The LG G7 smartphone: News, rumors, and everything we know

Malarie Gokey/Digital Trends Malarie Gokey/Digital Trends LG pulled out all the stops to deliver one of 2017’s best smartphones in the G6. With its breakthrough design, massive display for its size, excellent wide-angle camera, and dependable performance, it was a return to form for the company that had something of a misstep with 2016’s G5. Almost as soon as the LG G6 hit the market in March 2017, rumors began to swirl about the company’s next top-of-the-line handset. With just weeks until it’s anticipated announcement it looks like the LG G7 ThinQ is going to be a huge departure from it’s predecessor. Here’s what we know about the LG G7 so far. Specs This is interesting. Article/video from an Israeli journo at MWC showcasing the LG G7 (Neo). May be the device LG scrapped in favor of Judy. [h/t: @Hanan_haber]https://t.co/fNng7jw9As — Evan Blass (@evleaks) February 28, 2018 Will the LG G6 replacement be a flagship phone, with Galaxy S9-challenging specs? A report from Venture Beat has shed some light on what we should expect from the phone, stating it will use a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, along with dual rear-facing camera, water resistance, and stereo speakers. This corroborates previous reports. LG worked with Qualcomm on the chipmaker’s current Snapdragon 845 processor, industry sources told South Korea’s Aju Business Daily. According to the report, the two companies started working together in May 2017. The Snapdragon 845 processor will provide a “25-percent performance uplift” over last year’s Snapdragon 835. The chip features an X20 LTE modem, which will offer provide gigabit connectivity on supported networks. In addition to the Qualcomm processor, this source suggests other specs for the LG 7 ThinQ, including 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage, plus a 3,000mAh battery. An LG G7 Plus may have 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage space. Tech Radar LG appears to be focusing heavily on A.I. in the upcoming G7 if we can trust rumors from GSMArena. The site reports the G7 will have deep Q voice and Q lens integration. There will also be a dedicated A.I. key on the phone, which we’re assuming may serve a similar function as Bixby Key. The most recent leaked images, courtesy of Tech Radar appear to confirm the key. While an early report from The Investor claimed the G7 would have an OLED display, like Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and the iPhone X, newer reports indicate this may not be the case. Older rumors suggested LG may adopt a new type of display, called “MLCD+”, being capable of a high brightness while saving on battery life. However, the most recent reports say LG may be ditching that idea too, in favor of much cheaper LCD panels. The industry trend has shifted toward OLED technology, which offers improved contrast, power efficiency, and thinner screens — but at the expense of, well, expense. A 5.8-inch OLED panel for the iPhone X costs over twice as much as a 5.5-inch LCD display for the iPhone 8 Plus, and it’s clear that a shift back to LCD technology is a cost-cutting move from LG. A report from Chinese tech site ETNews suggests the LG may actually release two different versions of the LG G7: An LCD budget model, and a more expensive OLED model. The site claims LG will release two devices to offer more options for users and increase revenues for the company. Other than display differences, ETNews claims the phones will be largely the same. While this rumor is definitely possible, we’re taking it with a grain of salt for now. Design Techno Buffalo With the LG G7 ThinQ likely weeks away, plenty of renders have made their way online. One of the most recent, created by Ben Geskin for Techno Buffalo, shows the G7 taking serious design inspiration from the iPhone X. While it is not official, Geskin based the renders on current rumors as well as information gleaned from the LG device spotted at MWC 2018. This isn’t the first time we’re seeing what may be the LG G7 ThinQ though, Despite reports that the LG G7 ThinQ would not make an appearance at MWC 2018, it seems that some people did manage to sneak a look at what is being assumed is the LG G7. The device seen by Ynet sports a weirdly large 19.9 resolution, and — unfortunately for notch-haters — features a notch at the top of the screen. However, recent reports suggest that the notch may be “optional”, and users may be able to turn those portions of the screen completely off. Still, the 6-inch display seems set to impress regardless of design controversies, with Ynet reporting that LG has managed an incredibly high pixels-per-inch measurement of 900 — making this an exceptionally sharp display. The design has two vertically aligned cameras on the rear, with a fingerprint sensor just below it. If this was the design for the LG G7 ThinQ then it may explain why LG pulled the phone, citing a redesign — it looks very similar to the iPhone X. We’re not the only people to think that, as Evan Blass of Venture Beat postulated that this could well be the previously pulled LG G7 design. However, that begs the question of why LG would bother to bring a failed design to a trade show, even if it was to only show to a select few. The veracity of these claims also must wait to be seen, as it’s not at all clear how reliable these claims are. Camera There’s little to report on at this stage, save for the rumors of a device with dual 16-megapixel cameras and a front-facing wide-angle 8MP selfie camera. According to a rumor from GSMArena, the rear-cameras on the LG G7 ThinQ will have a 1.5 aperture, meaning the phone will take good shots in low-light. These are impressive specs for a camera phone, but there’s little to back up these particular rumors at this date — especially if this is the model of the G7 that was cancelled in favor of the “Judy” update. Name Tech Radar While we’ve listed the phone as the “LG G7,” earlier rumors from The Investor said that’s unlikely to be the name of the successor to the LG G6. LG was reportedly looking into retiring the “G” part of the name in favor of a double-digit name that would bring the LG phone parallel with the higher numbers on the iPhone X and upcoming Galaxy S9. That rumor however appears to be unfounded now Tech Radar has leaked an image of the boot screen of the upcoming phone showing its name as the LG G7 ThinQ. This seems to confirm the early leak, also spotted by Techradar that showed a now-deleted part of the LG website that listed “Future LG G7” as being compatible with QuickCharge 4.0. Clearly, this wasn’t meant to be made public as the link is now dead. An LG spokesperson said in a statement to PocketNow that device names are never set in stone before a product launch, in response to the apparent gaffe. Android Police also noticed an app listing for LG Pay mentioned the LG G7, adding more fuel to that particular fire. That listing has now been removed. Release date and availability When will the LG G7 ThinQ arrive? The phone didn’t launch at Mobile World Congress in February, with LG choosing to show the LG V30S ThinQ instead. If the latest report from the Chinese paper The Chosunilbo are correct, we should see the LG G7 at the end of April or beginning of May. The Chosunilbo claims the unveil date was garnered from an unnamed LG executive This seems to line up with an earlier rumor from South Korean source ETNews, which claims LG is showing the completed phone to networks in March, although it’s also possible the phone will be revealed at the end of April. A launch event location is also still being finalized. That’s all the information we have on the LG G7 at the moment, but we’ll continue to update this article over the coming months as we hear more. Updated on April 6: Added leaked images. Editors’ Recommendations https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/lg-g7-news/