Snapdragon 821, but we’re not convinced. The Snapdragon 835 offers big improvements in performance, efficiency and battery life, and LG will be starting on the back foot behind Samsung if it doesn’t include it.
With the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus set to be key rivals to the LG G6, it makes sense that LG will look to ensure it can keep up with those phones in terms of spec. The Galaxy S8 is expected to be extraordinarily powerful for a phone, with a strong focus on graphics that are able to power the best mobile VR experience, potentially with an upgrade to 6- or even 8GB of RAM. The S8 is also expected to get the dual curved-edge screen as standard, complete with a built-in fingerprint scanner.
According to ChosunBiz LG is having difficulty sourcing curved displays from LG Display, which is busy producing OLED displays for the Apple Watch and LG’s own smartwatches, so LG is unlikely to go for a dual-edge screen in the G6. But powerful graphics, a focus on VR, a larger complement of RAM and a fingerprint scanner built into the screen will likely be high up on its list.
We’ve also heard that the LG G5 will feature an iris scanner, which will use the same sensor as the front camera rather than a separate module. This will be made possible by applying a filter, and will bring down both the build costs and the amount of space required. However, LG has told GSM Arena that while such a camera has been developed, it has not been confirmed that it will be used in a smartphone.
According to LG’s Lee Seok-jong, the G6 will be the company’s first phone to use heatpipes to prevent the battery overheating. Such a system has previously been used in the likes of the Lumia 950 XL, Sony Xperia X2, Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge… and the Note 7 (we all know how that turned out). LG will also conduct thorough battery testing, said Seok-jong.
” We are conducting battery heat exposure tests to a temperature 15 percent higher than the temperature set by the international standards of the US and Europe. The battery also undergoes diverse tests such as piercing it with a sharp nail or dropping a heavy object on it from a high place,” Seok-jong told the Korean Herald.
LG is becoming a true force to be reckoned with in the smartphone world, and though we have judged its flagship offerings second-best to the Samsung Galaxy S-series for the past few years, the gap between the two smartphone families is getting ever shorter. We were seriously impressed with the LG G5, especially at its £529 RRP, but the LG G6 could be a very different beast.
• It will cost you less than the G6 will new (and better deals will be available if you can wait a few months)
• It is modular and allows you to bolt on (optional) accessories
• It has a removable battery and a microSD slot, which the G6 could lose if it gets a rear glass panel
• It’s still a fantastic phone and though the G6 will be faster the G5 is plenty fast enough
• You can buy it right now rather than wait four or five months
( We’ve rounded up some of the best LG G5 deals here .)
• It’s likely to have a much nicer design than the ugly painted aluminium of the G5, and will potentially be waterproof
• It’s likely to be better specced for VR, with a more powerful processor, graphics and potentially more RAM
• It’s likely to include fast wireless charging
• It could feature an iris scanner
Read next: Best Android phones 2016 and Best new phones coming in 2017
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