While you would expect the upcoming release of Samsung’s Galaxy S9 to be dominating the headlines in the smartphone market, it’s actually LG that have been turning heads in recent times.
This was after renders of the new handset were released by visual artist Ben Geskin, with the G7 sharing a remarkable similarity with Apple’s iPhone X. This, along with reported sightings of an advanced G7 spec having been reported at the recent Mobile World Congress 2018, have propelled the handset into the spotlight despite it not being scheduled for release until June.
In this article, we’ll consider what we know about LG’s latest offering, and ask whether it could usurp Samsung’s Galaxy S9 and other rivals as the leading Android phone on the market.
The G7: Here’s What we Know
In truth, the so-called G-range has been a hotly discussed topic for months now. It was reported that the upcoming G7 flagship was to be redesigned from scratch recently, for example, only for LG to quash this rumour out of hand.
The proposed release date has also been debated at length, although it’s now accepted by most sources that the handset will be launched in June of this year.
It was the proposed specification sighting at the MWC 2018 that began to get tongues wagging, however, as this revealed a number of premium features that would help establish the G7 at the forefront of the high-end smartphone market.
This included a six-inch, 3120×1440 resolution display, complete with the same, 18.5:9 aspect ratio used to successfully in the Galaxy S range. Then there’s a cutting edge, Snapdragon 845 processor from Qualcomm, which will also feature in the S9 range and supposedly clocks an optimal speed of up to 2.9GHz.
If the aforementioned specification is accurate, LG have also enhanced the basic features of the G7 handset. More specifically, they’ve upgrade to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, while also installing a 16-megapixel dual camera at the rear of the phone. LG have also improved the battery and upgraded to a 3,000mAh unit, which short support extended and largely uninterrupted usage for customers.
How Will LG’s New Design Influence Demand?
While this spec would certainly compete with the Galaxy S9, you would still expect Samsung to retain an advantage in terms of the quality of design. The recently released renders of the G7 suggest otherwise, however, with LG have borrowed heavily from Apple’s iPhone X and created a genuinely premium aesthetic for the handset.
First we have the edge-to-edge screen design, which minimises bezels and embodies one of the very latest design trends in the smartphone market. Then we have the integration of an iPhone-style notch, which sits above the screen and houses the handset’s front-facing camera and primary sensors. Of course, the LG is not the only Android mobile to imitate this design feature, but when aligned with other aspects it created a smartphone that shares the elegance and core principles of the stylish iPhone X.
The question that remains is how the revamped design of the G7 will influence demand? The answer is quite positively, as this handset could well boast a unique and refreshing Android design that appeals to the consumer’s enduring sense of novelty. This, coupled with an outstanding specification that more than matches the upcoming Galaxy S9 and the much-vaunted Pixel 3 from Google, could help LG to secure a competitive advantage in the summer market.
These are not the only factors to consider, of course, with price another key element in the consumer’s decision making process. After all, as yet there are no credible or verified rumours about the price of the G7, with many basing their estimates on the fact that the G6 had a launch price of £649.
A similar price would surely do well against the Galaxy S9 (£739) and the costly iPhone X (£1000), even allowing for the fact that Fonehouse sell mobile phone contracts via EE, Vodafone and Three at an extremely competitive rate for the G6 model. With this in mind, LG’s latest offering may be ideally placed to outperform its rivals and claim a viable market share this summer.
The Last Word – Will the G7 Really Usurp the S9 as the Dominant Android?
Overall, we’d definitely expect the G7 to make waves in the premium market, particularly of LG can deliver such a high quality handset at a comparative price to the G6. This would certainly afford it an edge over the Galaxy S9, potential undermining Samsung’s status as the leading Android brand.
Perhaps a more pertinent question is whether or not the G7 can dominate other progressive Android handsets, including the aforementioned Pixel 3 and the HTC U11. After all, these handsets have also benefited from significant upgrades during the last 12 month, particularly in the case of the Pixel 3 after Google invested in the services of more than 2,000 engineers from the HTC brand.
This means that we could see LG and Google do battle for the dominant share of sales in the Android market in 2018, leaving Samsung with much to do to retain their position in the industry.