LG Electronics unveiled its flagship G6 nearly a month before Samsung’s Galaxy S8. LG G6 has now started shipping to key markets. In the last couple of weeks, the Galaxy S8 with its stunning design and powerful performance has stolen the limelight from the G6. Now LG is planning to add two important features to its flagship smartphone to take on the Galaxy S8.
LG Pay to rely on face detection technology
We have heard previously that LG Electronics would introduce its own mobile payment service to take on Apple Pay and Samsung Pay. South Korean publication The Investor reports that LG G6 will gain facial recognition capabilities in a couple of months. Both LG Pay and facial recognition would arrive in June. The timing suggests that you will be able to use your face to carry out transactions with LG Pay.
If the report turns out to be true, LG G6 will be the first premium phone to let users make financial transactions using facial recognition technology. Samsung’s Galaxy S8 also comes with face detection technology, but it allows financial transactions only through fingerprint sensor and iris scanner. Samsung doesn’t consider the face recognition software safe enough for Samsung Pay, so it has limited the technology to unlocking the phone. A test showed a few days ago that the Galaxy S8’s facial recognition feature could easily be fooled with a photo.
LG joins hands with Oez for 3D face scanning functionality
Citing local media outlet News Prime, The Investor reports that LG Electronics has partnered with facial recognition firm Oez, the company behind OezFR software, to enable 3D facial scanning using the existing front camera. The report claims the technology is currently being tested on LG G6. Both LG Pay and face detection features can be easily updated even on older devices such as LG V20 and G5.
LG chose Oez because its software comes with security measures to prevent hacking with photos. It means unlike the Galaxy S8, LG G6’s face detection feature can’t be fooled with a photo. Also, Oez’s software takes less than 5MB of memory. The feature looks interesting, but only time will tell how it performs in real life. Security will remain a key concern.
The mobile payment market is growing rapidly. According to TrendForce, it would reach $780 billion this year. LG will have to catch up with rivals that have already built decent user bases. LG Pay supported by face detection technology could give the Korean company an edge over rivals.
LG G6 has a gorgeous display
After lackluster consumer response to the last year’s modular G5, LG is trying to lure people with a gorgeous display and military-grade durability. The LG G6 features a huge 5.7-inch Quad HD+ FullVision display with a unique aspect ratio of 18:9, which is bigger than the industry standard of 16:9 ratio. The side bezels have also been dramatically reduced. The display covers nearly 80% of the phone’s face.
Similar to the older LG smartphones, the G6 has the fingerprint sensor and home button on the back, right below the camera. The device features two 13-megapixel rear camera lenses, one of which is wide-angle. Unlike the iPhone 7 Plus, the G6 dual-camera system doesn’t give the “bokeh” effect. Instead, the 120-degree wide-angle lens allows users to capture a wider area in each frame. However, LG G6’s front camera isn’t that great at just 5-megapixel, though it also offers the wide-angle option.
The torture test
The LG G6 is water- and dust-resistant. It comes with an IP68 rating, meaning it can stay underwater up to a depth of three feet for 30 minutes. The phone is built to the same military-grade drop standard as the V20. A few days ago, LG released a video ad showing the handset going through a Rube Goldberg machine. Among other things, the video highlights the G6’s capability to withstand temperatures as high as 60 degrees Celsius and as low as negative 20 degrees Celsius.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njgqb5SpeGs
LG G6 has a year-old processor
The LG G6 packs a non-removable battery, though the company has increased the battery capacity from 2800mAh in G5 to 3300mAh. It also features wireless charging technology. What may disappoint LG fans is that it runs a year old Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor. Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 835 is faster, smaller, and more energy-efficient than the Snapdragon 821. On benchmark tests, the Snapdragon 835 performs much better than its predecessor.
It’s still unclear why LG chose Snapdragon 821 over the latest Snapdragon 835, especially when it is competing against Samsung’s brand new Galaxy S8. One possible explanation could be that Samsung has the exclusive contract to manufacture Qualcomm’s latest chipset. Samsung has reportedly been hoarding the Snapdragon 835 chips for its own Galaxy S8, forcing rivals to opt for a different processor or delay the launch of their flagship devices.
Though G6 may be the best device to come out of the LG house, it lacks many features that you can find on the Galaxy S8. The Galaxy S8 has a more powerful processor, a new Bixby voice assistant, and Samsung DeX, which allows you to turn the Galaxy S8 into a computer by connecting it to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse.
