The LG Q7 at $549 is targeting the highly competitive mid-range. Its strategy is to do it better and perhaps cheaper.
The mid-range ($500-999) is where all the action is. In almost every country except Australia anyway.
In Australia, 59% of us can afford to buy a flagship ($1000+). Globally flagship class smartphones account for less than 10% of sales.
The top five all need a flagship phone to show what they are capable of – to excite. Huawei’s P20 Pro, LG’s V and G-series, Samsung’s S9/+ and Apple’s iPhone X are all excellent devices. OPPO has released the Find X that may well earn our top commendation too.
Back to the LG Q7 – it is amazing for the price (Australian website here).
The best way to describe it is
- 5-inch, 18:9, 2160 x 1080, 442ppi, IPS screen, 77.3% S-T-B-R
- MediaTek MT6750 eight-core 1.5GHz
- 3/32GB RAM/Storage and microSD to 2TB
- Dual Sim
- IP68
- DTS:X 3D, 7.1 surround sound and 3.5mm jack (headphones only)
- Single lens 13MP, f/2.2, 1/3″, 1.12µm camera, with phase detection autofocus, LED flash and QLens AI-driven camera software
- 8MP, f/1.9, 1/4″, 1.12µm front camera
- 3000mAh battery with USB-C 2.0 fast charge
- Huge range of LTE bands
- Wi-Fi N and Bluetooth 4.2
- Android Oreo 8.1 and fingerprint scanner
- 8 x 69.33 x 7.99 mm x 154g Aurora Black
- $549 from JB Hi-Fi
Its aimed squarely at the Moto G6 range (GadgetGuy review here) and sits in between the Nokia 6.1 Â and 7 Plus.
GadgetGuy’s take. The LG Q7 is a nice device with acceptable compromises
The only real compromise is the Wi-Fi N. But it’s not a deal breaker. IP68 and a modern 18:9 screen put it well ahead of the mass-market pack. The DTS:X 7.1 sound depends on using the compatible headphones.
Forget the parallel imports
There are three variants. Q7, Q7+ and Q7 Alpha. These have different ram, processors, cameras and importantly LTE bands.
We know the Australian Q7 model is LM-Q610YM and it has LTE Band 7 for Telstra. The Q7+ is for the US market and the Q7 Alpha for Asia.
Price: $549 available only from JB Hi-Fi.
