LG is gearing up for its big reveal, as the company has sent out Press Invites for its upcoming launch event on February 26th at the Mobile World Congress 2017 in Barcelona.
The LG G6 is going to be an ambitious attempt at a comeback by LG, as it seeks to look past the mistakes made with the LG G5. By sticking closer to a conventional smartphone, LG is hoping to entice customers with a slew of new upgrades in areas which are visible and can be experienced by the normal consumer.
The G6 will feature Quad DACs, just like the LG V20. This piece of information comes directly from LG's Korean Newsroom, so it is as official as it gets. The LG v20 was widely praised for its personal audio experience, and the LG G6 plans to carry on this aspect from the V-lineup. The new Quad DACs applied to the G6 will control the sound signals of the left and right earpieces separately, allowing for a greater sense of depth.
In addition to the information on Quad DACs, live images of the front panel of the LG G6 have also surfaced, courtesy of ITHome.
The front panel image showcases the bezels (or the lack thereof) on the G6. The side bezels are very thin, and the top and bottom bezels have been considerably shaved off if you compare this device to its predecessor, the LG G5. It will be interesting to see how the G6 lines up with other previous generation G-series smartphones, considering that this device has an unconventional 18:9 aspect ratio display. For a recap, the G6 will sport a 5.7″ QHD+ LCD display with a 18:9 aspect ratio and pixel density of 564 ppi. This LCD display is using inTOUCH technology which lacks a Touch Cover Glass, making it thinner with reduced bezels. LG has also reportedly increased outdoor visibility by 10% and reduced power consumption by 30%.
For the rest of the specs, a notable feature on the LG G6 will be its Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 SoC. Although the SoC is exceptional and was used in many flagships in 2016 with great results, it stands out on the LG G6 as it does not conform to being the latest and greatest in terms of SoC from Qualcomm. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 is the latest SoC from Qualcomm and features many improvements, so LG should be having some excellent reasons to opt for an older SoC on a product that is expected to compete with flagships from other OEMs.
As per a report from SemiAccurate, LG's decision to stick with the Snapdragon 821 over the Snapdragon 835 actually works out in favor of LG trying to retain an advantage over Samsung and the inevitable Galaxy S8 release.
The report goes into details, leaks and assumptions to present a scenario where a new SoC with groundbreaking technology goes from the drawing board to the announcement stage and then into devices that are purchasable by end consumers. We recommend that readers head on over to the report (Cached copy in case the website does not load).
Essentially, if production of the Samsung 10nm LPE wafers began from mid October 2016, it would take approximately 4 months for production quality wafers to be available for further processing, which again includes in processes like dicing and testing that add in a few more days and weeks. Then come in issues like stock buildup and stock distribution, which can add in another month after the production of the SoC and the device, putting the device availability at mid March 2017. Further, since Samsung does have collaborative privileges on the SoC, they are likely being prioritized for the initial volume of production. The Galaxy S8 is a high-demand product, which will further choke down the supply of the SoC from other OEMs.
Effectively, by opting for the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 on the LG G6, LG will be looking at capitalizing around 10+% of market advantage before the Galaxy S8 takes up the market to itself. If LG had chosen to wait for the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 for the LG G6, it will lose out about 20% of market advantage in the G6 life cycle. When the LG G6 comes out with the Snapdragon 821, it will still sport the "latest" consumer-available SoC on the market and will be able to avoid a 3-4 month lag from its current schedule. It also sets up a point of difference for the LG "V30" as the premium device would have another set of features to boast about.
The V-series device lineup is growing in importance for LG in the North American market. Thanks to the LG V20 and its strong sales, LG managed to maintain its third rank in the North American market in the last quarter of 2016, according to a report from The Investor.
LG sold around 74 Million smartphones during October-December 2016, which is an increase over the 66 Million sold in the same quarter in the previous year. This gives LG a market share of 14.2% of the North American market. Of the 74 Million shipments, LG is said to have shipped 60 Million units of the LG V20 by itself. This puts an increased focus on the successor of the LG V20 to become a better upgrade over other existing LG products of its time.
The LG G6 has a lot of responsibility on its shoulders, aiming to capitalize on the dead period before the launch of the Galaxy S8. Will the G6 be able to outperform expectations?
What are your thoughts on the LG G6 so far? Let us know in the comments below!
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