While some of the smartphone industry’s heaviest hitters have already announced their flagships for the first part of the year, LG has yet to do so, but the time for the launch of its next big phone is just around the corner. The LG G7 ThinQ is due to launch on May 2, meaning it’s fewer than ten days away now, and there’s really not a whole lot that isn’t known about the device prior to its launch, including the design of the phone and how many different colors it will be available in. That said, a majority of the information hasn’t been confirmed yet, so there are still technically some official unknowns.
Release Date
As mentioned above, the phone is scheduled to be announced on May 2, but that isn’t likely to be the exact release date. As with most smartphone launches, chances are that LG will actually look to release the phone physically in retail stores and online for purchase a couple of weeks or more after the announcement, so consumers could be looking at being able to buy one in either mid-May or perhaps early June. Those who aren’t keen on waiting will probably be able to pre-order one sometime soon after the unveiling, however, the actual dates for pre-orders and release will depend on individual carriers, retail partners, and regions, so consumers interested in the G7 ThinQ will definitely want to keep an eye out for their particular carrier or licensed LG retailer of choice.
Design
There have been a number of leaks showing off the LG G7 ThinQ, and while not all of them have been totally accurate, some of them were pretty close. Earlier this month, AndroidHeadlines published an exclusive look at the actual design of the phone, showing it off in all five colors that LG will be launching, thus providing the first real look at the device. Since then, there has only been one other press render shared online, but a number of other leaks containing hardware information, which we’ll dive into a bit later in this post. When it comes to design, the G7 ThinQ will be offered in Aurora Black, Platinum Grey, Moroccan Blue in both Matte and non-Matte variants, and finally a Raspberry Rose option.
Beyond the colors, the dual rear-facing cameras are there just like on many of LG’s past phones, so this is nothing new and something which should always be expected for a flagship from most bigger brands at this point. This is accompanied by a rear-facing fingerprint sensor, which has acted as the power button in the past, but the LG G7 ThinQ will instead house a power button on the side, like many other devices. Flipping things over to the front, the G7 ThinQ will come with a nearly bezel-free display, which shouldn’t be a surprise, and it also has the notch, which shouldn’t be surprising either, though mobile screen cutouts remain a polarizing feature. The good thing is that LG will give users an option to hide it by blacking out the top edge of the display so it lines up with the notch to make it appear as if there isn’t one, but it will still be there physically as this is where the front-facing camera is housed along with the earpiece and ambient light sensors. While the press render that can be seen in the image up above is the first official press render of the device that appeared, it’s not the first time the phone has appeared. The LG G7 actually showed up back at Mobile World Congress in February at an LG booth and was captured on camera labeled as the LG G7 Neo. The design of the phone (which can be seen in some of the images in the gallery directly below) looks basically the same as the press render, which suggests that LG has more or less been finished with the design for at least a couple of months. Surprisingly, there haven’t been any leaks regarding LG G7 ThinQ cases, at least not yet, though there may not be considering the phone is due for an announcement on May 2 which is coming up pretty fast.
Features
Technically the notch isn’t a feature, but it also kind of is, especially when you consider the ability to artificially hide it from view, which is, in fact, a feature. It’s also a feature that some consumers will probably love if they’re not too fond of the notch, which LG seems to have taken into consideration when developing this new phone as the notch design has been met with mixed feelings by consumers on other devices. LG has taken note of this fact and used it to hopefully better its own device.
Another new feature for LG’s devices which the company is expected to debut on the G7 ThinQ is a physical button for launching Google Assistant. As it currently stands the existence of a physical Google Assistant button on the G7 ThinQ is just a rumor, but then again that’s part of what this post is about – rumors. That said there is an extra button on the device, and this is what uses will allegedly press if they want to launch Assistant without having to speak to it. Google Assistant is first and foremost intended to be used by voice, to make things easier and more convenient (not to mention safer if you’re driving) for users when they need to look something up or complete a task/initiate a function. If you’re in a crowded area though, you may not want to use your voice as it may bother others, or it may be too hard for the mic to pick up your speech if the area around you is too loud. This is where a physical button and the ability to type to Google Assistant would come in handy. Google Assistant already supports typing, so now all that’s needed (for the G7 ThinQ at least) is a button to launch it. Though this is just a rumor, it’s also not the first time the rumor has popped up, as an even earlier rumor suggested that the G7 ThinQ would come with a “Bixby-like AI button.” Google Assistant is an AI, so there is a good chance that the rumors are true.
Artificial intelligence is also set to be integrated across many of the G7 ThinQ’s camera features, so anyone looking to make the most out of their smartphone photography skills through some cool and interesting new picture functions are likely in for a treat. For starters, the AI features of the camera will offer up multiple different filters that can be applied to photos. These recommended filter options will be based on a handful of different criteria, such as contrast, saturation, and more. Users can also expect other camera-related features like 3D camera stickers that can be applied to photos after they’ve been taken, a Live Photo option, and the popular portrait mode that’s been added to a number of devices following Apple’s implementation of it on its latest devices, though it is worth noting that the portrait mode is essentially just a bokeh effect which has been on phones for years.
Concepts
Concepts aren’t usually indicative of what the phone will actually look like, but sometimes they do end up being a picture into part of the phone design. That seems to be the case to some degree with the concept designs shown in the images here above and in the gallery directly below, as the concept does feature the notch at the top of the display and the vertical dual camera setup on the back of the phone. It also, of course, features the nearly bezel-free screen as has been suspected for some time now.
Specs
If there was anything about this device that is the most unknown, that would probably be the specs. There have been rumors surrounding what sort of hardware will be used and although some specs are a given, like the use of a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, others are not so concrete, like the RAM which has been rumored to be 4GB but could just as easily be 6GB, especially if LG wants to stay on par with some of the other flagships.About the only spec that is as close to being confirmed as possible is the main camera setup, which is said to be two 16-megapixel sensors, making for what will likely be LG’s best main camera setup yet on any smartphone it has ever released. There isn’t much to go on for the front-facing camera sensor but it’s likely to be at least equal to what has been offered on the LG V30S ThinQ, which has a 5-megapixel camera on the front for selfies and video chat.
When it comes to the display of the device the LG G7 ThinQ has been rumored to be coming with a 6.1-inch screen and although this might be slightly different when the phone launches, one thing it will have is LG’s M+ tech inside of the panel, which is typically used on LG’s recent TVs and will help the screen to consume less energy but still allow for it to shine brighter and put out more color. The screen should also have HDR 10 support but it hasn’t been confirmed just yet. As for the battery the G7 has been rumored to carry a battery with a 3,000mAh capacity, but it could also be larger. Regardless of the size though, whether bigger or smaller than a 3,000mAh capacity, the LG G7 ThinQ will certainly charge up fast as LG has already confirmed that it will support Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 4.0, which is another testament to the phone coming with the Snapdragon 845 processor, though there probably wasn’t any doubt about that particular detail.
Wrap-Up
With all that has already been leaked and rumored about LG’s next flagship, there are still some things to learn, such as its regional availability, the exact release date when consumers will be able to buy the phone, and of course, how much it will cost. No definitive rumors on its pricing details emerged yet either, but it’s likely that it will end up being around the cost of at least $700 and perhaps more. There are still nine days left before LG is set to reveal the G7 ThinQ which is more than enough time for additional information to leak out.