Ray Shaw
The LG G7 ThinQ is not meant to be its flagship. That spot goes to the innovative V30S ThinQ. Yet this meets or exceeds many flagship paradigms. It is a desirable phone with a smart AI camera.
Every time I review an LG product – smartphone to vacuum cleaner – I think this is pretty good stuff. I like it. It is usually ahead of the competition either in features or innovation. Without fail every LG product I have owned or used, at least for the past few years has lived up to the motto Life’s Good.
And I am going to ask readers to think the same way.
A segue first. If you are considering a flagship device, then the LG V30+ ThinQ reviewed here is a solid contender for the best flagship of the year. It is a hard act for the LG G7 ThinQ (I hate typing ThinQ, but LG asks us to) to follow. Yet the phones both have strengths that make each desirable.
By the way, ThinQ is really about LG’s take on Artificial Intelligence. GadgetGuy Val Quinn offers his take on this here.
Review: LG G7 ThinQ Model LMG710EMW.AAUSBK (Black)
Before we begin the review is the mandatory warning that you must buy a model certified for all Australian networks. These can make an emergency call 000 without a sim. Avoid shonky online and international resellers that sell grey/parallel market like the plague.
This year, the LG G7 Thin Q comes with many different model numbers like
- G710EAW – 6/128GB Hong Kong, Singapore
- G710N – Korea
- G710EM – South Africa, Latin America, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Europe, Israel
- G710AWM – Canada
- G710EMW – Australia, New Zealand
- G710TM – United States T-Mobile
- G710ULM – United States unlocked
- G710VMX – United States U.S. Cellular
- G710PM – United States Sprint
- G710VM – United States Verizon
Only the Australian version and Australian firmware V10b-AUX-XX (or later) will work here, especially if you are on Telstra and want to roam around Australia and overseas.
In the box
- The phone – LG G7 ThinQ 6/64GB
- Quick Charger 3.0, 5V/1.8A and 9V/1.8A (16.2W)
- USB-A to USB-C cable
- 3.5mm earbuds/mic with braided fabric cable
- Pre-paid recycle bag and microfibre cleaner
- In some markets two USB adapters
The first impression is yet another glass slab, but this is much thinner and lighter than the HTC U12 Plus reviewed here.
Yes, the all-glass design makes it slippery and a fingerprint magnet. My strong recommendation to get a case. That said it feels excellent in the hand so look for a thin case.
I note that it has MIL-STD-810G construction (passed 14 environmental and climatic tests), Gorilla Glass 5 (withstands 1.2m drops) and IP68 rating. You can’t ask for more.
Specifications – LG G7 ThinQ Model LMG710EMW.AAUSBK
| LG G7 ThinQ Model LMG710EMW.AAUSBK (Black) | GadgetGuy comment | |
| Screen | 6.1-inch, QHD+, 3120×1440, 563ppi, LG mLCD+, IPS 19.5:6 ratio (a little less with the notch) 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut Notch or no notch 82.6% S-T-B-R Corning Gorilla Glass 5 front and back HDR10, 12-bit colour Peak Super Brightness: 1,000 nits Normal Brightness: 600-700 nits Contrast: 2000:1 Sunlight boost for outdoor use Automatic, eco and cinema modes Notification LED |
mLC is a new IPS technology that provides brightness up to 1,000 nits for three minutes. The aim is to be as sunlight readable as AMOLED. LG has a Mini View function for one-hand operation. |
| Processor | Qualcomm SDM845 Snapdragon 845 4×2.8 GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4×1.7 GHz Kryo 385 Silver |
Flagship processor in 2018 |
| GPU | Adreno 630 | Good for mobile gamers |
| RAM | 4GB LPDDR4X 64GB UFS 2.1 (55.4GB free) microSD to 512GB OTG support to 2TB |
