Samsung released the Android Oreo update for the Galaxy S8 earlier this year. All went well until the Korean OEM pulled the update less than a week later for unknown reasons. Several weeks later, Samsung is now releasing the Galaxy S7 Android Oreo update (for both the S7 and S7 edge). The unlocked Galaxy Note 8 and carrier-locked Galaxy S8 Active received Oreo earlier this month.
The Galaxy S7 Android Oreo update comes with build numbers G930FXXU2ERD5 and G95FXXU2ERD5 and weighs a hefty 1.27 GB. This is a hair bigger than the expected 1 GB for major system updates. While Samsung has released Android 8.0 to the Galaxy S7 series, the rollout is only for UK customers at the moment and unlocked models only. Vodafone has rolled out the S7 Oreo update for its carrier devices, but it’s the only carrier to do so at the moment.
The Galaxy S7 Android Oreo update in the UK has US owners wondering when it will hit their handsets. There is no answer to this at this time, and it could take weeks before owners see Oreo.
Android Oreo (8.0) brings the typical expected features that Google released eight months ago such as improved battery life and notifications. The picture-in-picture mode improves multitasking, and Project Treble brings faster updates than ever before. Autofill is another feature of the Oreo update that helps fill in information on the Web faster. With the Galaxy S7 Android Oreo update, Galaxy S7 users now have Samsung Experience 9.0 with some tweaks thanks to Samsung’s own improvements.
A recent OS system update study from earlier this month showed that Oreo is present on just four percent of all Android devices, so the new Galaxy S7 Android Oreo rollout should help in that regard.
Have you experienced the new UK S7 Oreo update yet? Seen it on a handset? Starting to see it roll out in the US?
Launched during a press event in New York yesterday, the LG G7 ThinQ will land on the US market soon enough. But first, the phone will go on sale in LG’s home country, South Korea.
In the States, LG’s new flagship will be available at all major carriers. And some of them have already announced details regarding the phone’s availability.
Here’s what we know so far
Verizon – Big Red will open up pre-orders for the LG G7 ThinQ starting on May 24. The actual release date is not yet known.
AT&T – no info available yet
T-Mobile – the Magenta carrier will offer LG’s new flagship “later this spring”. So we can assume, customers will be able to place a pre-order towards the end of May.
Sprint – will be taking pre-orders for the LG G7 ThinQ starting May 25. The release date has been set for June 1.
US Cellular – the LG G7 ThinQ will launch on June 1
Unfortunately, pricing information is not available just yet. But they will be soon enough.
After a deluge of leaks and rumors, LG has finally taken the wraps off its latest Android flagship this week. The G7 ThinQ comes packing a wide range of features, including a loudspeaker, a customizable notch and AI integration.
LG has also added a dedicated button to activate the Google Assistant with one tap and Google Lens with two taps.
The phone relies on a 6.1-inch QHD+ display sporting a 19:5:9 aspect ratio and a resolution of 3,120 x 1,440. Although it’s not AMOLED, but LCD the highlight here is that the display is capable of brightness levels up to 1000 nits. It’s also HDR 10 compliant.
Inside, there’s a powerful Snapdragon 845, backed up by either 4GB or 6GB of RAM and 32GB or 64GB of internal storage.
For more details about the LG G7 ThinQ, check our previous post here.
During the F8 developer conference this week, Facebook launched the Oculus Go, a standalone VR headset.
The product is Oculus’ first standalone headset and comes with a wireless controller. Pricing starts at $199.
The unit, which provides access to thousands of games and applications is now listed on the Oculus website. Customers in the US, as well as other countries around the globe including Australia, Canada, UK or France, can place an order for the device.
Oculus Go is easy to set up and use
Unlike the Oculus Rift and other VR headsets out there, the new Oculus Rift does not need to connect to a PC or phone to work. It has its own 5.5-inch fast-switch LCD screen with 2560 x 1440 resolution and running at 60Hz or 72Hz. The headset relies on the Snapdragon 821 Mobile VR Platform and has spatial audio built-in, as well as an integrated microphone.
Oculus says the embedded battery can support up to 1.5-2 hours of gaming or 2-2.5 hours of video watching.
The headset is launching with more than 1,000 apps, movies and games including Catan VR, Netflix VR, Anshar Online and many more. So you’ll have plenty of content to enjoy.
