The LG G7 is just around the corner. It will launch in a new avatar, and will be called LG G7 ThinQ to highlight its AI capabilities. The G7 was originally expected to launch at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), but the Korean company asked its R&D team to design the phone from scratch because it lacked attractive selling points. The outcome of the redesign efforts is LG G7 ThinQ with a bezel-less design and a top notch.
Now LG has officially confirmed the name LG G7 ThinQ on its website. Unlike Apple and Samsung, LG tends to pre-announce the features and parts of its upcoming flagship smartphones to build up hype. The company says on its website that the next-gen phone would be the first ThinQ-branded device in the G-series. It’s not LG’s first ThinQ-branded phone, though. The LG V30S ThinQ that debuted a couple of months ago enjoys that distinction.
Just like the V30S ThinQ, the new handset would put a lot of emphasis on AI features. LG Electronics doesn’t have its own AI assistant. Its phones come with Google Assistant pre-installed. ThinQ is LG’s own set of AI capabilities that are deeply integrated with features like camera, smart home controls, and others. LG did not reveal much else about the handset, but we can expect it to launch the LG G7 ThinQ in the next few weeks.
Meanwhile, folks at Android Headlines have obtained leaked renders of the LG G7 ThinQ. The renders confirm that it would feature a small cutout at the top to accommodate the front camera, ear speaker, and other sensors. In terms of design, it looks like Samsung’s Galaxy S9 with a top notch. It has a bezel-less design, though there is still thin bezel at the bottom. Apple was able to hide the bottom chin on the iPhone X by using an expensive display design. LG seems reluctant to hide the bottom chin.
On the back panel, the LG G7 ThinQ has a vertically-aligned dual camera system, unlike G6’s horizontal camera orientation. One of them would be a regular lens while another is an ultra-wide angle sensor. Right below the camera module is a circular fingerprint sensor. On the right side of the camera is the dual-tone LED flash and a laser autofocus system. Towards the bottom of the rear panel is the LG logo, but there is no mention of the “G7” branding.
The handset has four buttons. The power button is placed on the right side while the volume-up and volume-down buttons appear on the left side. Interestingly, you’ll see a fourth button below the volume rockers. It is expected to be a dedicated button to activate the AI assistant. It could allow users to control LG’s AI features such as Q Voice and Q Lens by pressing the button. It would be similar to the Bixby button on Samsung’s Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus.
The renders shared by Android Headlines also reveal the official LG G7 ThinQ color options. The standard color will be the Aurora Black. Other color options include Platinum Gray, Raspberry Rose, Moroccan Blue, and Moroccan Blue (Matte). The availability of these color options would vary depending on the carrier and region.
The LG G7 ThinQ is said to feature a 6-inch M+ LCD panel with Quad HD+ resolution and a taller-than-usual 19:9 aspect ratio. It would be powered by 6GB RAM and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 processor. According to the rumor mill, the device would offer 64GB internal storage with a microSD card slot that would support up to 2TB of external memory. It would run Android Oreo with LG’s custom UI on top.
LG has decided to use an M+ LCD screen at a time when most vendors have switched from LCD to OLED screens. According to The Investor, the move is aimed at keeping the costs down. Though OLED panels offer more vibrant colors than their LCD counterparts, they are also more expensive. The M+ LCD technology would consume 35% less battery and offer more brightness compared to traditional LCD screens. LG’s mobile business chief Hwang Jeong-hwan said at the MWC that the company would not raise the prices because of “unnecessary features” that customers don’t use.
LG Electronics hasn’t announced when it would unveil the LG G7 ThinQ. But sources familiar with the company’s plans recently told ETNews that LG was preparing to unveil the device by April end. Pre-orders would go live a week after the unveiling event, and the device would hit the store shelves in mid-May after a week of pre-order period. LG has told Korean wireless carriers that the phone would go on sale in May.
It would be interesting to see how the redesigned LG G7 ThinQ performs. LG has decided not to follow a specific release cycle going forward. It would launch new phones when they are needed. In the last few years, it has lost much of the ground to Samsung, Huawei, Oppo, Vivo, OnePlus, and Xiaomi.