MicroSD not for seamless internal storage and app installs. It is fine for moving photos and music to. |
| Rear Camera 1 Primary |
16MP, f/1.6, 1.0 µm, 71° FOV, OIS, HDR Laser and dual pixel auto-focus Sony Exmor IMX351 sensor [email protected]/60fps [email protected]/60fps 24-bit/192kHz stereo sound recording |
Twin 16MP lenses and sensors make low light photography easy. |
| Rear Camera 2 Mono |
16MP, f/1.9, 1.0 µm, 107° FOV, fixed focus Sony Exmor IMX351 sensor |
This is one of the widest angle lenses available. Only beaten by the LG V30 at 122° |
| Front Camera 1 | 8MP, f/1.9, 1.0 µm, 80° [email protected]/60fps |
Typical selfie camera |
| Comms | Wi-Fi AC, dual-band, 2 x 2 MIMO Miracast, Wi-Di, Wi-Fi concurrency, Android Beam Bluetooth 5.0 USB-C 1.0 does not support DisplayPort over USB-C OTG |
Achieved 867Mbps download at 2m from test router and maintained good speeds to over 30 metres. |
| Sound | 3.5mm audio jack with Quad DAC, DTS-X and 7.1 surround output ESS Sabre 32-bit/192kHz Hi-Fi Quad DAC (as on the LG V30) Presets/digital filters offer an audiophile experience Earpiece Down-firing LG Boombox speaker Twin mics |
One of the best Hi-Res audio DACS. This is an audiophile’s phone. |
| IP Rating | IP68 MIL-STD-810G Magnesium frame with I-beam construction |
While it is undoubtedly tough, you will need a case to protect the Gorilla Glass 5front and back. |
| Other | NFC FM Radio Bluetooth Google Assistant with dedicated left side button and super far-field microphones (5 metres tested) Fingerprint scanner on back Facial recognition |
Nice to see a radio. You would be surprised how many use it to listen to the ABC! FR works well in low-light |
| Battery | 3,000mAh Quick Charger 3.0 up to 21W (charger 68g) 0-40% in 30 minutes Qi wireless charge takes about 3 hours (15W pad) 77-hour endurance rating (52hr with AOD) |
A gamble that the new screen and processor will give better battery life than a larger battery. It pays off most of the time. |
| LTE | Cat 16/13 1.2Gbps/150Mbps LTE 1,2,3,4,5,7,8,12,13,17,20,28,32,38,39,40,41,46 Dual Simms with call forward microSD is second sim slot |
This is a true world phone with all Australian bands. Call forward allows a call to forward to the other sim if it is in use. |
| Dimensions | 153.2 x 71.9 x 7.9 mm x 162g | Lighter than many competitors |
| OS | Android 8.0 (Oreo) LG UX with HD audio recorder, a radio app, LG Health, McAfee Safe Family, LG SmartWorld, Facebook and Instagram. Supports primary and multiple user accounts |
Third-party apps cannot be uninstalled, but they can be disabled. |
| Colours | Aurora Black, Platinum Grey, Raspberry Rose, Moroccan Blue | Make that a nice coloured glass slab |
| Missing | Nothing | MLC+ screen is a potential AMOLED challenger |
| Website | https://www.lg.com/au/smartphones/lg-LMG710EMW-g7-thinq-smartphone | Price A$1,099 |
Screen 6.1-inch QHD+ FullVison of great colour, brightness and contrast
LG is using its new mLCD+ panel. Yes, it is still IPS based, but it adds an extra white pixel to the RGB (WRGB) mix theoretically making it capable of very high brightness – in this case, 1,000 nits for up to three minutes.
In reality, 1,000 nits is a theoretical brightness measured with a full white screen. As you add RGB to the mix, it drops perhaps to 600-700 nits – still far brighter than all but the best OLED displays.
The white pixel outputs the panel’s backlight with only a liquid crystal light-polarising layer on top to adjust brightness — there’s no inefficient colour filter. By that we mean traditional IPS RGB panels make white by filtering white light through three colour filters, each blocking two-thirds of the spectrum, and then recombining the output. It is not efficient.