LG G6 Review

Introduction

Smartphones are changing. And not in the sort of standard “slightly faster than last year, and with a marginally better camera” way that ends up defining so many popular handsets. With the fresh crop of 2017 flagships just beginning to land, we're seeing the arrival of a new direction for one of the most familiar, fundamental components of a smartphone's hardware makeup: the display. And while it may not turn your day-to-day interactions with your phone on their head, changes are coming that threaten to tweak the way we hold our phones, operate them (especially one-handed), and consume media.

With the LG G6, the manufacturer invites us into the new world of the 18:9 screen. For years now, the standard 16:9 display has dominated smartphone sales – even Apple (reluctantly) joined the party – but this year we're finally seeing the companies that make our favorite phones start trying something new. And while LG may be the first, all the leaks we've been seeing of upcoming hardware certainly suggest it won't be the last.

This new extra-wide (or extra-tall) shape for the G6's screen is a big part of what makes this phone so interesting, but that's far from the only design decision worth paying attention to. We've got a sleek new look with no appreciably camera bump, a premium, glass-encased metal body that trades its removable battery for water-resistance, and built-in wireless charging (for some of you).

Add to that things like a no-compromise, full-resolution wide-angle camera, and Google's latest software and services, and we've got what looks (on paper, at least) like one of the most compelling new smartphones to land so far this year. 

Does the LG G6 deliver on all of its potential, or will it follow more in the shoes of the G5 and its modular hardware: a possibly good idea, but one quite thoroughly ruined by some bad decisions about its implementation and marketing? Let's waste no more time before getting deep into what you can expect from one of the year's first big-name flagship phones.

In the box:

LG G6USB Type-C to standard-A cableQuick chargerSIM tool

Design

LG finds success by being willing to try a bold new look for its flagship

The LG G series has long been one defined by its design. From the G2 (the first to drop the old “Optimus” branding) through the G4, that meant lots of unusual rear-mounted hardware buttons, including the volume rocker. And even though LG returned to more traditional volume controls for the G5, the rear power button remained – while upgrading to pick up an integrated fingerprint scanner.

But with the LG G6, we're looking at a company that has decided “enough with the past.” Sure, we've still got that rear power button, but to a very large extent, LG has decided to tackle the look and feel of the G6 from the ground up. And as it would happen, that's a very good thing.

We're going to pivot back around to LG's crazy-wide-screen display in just a moment, taking a closer look at what it offers (and why), but it's impossible to talk about the design of the G6 without putting the phone's screen front and center. While this isn't a phone that strives to offer a stunning bezelless or otherwise over-the-edge display, it's still one that's particularly eye-catching if only because of the spectacular job that screen does at filling the phone's face.

LG quotes an 80-percent screen-to-body ratio, and while that's not quite the highest we've ever seen (thanks to entries from companies like Xiaomi), it still goes a very long way towards making it feel like you're not so much holding a phone with a screen on it, but that you're just holding a screen. Little details like how the curves at the corners of the display mirror the curves of the phone itself really help sell that that illusion. 

The rest of the G6's body is similarly refined. A solid-feeling metal frame helps you get a good grip on the handset, and while the phone's back looks like brushed metal, as soon as you pick it up you'll realize it's protected by a pane of glass. Yet while the G6 is glass front and back, it's not a model that suffers a lot as a result; the phone still feels surprisingly durable, and resists showing off stray fingerprints – helping to keep it looking as premium as possible.

Speaking of durability, LG blesses the G6 with an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. That's been a long time coming, and while it's hard to get overly excited about when so many other phones do the same thing, it's still fantastic to see LG step up to join the rest of the pack. We used the G6 in conditions ranging from a light drizzle to a heavier downpour, and while the phone showed some of the expected touchscreen glitches when actively covered in water, it also suffered no permanent damage.