There’s no denying that the Oculus Go is the most approachable VR headset currently avaialble. At $199, the new product is more of a direct competitor to other portable headsets that use a smartphone such as the Samsung Gear VR or Google Daydream View.
But one of the major drawbacks of these headsets is that you need a compatible Android smartphone to make them work. Oculus Go does away with this requirement. However, you will still need an Android or iOS phone to set things up through the Oculus app.
Apart from Oculus.com, customers can purchase the Oculus Go from retailers like Amazon, Best Buy and Newegg. The product is available in two versions. One is available with 32GB of storage, while the second has 64GB and is a bit more expensive at $249. So far, the Oculus Go is only available in a pale grey hue.
Have you ever purchased an app from the Google Play Store only to find yourself hating it just moments after you’ve open it? Well, the good news is that you can get a refund rather easily. But you need to act fast.
Below you’ll find the steps you need to take in order to get a refund on a purchase from Google Play.
The quick way to get a refund
If you tested the app immediately after you’ve downloaded it and realized it’s not for you, then you can go back to the Play Store and request a refund. Keep in mind that this option is only available for apps, not in-app purchases or subscriptions.
The process is super simple, no question asked. You have a 2-hour window to return to the Play Store and navigate to the app in question. A Refund button should be showing on the left, next to the Open one.
Once the 2 hours expire, the Refund button will be replaced be an Uninstall button. It’s worth mentioning that we’ve seen numerous complaints of users claiming the 2-hour window is actually a 15-minute one. Although in our experience, we didn’t have the same issue.
Once you tap the Refund button a window will pop-up asking you “Are you sure that you want to refund this purchase? The app will be uninstalled.” Click Yes to continue.
But what if 2 hours have already passed since you made your purchase? You still have 48 hours to submit a refund request.
From there you should be able to see your Order History.
Find the app you want to refund and click on the three-dot menu on the right.
Click on Request a refund and select one of the reasons why you’re doing this (ex. I purchased this by accident).
Complete the form and note that you would like a refund.
Next, click submit and wait.
It can take between 15 minutes to two whole business days before you will get the verdict from Google.
What to do if 48-hours have passed?
You will have to try and contact the developer. This isn’t a full-proof method, but you could give it a try. You can find the developer’s email by tapping Read more on the app’s page on the Play Store and then scrolling down all the way to the bottom.
Hopefully, the email is a legitimate one and you will be able to convince the developer to issue you a refund.
But what if you get no reply from the developer or their response is unsatisfactory? Your last resort would be to contact Google’s support team and ask them to take care of the problem.
How to contact Google’s support team about a refund
Select your issue (for example Android apps & games).
Click on Request a refund.
Submit refund request.
You should hear back from Google within 15 minutes, but it can take up to 2 business days.
The Google support team can help you get refunds for paid apps, as well as in-app purchases.
How to get refunds for Google Play movies/TV shows or books
What if you bought a Google Play movie, but you decided you don’t want to keep it after all? Well, in this case, you have a 7-day window to request your refund. But bear in mind that this only applies to movies or books you haven’t started watching/reading.
In case video playback/book if defective, you can request a refund at any time. This is how you do it.
Earlier today, LG held an event in New York City to show off its latest flagship with the LG G7 ThinQ. However, this is not the first new flagship of the year, and we are taking a look at how well this device stands up to the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus.
When you first look at the G7 ThinQ or Galaxy S9, there is something apparent – they look familiar. That’s because LG and Samsung opted to stick with the same design language from devices launched in 2017.
The G7 ThinQ takes directly from the V30 with its smooth curved glass and 2:1 display. The same can be said about the Galaxy S9, which still features the Infinity Display from last year, albeit with some slightly slimmer frames.
In a head-to-head comparison, we have a 6.1-inch IPS LCD display in the G7 ThinQ. This puts LG’s flagship a bit closer to the Galaxy S9 Plus, which sports a 6.2-inch Super AMOLED display.
Instead of the 18.5:9 aspect ratio found in the Galaxy S9 lineup, LG opted to turn things up a notch. The G7 ThinQ features an aspect ratio of 19.5:9, which equates to a resolution of 3120 x 1440 pixels.
As we just alluded to, the reason for the increase in aspect ratio is due to the notch at the top of the display. This houses the front-facing camera and other sensors.
Meanwhile, Samsung decided to not go down the rabbit hole of notches and kept the top and bottom bezels. The top bezel houses the front-facing speaker, along with camera sensors and more.
