SMARTPHONE SPECIAL ... Back in the Game

SMARTPHONE ...Back in the Game





The G6 is LG's big shot at redemption after a string of flagships that failed to capture the market. It seems to have the right tools for the job: a gorgeous edge-to-edge screen, performance & a superb dual camera

LG has been struggling in the smar tphone space, trying (unsuccessfully) to ward off the Chinese competition.Fellow Koreans Samsung take the top spot in the Indian smartphone market, followed by Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo and Lenovo. But LG's poor show is not because of a lack of products.

The G series of smar tphones have always featured something special. Going as far back as the G2, we remember that it stood out with its ultra-slim bezels. Last year's G5 had the semi modular design and the dual camera system -though it wasn't very popular either.

But LG's not giving up that easily, and the G6 is a much more refined and capable attempt at a flagship. For starters, take that 5.7-inch screen: it's pushed out to the corners of the device (aspect ratio is 18:9 -more on why, later) and softly rounded. It's the first phone to feature Dolby Vision enhancements and also supports HDR10. LG calls it the FullVision display and it is certainly impressive. It's not an amoled screen but it does offer some very nice colours, deep blacks and high brightness. You might even be fooled into thinking that it's an amoled screen if you don't see the specs.

Despite the large screen, the phone is very easy to hold, thanks to the phone's small size, solid aluminium frame, perfect balance and low weight. The fingerprint sensor is centered on the back panel and also doubles up as the home button. We found it to be quite easy to reach and accurate too. The dual camera system is similar to what you may have seen on the G5 and the V20: there's one primary camera which has the wide aperture (f1.8) and optical image stabilization. The secondary rear camera has a narrower aperture (f2.4) and no OIS but it has a very wide angle lens.The G6 really shines with outdoor photos, easily standing up to the likes of the Galaxy S8, Google Pixel and iPhone 7.

In low light is where it can't match up to the best. On the plus side, you can capture some very interesting perspectives with the wide view, often doing away with the need for a panorama shot.Even the front camera is wider than the competition.

So why the 18:9 screen? It means that the screen is exactly twice as tall as it is wide, letting LG fit in two squares, one on top of another. There's many interesting photo modes you can play with and it looks great when watching video. On the interface, some call LG's customisations too heavy and we agree. It does have many useful features though, so that's a personal call.

As LG's latest flagship, the G6 is also in competition with Samsung's Galaxy S8. To be fair though, the G6 is significantly cheaper but also a step down from the S8 when it comes to overall design, display (the S8 display is unparalled) and performance. The Snapdragon 821 is no slouch, but it is last year's flagship processor and that matters to some. It may also matter that you can get a phone with SD821 for `30k (OnePlus 3T). Special mention goes to the IP68 rating and the obvious durability.Battery life is pretty respectable too, coming in at a full day with constant connectivity (7am to 10pm).

If you're OK with not having the latest hardware, the G6 is a very good option.Photo enthusiasts will love the dual camera and brilliant screen. You can also consider LG's V20. It's a fair bit larger but it's got dual screens, a similar dual camera setup, wide angle front camera and is now priced at `35k.

Hitesh Bhagat

May 10 2017 : The Economic Times (Mumbai)