It’s official! The LG G7 ThinQ has finally launched, and I have mixed feelings about the phone. A lot of it has to do with the leaks and rumors of the phone. There was already so much I knew about this phone, there really wasn’t a place for me to get excited. Anyways, here’s what you need to know about the LG G7 ThinQ.
Introduction
The LG G7 ThinQ is the company’s flagship phone for 2018, but more importantly, it is an indicator for LG if they should keep building smartphones or exit the market altogether. To be honest, it was a surprise to us that the LG G7 made it into production. A lot of reliable sources had earlier mentioned that the company had scrapped its plan to launch the G7.
Okay, let’s talk about the phone. The G7 ThinQ is an excellent phone and an all-rounder. But it’s 2018 and being good enough isn’t going to bring record-breaking sales numbers. The thing about this phone is, it checks off all the right boxes, but there’s no character to it, no differentiating factor.
Hardware
LG has managed to cram a lot of features into the phone without making the phone too bulky. There’s the top-of-the-line Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC on board, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. But the list definitely doesn’t end there.
Specification Of The LG G7 ThinQ
- 6.1-inch 19.5:9 Aspect Ratio IPS LCD Display
- 1440 x 3120p Display Resolution
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC
- Adreno 630 GPU
- 4GB/ 6GB RAM
- 64GB/ 128GB Internal Storage
- Dual 16MP Rear Camera both with f/1.6 Aperture
- 8MP Front Camera with f/1.9 Aperture
- 4K Video Recording @ 30fps
- 3000mAh Battery with Quick Charge 3.0 Support
- Wireless charging
- IP68 Certified and MIL-STD0810G complaint
The company has thrown in as many features into the phone as possible. It’s using the same 
processor found on the Samsung Galaxy S9/S9+, the Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium and the upcoming OnePlus 6. This SoC has an excellent CPU and GPU and will handle even the most demanding titles. If you believe in future-proofing, the LG G7 ThinkQ is the phone for you.
LG has ditched the OLED panel in favor of the newly developed IPS LCD Display which gets super bright (up to 1000nits) and consumes 30% less energy than regular LCD Displays. Looking back at how the V30 was criticised for its inferior OLED technology compared to the Samsung counterpart. it’s easy to see why LG made this move.
LG G7 ThinQ Camera Features
While we didn’t get DxO mark rating for the camera of the LG G7, the company claims that it has one of the best cameras in the smartphone industry. And I am pretty sure they are not lying.
LG has made excellent phone cameras for the last few years, and the G7 is likely following suit. The phone packs two cameras at the rear, but we are not surprised to see that. After all, it was LG who brought in the trend of dual-rear cameras on smartphones.
Of all the dual-camera implementations from different manufacturers, I like what LG does the most. One of the rear shooters is a 16MP f/1.6 lens with a 71-degree FOV. The other camera is a 16MP f/1.9 wide-angle lens with 107 FoV. The wide-angle lens is what sets the camera system apart. There’s no other smartphone with this feature at the moment. You get an almost fish-eye view with the wide camera.
This year, LG has used the same lens for the standard view and the wide-angle camera. So, you will be getting similar quality results with either of the cameras.
The front camera quality has also improved by miles in this new iteration of the phone. The G7 ThinQ gets a new 8MP camera with f/1.9 lens and a wide 90-degree FoV. The front camera can shoot videos up to 1080p at 30fps.
The video recording capabilities of the G7 is limited. While other brands are touting video features like 960 fps video recording and 4K video recording at 60p, all the G7 ThinQ can do is record 4K videos at 30fps. The company also didn’t mention any slo-mo features, and I doubt if there’s anything for them to show us.
LG G7 ThinQ Software And AI
This is where things start to get interesting. LG has teamed up with Google, and the G7 is the first phone to get a dedicated Google Assistant button. You can hit the button once to bring in Google Assistant or click twice to scan products using the camera. However, it is unfortunate that, like on the Galaxy S9/S9+, you cannot map the button to do something else.
Talking about the software, the LG G7 ThinQ runs on Android 8.1 Oreo with the company’s own LG UX on the top of it. LG is bragging about its artificial intelligence features too. Dubbed AI Pack 2.0 with Google Assistant, the phone can manage memory, optimize apps and produce better photos.
What I Love About The Phone
LG has nailed it with the G7 ThinQ. The phone is an evolution of last year’s flagship, and the company has managed to refine the phone quite a bit. Here are some of the things that I really love about the LG G7 ThinQ:
- The design of the G7 is something I am fond of. It’s well constructed and feels premium.
- The dual camera setup on the phone is the best in the business. The wide-angle camera truly is amazing.
- The flagship specs mean the phone will run smoothly for years.
What I Don’t
The LG G7 ThinQ has a lot of features, but none of it is unique to this phone. And that’s where the problem lies. It has no identity of its own. Here are some of the things that I am not particularly fond of:
- The 3000mAh battery is not going to last a whole day, at least as per my usage.
- The video recording capabilities are limited. There’s no super slow-mo feature and no 4K@60fps.
- 4GB of RAM on the 64GB variant is limiting.
- Late release but no feature that the competitors don’t offer
All in all, the LG G7 ThinQ is a great phone. But here’s my question. Why would anyone buy this phone over the Galaxy S9/S9+ which costs roughly the same amount of money or even a few bucks less?
What’s your opinion of this newly released LG flagship phone? Do leave your thoughts in the comments section down below.