On the bright side, those who don’t want to deal with notches will be able to hide it. LG decided to give the user some freedom with the G7 ThinQ.
One more aspect to consider when looking at the G7 ThinQ and Galaxy S9 is the display itself. LG has stated that its latest device features a 1,000 nit brightness, the best of any smartphone.
This, coupled with the six included viewing modes, will help ensure your device is viewable regardless of the situation. Samsung is known for creating the best display on the market, so we’ll have to see how the G7 ThinQ stands up in real-world usage.
Power
Under the hood, the specs between the G7 ThinQ and Galaxy S9 are largely the same. At the helm, we have the Snapdragon 845 chipset, which has been coupled with 4GB of RAM.
The bigger difference comes when looking at the G7 ThinQ and Galaxy S9 Plus. Instead of just 4GB of RAM, Samsung opted to up the ante and push the limits up to 6GB for its larger device.
All three options have 64GB of base storage, although Samsung just announced 128GB and 256GB options. Nonetheless, you can still add your own microSD card, regardless of which device you end up owning.
With the battery, we’re not looking at anything too crazy. The G7 ThinQ and smaller Galaxy S9 both sport a 3,000mAh battery. The S9 Plus takes the cake here with a larger 3,500mAh battery.
Camera
As is the case with just about every flagship device, folks want to know about the cameras. Just looking at the numbers, the G7 ThinQ, Galaxy S9, and S9 Plus all have an 8MP front-sensor.
Taking a deeper dive reveals that the G7 ThinQ’s sensor has an aperture of f/1.9. The S9 and S9 Plus both sport an aperture of f/1.7 and are capable of shooting video at 1440p@30fps with autofocus.
Main camera at f/1.5.
Moving to the rear, this is where things get stepped up a notch. The G7 ThinQ features a dual-camera system, with a primary 16MP (f/1.6) sensor, and a 16MP 107-degree wide-angle lens.
While the S9 only has a single 12MP Super Speed Dual Pixel sensor, the S9 Plus sports two of these lenses. The apeture for the primary sensor is actually mechanical, switching between f/1.5 and f/2.4. On the S9 Plus, the secondary sensor comes with a fixed aperture of f/2.4.
Software & Extra Features
On the software side of things, the G7 ThinQ and Galaxy S9 devices are all running Android 8.0 Oreo. LG confirmed plans to update to Android P once it’s made available, but Samsung has yet to make any type of similar announcement.
The big addition to LG’s and Samsung’s devices is the inclusion of AI software enhancements. This is immediately apparent from the dedicated hardware button to activate either Google Assistant (G7 ThinQ) or Bixby (Galaxy S9).
LG also confirmed that this hardware button will also activate Google Lens with a double-click. When released, the G7 ThinQ will likely be the first smartphone to sport this functionality out of the box.
It’s apparent that both companies are looking to the future with the inclusion of AI capabilities. But only LG decided it would be a good move to include its new branding in the name of its device.
Value
Ultimately, when it comes to deciding which device to purchase, the price is definitely put into consideration. Unfortunately, we aren’t sure exactly what the G7 ThinQ will be priced at thanks to LG not being ready to share that yet.
For reference in the future, the Galaxy S9 is priced at $720, while the S9 Plus is priced at $840. We are expecting, however, for LG to come in just below the price of the S9, likely to be somewhere around $700.
What’s the best?
It’s tough to determine which device is truly better without having the G7 ThinQ in hand. Nonetheless, we have already seen everything that Samsung has to offer and it’s difficult to recommend against it.
If comparing the S9 to the G7 ThinQ, then we would likely recommend the G7 ThinQ thanks to its dual-camera system. However, the S9 Plus would likely come out the winner if comparing it to the G7 ThinQ.
Let us know which device is leading the way for you and which you are considering to pick up for yourself.
The T-Mobile Tuesdays service gives customers of T-Mobile a chance to get free or discounted items every Tuesday. Typically we’ve seen movie tickets, Dunkin Donuts gift cards, and swag from the company. Next week, everyone’s favorite coffee shop, Starbucks, will be joining the program.
