Mobile World Congress will be coming up in just a little over a month and a half, and that means the mobile market’s biggest brands are going to be unveiling their latest and greatest for 2017. This includes LG, who only just recently confirmed their press event for February 26th in Barcelona where they’re expected to unveil the LG G6, and although this in itself hasn’t been confirmed by the company, it’s highly likely as they have been teasing a new phone for weeks, albeit cryptically and without actually mentioning the new flagship.
That being said, there is already quite a bit that can be suspected of the upcoming phone as there have been plenty of rumors, leaks, and more showcasing what LG’s new G series flagship device is going to be like. All this has to be taken with a small grain of salt, but much of it is also quite possibly correct, and the only way to find out is to wait until LG’s official unveiling next month. As mentioned above, LG has confirmed that they will unveil hardware on February 26th at 12PM local time in Barcelona, so it won’t be long before they announce all the official details. With that said, let’s go over what is thought to be known about the LG G6 so far.
Modularity
This first detail is not a rumor as LG have confirmed that they will not be going the modular route with the LG G6 like they did with their predecessor, the LG G5. While initial responses and opinions of the G5 and its new approach to features and function might have been exciting, it didn’t last long and the LG G5 was unfortunately not a massive hit. Considering this, it would only stand to reason that LG was likely considering moving away from this, and it’s been known for a little while now that the LG G6 will not feature any modular attachments. This might be a disappointment to some, especially after the Moto Z family of devices took the modularity approach and ran with it, and executed it more successfully, but this time around it seems LG is keen to build all of the functionality into the core of the device, instead of manufacturing attachments that were referred to as “friends” to market alongside their flagship.
Design
While the design of the LG G6 is almost certainly going to have some inspiration from last year’s device, LG is also very likely to change the design just enough or even a little bit more than people might expect. While nothing is certain just yet, the LG G6 is thought to be coming with a glass back as well as a bezel-free display on the front. This would be a big departure from LG’s past devices if true, as all of LG’s phones, especially their flagship devices, have come with removable batteries, and if there is a glass back involved then a removable battery may not be in the cards for the LG G6. Glass would also be a departure in that LG has never worked with material before in regards to any part of the phone but the display. Glass could give the phone a more comfortable grip, though, and if contoured around the edges on the back then it could fit nicely in the hand.
While the LG G6 could very well come with a glass back still, judging by these rendered images that were leaked the device won’t have a bezel-free display. Now, these aren’t final design images, so it’s entirely possible that parts of the design or even all of the design in these pictures could be incorrect, but the design does look very much like LG’s 2016 flagship device, carrying design elements of the LG G5 such as the camera module, which sits in the exact same spot, and features the same shape as well as the same placement of the camera sensors and the LED Flash. Based on these particular images alone, the phone will have the charging port on the bottom while the SIM card slot resides on the right with volume and power buttons on the left, as well as the fingerprint sensor on the back. One thing that is also worth considering in regards to the body of the LG G6 is that LG could choose to stick with a metal back, which would allow them to keep the battery cover removable so as to keep the battery itself removable, and the back of the device in this image certainly could be metal. Again, though, these are just renders so things must be taken with a grain of salt, but metal would make more sense as a material than glass if they want a removable battery.
One other thing to also consider is an older rumor from around the beginning of December, which was the first mention of glass being used as a material. It was around this time that it was stated that LG would be looking to change the design up a bit with a glass back, and it was also stated that LG was planning to use a non-removable battery this time around. Considering this it may be entirely possible for LG to change things up and seal the battery inside. LG has also more or less hinted at the fact that the device will also be waterproof, and that the phone will be more durable and capable of withstanding drops or damage compared to past G series flagship devices. If LG decides to go with a glass back, then they may be looking to use Corning’s Gorilla Glass 5 for the screen and the back of the device as this would lend a fair bit of strength and durability.
Update: 01/24/17
While yesterday afforded us a brief glimpse of what is probably the final design of the LG G6, at least from the top half, today has bright forth a full body picture of the phone as that full image has now leaked. As was expected, the G6 has some extremely thin bezels all the way around, likely making this LG’s most stylish and attractive looking flagship device to date. Of course, that is purely going to be an opinion of each individual consumer and not all consumers will care for the design.
Update: o2/03/2017
When it comes to design, the LG G6 has more or less been seen out in the open, but what has been leaked up until the beginning of this week were just renders and press renders. Over the past week, an actual unit of the LG G6 has been seen out in public, once as a prototype, and once as what looks like a finished phone that was in someone’s possession being used. Although the press render that shows the full body image from the front is still the best look at the device in finer detail, this week’s image leaks of the actual device provide a look at what the real thing will look like.
Update 2: 02/03/2017
New leaked images have shown up which display the LG G6 from other angles. These appear to be actual leaked images of the device and not renders, with views of the phone from each side as well as the bottom and the back. It can be seen that the LG G6 is using USB Type-C, although this was already expected since it’s been show in previous leaks. These also showcase the device in a lighter gray color that looks to be Gunmetal, although it’s unclear if this is what LG will call it. As expected the phone will likely have one speaker and it will be placed on the bottom, and there will be a headphone port up top for plugging in headphones.
Update: 02/12/17
A new leaked image has shown up today which allegedly shows off a fully assembled front panel of the LG G6. While the leaked image hasn’t been confirmed, it does match up design-wise with all of the other leaks about the phone’s design and features the slim bezels on the sides as well as fairly minimal bezels on the top and bottom as well.
