Dubai: LG has launched its best smartphone to date with G6 after last year’s weaker than expected sale of modular design G5.
The Korean company admitted that it lost $400 million (Dh1.4 billion) during the third quarter due to weak sales of G5.
The G6 is the latest in a line of slim-bezel smartphone designs by shrinking the top and bottom bezels from their usual size, leaving more screen real estate.
The G6 has an aspect ratio of 18:9 that the company is calling FullVision. The company says the new size will allow users to view more information when surfing the web, or while reading e-books or viewing videos or play games. The current industry standard is 16:9. Xiaomi launched its Mi Mix with 17:9 ratio this year.
Daniel Gleeson, senior analyst for consumer technology at Ovum, told Gulf News that the new screen ratio is good but it is not going to excite people. LG has got some extra high-quality stuff but there is no one feature that really makes the phone jump out when compared to other flagships.
He said that the G6 is LG’s best phone in the past three years. However, it has no standard features for consumers.
Sang Rhee, head of mobile division at LG Electronics Gulf, told Gulf News that consumers want a balance between core functionality and technology. Sculpted from a blend of high quality metal and smooth glass, the G6 has undergone vigorous tests and passed the military standard 810G standard for durability, conducted by independent testing and certification firm MET (Maryland Electrical Testing) Laboratories.
Vital move
He said that G6 has passed the most categories among smartphones tested — low temperature, high temperature, humidity, vibration, solar radiation, low pressure, sand and dust, immersion, temperature shock, salt fog and rain.
“G6’s key features are somewhat niche appeal such as HDR video which works right now with small amount of videos from Netflix. It is a vital move but not appealing to consumers right now. It is a good phone but it will be overshadowed by Galaxy S8,” Gleeson said.
With support for both Dolby Vision and HDR 10 video formats, Rhee said the LG G6 is compatible with more HDR content than any smartphone currently available.
“There could no matching content in the world for 18:9 ratio now, but all the media will follow when the technology is available and not vice versa,” he said.
He expects G6 to help increase LG’s market share from the current two per cent.
“We will definitely increase our marketing spend this year,” he said.
Sadly, there’s no wireless charging on G6 — it’s exclusive to the US — and no Quad HiFi DAC for improved sound quality.
Rhee said that these features are not incorporated here as there is no great demand.
“The 18:9 ratio is going to become the industry standard and other manufacturers are expected to follow suit,” he said.
LG will offer $200 worth of in-game content from the Google Play store. Imangi Studios is announcing Temple Run 2: Lost Jungle with support for G6’s new display.
Factbox — G6 specs
* The G6 features a 5.7-inch Quad HD display (2,880 x 1,440) resolution with dual 13MP rear and 5MP front-facing cameras. The G6 also comes with 4GB of RAM, 32GB of on-board storage, a microSD card slot for 2TB and a headphone jack. It is going to be launched next week in the UAE for Dh2,599.
* The rear cameras have two different fields of view: one with a standard angle less for everyday shots, and a 125-degree wide-angle lens perfect for shooting landscapes or big open spaces.