Next Tuesday, May 8th, T-Mobile customers will find a $3 eGift Card reward for Starbucks. From there you’ll need to claim and redeem the prize to gain access to the actual gift card. After entering your email on the next page, provided by Starbucks, you’ll be emailed the card with a unique barcode. You can also transfer the gift card into the Starbucks app, for those that frequent the shop that much. Remember to get your email before 4:59 EST May 9th so you don’t lose out.
The fun doesn’t end there though. T-Mobile president, Chief Operating Officer, and coffee lover Mike Sievert will be sharing his favorite drinks on Twitter. If you tweet him, @SievertMike, with a picture of your purchase from T-Mobile Tuesdays with the hashtag #TMobileTuesday, he may retweet your photo. Through those retweets, Sievert will be giving away a few T-Mobile REVVL Plus devices!
Remember, have the app downloaded on your T-Mobile phone and then claim your Starbucks reward. From there tweet a picture out to Mike Sievert, for your chance at a brand new phone. The T-Mobile Tuesday rewards keep getting better and better.
A lot of racing games offer great graphics and animation, they can oftentimes leave you bored after a while, with stale game play. Mad Skills BMX 2, from the developer Turborilla, challenges that notion with a free, family-friendly title that I keep going back to again and again. Check it out and see if it’s a racer you would be interested in.
Setup
Setup couldn’t be simpler: just download from the Play Store, click on the icon, and you’re in. From there you jump into some short tutorials, and then you’re into the meat of the game.
Mad Skills BMX 2 is a sequential racer, meaning it’s kind of like a campaign; your racer progresses through the game by beating each level (and your AI opponent) in sequential order, not moving to the next level until you “win” the current one.
You are given several “worlds”, or track series, with multiple specific tracks within each. Like a campaign-style game, the first levels withing each series start out easier, but progress in difficulty as you go along.
Gameplay
One of the reasons Mad Skills BMX 2 is so fun to play is its nuanced use use of game controls and course challenges. To race your bike, you only have two main controls: up & down arrows on the right side of your display. The down arrow lets you pump or wheelie down hills and over whoops faster, and the up arrow let you bunny-hop, which helps get more air off ramps and other jumps.
That’s it for controls. There are a couple of other buttons available (rocket button for a limited turbo boost, flip button to do backflips), but they don’t affect the core gameplay.
The key is your timing in your approach to each dip, whoop, bump, and ramp on each track. Each of these obstacles provide their own challenges, but the almost endless combination of them provide the equally almost endless challenge in mastering your touch & timing. Getting to a point to beat my opponent, and the intense satisfaction that comes with doing so on each level, was more than enough to keep me coming back for more. This is a true case where simplicity and nuance brings much more to a game than a clustered collection of controls and options.
One of my favorite part of the game is that it allows you to play previously-beaten levels/tracks, racing yourself as you best raced it last, trying to create new personal records.
Add-Ons
As you progress through the game, you collect cash and gold bars, and with these you are offered several ways to upgrade your gear for the next race:
Clothing/helmet upgrade: This is aesthetic only; can’t say it appealed to me that much.
Bike upgrades: You can upgrade your general speed, your pump ability, or your jumping ability.
New bikes: The holy grail! With enough money collected you can switch out to a completely new ride (complete with speed, pump, and jump attributes to fill out as you go).
If I had one disappointment, it is with the amount of ‘boost’ each upgrade gives you. I really couldn’t see or feel the difference after dropping hard-earned money for one or more attribute upgrades. I would appreciate it more if more impact was given to these.
You do collect rockets from time-to-time….these allow you to hit the icon for a short-term turbo boost in a race. These are pretty rare (provided you’re not paying real in-game cash for them), so you need to take care in using them up. Believe me, they go fast!
Overall
It sounds odd, given the lack of crazy controls, gameplay, and other game mechanics, but Mad Skills BMX 2 is a rare game I enjoy playing more than a few days before moving on. It’s still on my device, and I say it should be on yours, too.
Hand-written notes are a chore. I grew up in an era where we still wrote everything on paper, with laptops, tablets, and phones all being cost-prohibitive to bring into the classroom. I’d have killed for a device that would automatically digitize and transcribe my notes, when I was in school. Instead, I’d spend hours manually transcribing my notes at home into the Family Dell. With a gadget like the NeoPen, all that time could’ve been saved. That was a decade and more ago, though. In a world where smartphones, tablets, and laptops follow us literally everywhere, is there a place for a digital, transcribing pen? Read on, dear Android Guys.