Update: 02/14/2017
LG has sent out a teaser that is presumably hinting at the durability that can be expected from the phone. This wouldn’t be the first time that durability has been rumored as it’s been suspected before, but this teaser comes from LG and is making a clear case for the phone being able to “Resist more. Under pressure.” That doesn’t exactly mention what this refers to in regards to durability, but it’s likely that “resist” is referring to resisting more damage.
Update: 02/17/2017
This morning provided us with another look at the device from the front and from the back, although this time the phone is on and in the image that shows off the display you can see the G6′ Always On Display feature. The image that shows off the back provides a good look at the phone in Silver.
The Specs
While the specifications, just like the design, haven’t been confirmed yet, most of the rumors do seem to be matching up at this point in time. Some of the earliest rumors have pointed to a 5.3-inch display for the LG G6, but LG’s announcement of the new 5.7-inch QHD+ Super Wide LCD display suggest that this will be the screen used on the phone. Considering this, it’s likely that the phone is going to have a 5.7-inch display, and since the past two flagships have had a QHD display, the LG G6 will as well. The screen is said to be a 2.5D display so this may be the glass used. The phone is also rumored to support wireless charging which means it’ll be easy to set the phone down and give it some extra battery life without having to plug it in. It’ll likely come powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor, and it’s been rumored to come with either 4GB or 6GB of RAM for the memory, while internal storage is likely to be 32GB according to current rumors, although it’s possible that LG could decide to bump up the internal storage to 64GB or offer it as an additional storage option, while also offering expandable storage via a microSD card.
Due to the numerous leaks it’s suspected that it will come with a dual camera setup, albeit without knowing the megapixel count or really any features the camera will come with. That being said, the camera will no doubt be better than last year’s LG G5 camera, and could be close to what was used on the LG V20 which is LG’s most recent high-end device. LG’s teaser video also mentions the term “capture it all at once” as one of the features that consumers have on their wishlist for an ideal smartphone, so this suggests that the camera will likely have a wide angle lens.
Update: 01/24/17
According to one of the latest rumors, the LG G6 will not ship with the Snapdragon 835 as was previously rumored, and is now thought to be shipping with the Snapdragon 821, Qualcomm’s most recent CPU that can be found within phones like the Google Pixel and Pixel XL. The reasoning for this is reportedly due to Qualcomm’s limited amount of supply for the Snapdragon 835 processor, of which Samsung is said to have already scooped up all of the stock for the Galaxy S8.
Update: 02/13/2017
LG has confirmed that the phone will be using a 32-bit ESS Quad DAC in the G6, meaning their next flagship will have a lot to offer to those who really love good sound quality on their devices for music and other types of audio.
Update: 02/14/2017
A new rumor states that the LG G6 will come with a battery that has least 3,200mAh for the battery capacity, which could signify a fairly long battery life for the phone if the software works well with the battery to optimize battery life for the user.
Battery Safety
One of the most recent rumors mentions that the LG G6 battery will be safe from overheating, a trait which, if true, is almost certainly a characteristic that LG would be developing due to the nature of the issues with the Galaxy Note 7 battery. The way LG apparently plans to achieve a battery that is safe from overheating is by using a heat pipe that will be able to divert the heat that is generated by the battery outward and away from the center of the device, thus allowing the phone to stay relatively cool, or at least cooler than it would be without it. The heat pipes used in the device will also reportedly be made of copper to help conduct the heat away and help it dissipate more quickly.
Release Date & Price
While Mobile World Congress is to be the stage for LG’s official announcement for the LG G6, the launch date may come soon after as it’s rumored to be around March 10th, which would be about two weeks after the official launch as LG will be holding their press event on February 26th. Last year’s LG G5 was launched on April 1st in the U.S. which is almost a month later than this year’s rumored launch date, so it could go either way as a two-week window after the unveiling doesn’t leave LG much time or room for error. It would however allow them to potentially beat Samsung to market and get out ahead of the Galaxy S8. As for the price, there hasn’t been an exact figure thrown around yet but there is still plenty of time before Mobile World Congress which leaves a lot of room for a leaked price point.
Update: 02/03/2017
Just yesterday it was rumored that the LG G6 will be more expensive than the LG G5 was at launch, exceeding that phone’s cost by about $50. The LG G5 was around $650 USD when it launched, so the LG G6 could fall around $700 if the rumor is accurate.
Cases
So far there are two cases that has shown up in a leaked render. While the initial case leak itself is nothing particularly special it does point out a couple details of the LG G6 design, which showcases a dual camera setup and fingerprint sensor that match up with other leaked renders of the phone. This bolsters the possibility of the leaked designs being the final look of the phone and gives consumers a solid of idea of what to expect from the device once it’s officially announced.
This second case, which just leaked not too long ago, shows even more of the LG G6 then what’s been leaked up until now, and while it seems to answer some questions it also seems to raise more. There is very clearly a dual camera setup with dual LED flash and a fingerprint sensor on the back, but the back also looks like metal for the material which doesn’t match up with some of the previous rumors, so this only stirs up more confusion as to whether or not the LG G6 will have a glass back and no removable battery.
Update: 02/06/2017
More cases have leaked showing another clear look at the design of the LG G6, this time from VRS Design, and there are four different types of cases that look to be available sometime after the phone launches officially in the near future.
Update: 02/13/2017
A new set of cases have popped up that show off more of the phone’s design, but also that there will be more customizable options for protecting the phone if you’re one to use a case.
The Wrap Up
Taking into account all of these details, it’s important to remember that nothing is certain or final until the day of, that day being February 26th. Having said that, all the most recent details and rumors are highly likely to be accurate and they make for a good start on what to expect from LG with their 2017 flagship smartphone. There are still no rumors on quite a few of the specifications, and there has yet to be any rumored pricing details, but those will come soon enough.