Friends+Design
- Simple, non-flashy, unibody glass design - looks fairly good in most colors, but this is not a phone that will stand-out
- Narrow dimensions make it easy to grip
- There’s a dedicated AI button on the left side of the phone - a single press launches Google Assistant, a double press launches you straight into Google Lens, and a long press on the key takes you straight into voice commands with Assistant - it’s a pretty intuitive system, and one that you are likely to quickly start using
- IP68 water-resistance
- Face unlock is a little on the sluggish side
Display
- Bright, modern, tall 6.1-inch display - the brightness maxes out at 1, 000 nits - making it ideal for outdoor use when a normal smartphone peaks at 500 or maybe 600 nits - the only comparable flagship phone is the Galaxy S9 Plus, which can reach similar brightness levels
Software
- LG's custom UI over Android is decent, and runs butter smooth given the hardware
Performance
- The performance all-round is top-notch given the Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 that rests inside - it compares closely to other flagship devices
Camera
- Very good AI powered cameras on the rear and the front
- The rear dual camera system takes wide-angle photos, recognises low-light situations to employ a 'Super Bright' mode to make photos and video four times as bright albeit at a reduced resolution, the bokeh shots come out well too - overall, the camera is not too far behind the best of the lot like the Google Pixel 2, Google Pixel 2 XL, or Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus
- The 8MP front-facing camera is pretty good too - it provides a crisp enough and adequately wide enough selfie shooter - when there is enough light, the detail is on par with the Samsung Galaxy S9 front-facing camera
- Video recording is done well too, and the 'Super Bright' Mode is present here too
Audio
- Another highlight is the loud 'Boombox' speaker - it’s plenty loud, and uses the entire phone to pump out rich bass - it's arguably the best speaker implementation on a flagship phone
- The phone is also filled with some of the best audio specs, including DTS:X 3D Sound through any wired headphones, and a 32-bit HiFi Quad DAC with 50% reduced noise - you’re going to be able to hear the difference if you’re an audiophile
Battery
- Supports fast charging, and wireless charging
- Battery capacity is decent (will last the day with moderate use), but could have been better, considering the competition
More
- On the whole, the LG G7 ThinQ is a largely risk-averse flagship smartphone that's meant to be smart, not flashy - to that, it's able to do justice, and is arguably LG's best phone in years - it will likely compete well in the market as a cheaper flagship alternative to the Galaxy S9 series, being one step behind it only in the camera department - although it will also face tough competition on the other end from even cheaper flagships like the OnePlus 6