Build & Design
NeoLAB clearly did its best to design a smart pen that still feels like a normal ballpoint. And in that, it certainly succeeded; the fiberglass body of the M1 feels no different than any other run-of-the-mill ballpoint pen. And while that may be great for some, I prefer to have a pen that feels like an instrument, rather than a piece of plastic. The N2, however, is an all-aluminum body with real heft that scratches that premium itch.
The M1 comes in five colors: Black, Navy, Grey, Red, or Yellow. All feature rather “loud” secondary accents; red, yellow, neon, white, and brown, respectively. If I had my way, my NeoPen would’ve been matte black aluminum, with no accent colors – fortunately, the N2 delivers on that with either aluminum or black styling.
While the body and design of the M1 are nothing to write home about, it’s very light (17.4g) and durable thanks to its fiberglass construction. Both the M1 and N2 use standard D1 refills, making them cheap and easy to keep filled. Interestingly, the LEDs on the back end of the pens are multicolored, rather than your run of the mill red-green LED. The result is some nifty status indicators and patterns that play for various occasions. It’s a cute touch.
Battery Life
At 280mAh, the internal batteries on NeoLab’s NeoPens are pretty small. As such, they charge quickly (just 90 minutes for a full charge using the MicroUSB port on the back of the pen), but support 6 hours of continuous use or 125 days of standby power. The pen powers on when you remove the cap, and likewise powers off when you re-cap it. Additionally, the pen goes into standby mode when it hasn’t been used for ten seconds – it comes out of standby automatically when you start writing again.
Overall, it should withstand all but the most extreme writing marathons – and even if you manage to kill it, you can just plug it in with any MicroUSB you have laying around. One thing I’d love to see in the next generation of NeoPens is an inductive charger on the side of the pen, similar to a smartwatch – maybe even Qi support. I think that would be pretty cool.
Ncode Tech
Each page of a NeoLAB notebook is microprinted with Ncode.
The technology that backs the NeoPen is rather impressive. It’s really two or three pieces of technology that work in perfect sync to deliver on its output. There’s a built-in scanner under the barrel of the pen that scans what you’re writing, as you’re writing it. In addition to scanning your writing, it also reads a micro-printed coding on the NeoLAB notebooks and paper that detects which notebook you’re in, which page of that notebook, and which line on that page. It’s all very, very cool. Unfortunately, this means you can’t use any other kind of paper with the NeoPen if you want it to work properly, but – as we’ll talk about below – there are other options to use your NeoPen.
Writing with a NeoPen
Transcription is surprisingly accurate. It gets fooled a little by repetitive or corrective strokes.
I’m thoroughly impressed with both the NeoPen and its companion app – it works better than I ever expected, and I can see myself using it to transcribe the hundreds of words I scribble on a daily basis.
The companion app allows you to select and edit writing, allowing you to change
colors, add outlines, or highlight text as you please.
It also lets you share your pages in a variety of formats, including bitmap, vector,
and text.
I found myself trusting the Neo Pen more and more, writing more quickly and less carefully, and the M1 warmed to the task.
Scratching words of leaves them out of the transcription and the app knows what bullets and hyphens are. It doesn’t, however, detect broken up words on two lines.
While transcription is impressive, the NeoNotes app does not give you the option to backup your transcriptions automatically – only by sharing the pages individually to Google Drive, via .txt format. For the NeoPen to truly be a tool to digitize handwritten notes, stories, calendars, etc, it needs to be able to seamlessly transfer that information to a format that’s easily manipulated by the user.
While this problem is minimized when using the M1 with a Windows computer – allowing you to copy and paste with impunity – it’s harder when you’re trying to migrate notes and such to a Mac, which does not have a NeoNotes App.
But How Does it Work?
You tell me. The above section was written entirely with the NeoPen M1, exactly as-is – all I did was copy, paste, and format. As you can see, it works pretty well, detecting bullets, hyphens, and non-standard English words.
I’d say 90% of my experience with the M1 has been pleasant. It’s accurate and precise, and its transcriptions are fairly accurate as long as your handwriting isn’t awful. That other 10% was a defective review unit that produced some rather odd results. The replacement unit that NeoLAB sent me, though, works perfectly with no trouble.
By and large, though, that shouldn’t be a problem. In the week I tested the M1, that was the only hiccup I encountered; every other occasion handled like a dream. The pen reliably recreates the notes you write on paper, digitally, and then has the ability to transcribe them.
Transcription
Unfortunately, the transcription is a bit limited right now. The app creates a digital version of your handwritten notes, but it has very limited formatting, sharing and no backup support whatsoever. This can all be fixed via software update of the NeoNotes app, and I hope the functionality is added. Being able to transcribe notes is great, but unless you can actually do something with those notes, it becomes less useful.
What I’d like to see is the ability to backup our notes via Google Drive, in multiple formats; Raster, Vector, Text, and PDF. You can currently share your notes in these formats, why not back them up that way? I reached out to NeoLAB for any comment or insight – I’ll let you know if we hear back from them.Try not to let these samples dissuade you from giving the NeoPen M1 a try. It’s not 100% reliable, but it’s close enough to it that it’s an asset to those that prefer to handwrite notes. For instance, at my day job I don’t have the luxury of using a computer, but I have plenty of downtime to write. As such, the ability to digitize my notes automatically – and transcribe them – is invaluable. It saves time retyping my notes, instead allowing me to simply copy, paste and edit.
UPDATE: Looks like automatic transcription format and upload are planned features, but not on the roadmap for 2018. Shame.
Accessories
NeoLAB has a great selection of notebooks and folios compatible with the M1, including Moleskine – a personal favorite for notebooks. They have college ruled, standard, memo, pocket, planners, and professional – which features a faux leather cover and half-ruled, half-blank pages.
Additionally, NeoLAB designed printable PDFs in various styles to print your own Ncoded pages. There are a lot of formats, including Plain, Grid, Dot, Landscape, Manuscript, Checklist, Cornell, Meeting Minutes, Log Sheet, Letter, A5, and A5 string. Very clever.
While this won’t help you create your own Ncoded Code & Quill notebook (for example) it is nice to know that it’s not a requirement to buy proprietary notebooks in order to use the Neo Pen.
Value
If you hand-write notes frequently, the ability to transcribe them seamlessly and automatically is well worth the $130 (plus notebooks) cost of entry. If you don’t write much by hand, you may find this price tag to be too high. I fall into that former group, so you bet I’ll be using it – and probably investing in one of those fancy leather folios.
With the exception of the error I had earlier, the NeoPens performed admirably. In fact, every word of this review was written with the pen, and then formatted manually. I’d say it cut my writing time in half or so, when compared to manually transcribing.
The LG G7 ThinQ is the next big device coming from South Korea today. The new flagship comes to replace the LG G6 and arrives with a host of improvements which LG hopes will help outshine competitors like the Samsung Galaxy S9 and the upcoming OnePlus 6.
While Samsung hasn’t much improved the appearance of the Galaxy S9 over the Galaxy S8, the same can be said for the LG G7 ThinQ, which isn’t distinctly different from its predecessor, save for the notch.
Nevertheless, the new phone brings forth some improvements, most tucked deep underneath the hood. But what has changed since the G6?
In this article we take a look at the differences between the two models and try to answer the question: should you upgrade?
But first…
Why the LG G7 ThinQ?
ThinQ is LG’s brand for home appliances, consumer electronics, and services that rely on artificial intelligence. The V30S ThinQ was LG’s first ThinQ mobile device, which was basically a slightly improved V30 with AI camera features.
Now with the LG G7 ThinQ, the Korean tech giant takes the focus on AI to the next level. How? Continue reading to find out.
Design & Display
The LG G6 was among the first smartphones to offer a modern bezel-less display with the new 18:9 aspect ratio. Well, with the new model LG has decided to embrace the new trend Apple’s iPhone X established a few months back.
Unlike the LG G6, the G7 ThinQ comes with a notch. Sure, the display is still flanked by razor-thin bezels, but the presence of the notch on top is the main visual differentiator between the two. LG says the bottom bezel is almost 50% slimmer than the one on the G6.
The G7 boasts a metal frame, a slightly curved glass back and comes in New Platinum Gray, New Aurora Black, New Moroccan Blue or Raspberry colors. And like its predecessor, it’s also IP68 certified. The LG G6 has a similar look, with a slightly curved glass back and metal frame.
Compared with last year’s flagship, the LG G7 ThinQ is a bit taller, but otherwise, it keeps the same width and is just as slim.
LG G6 – 148.9 x 71.9 x 7.9mm and 163 g.
LG G7 ThinQ – 153.2 x 71.9 x 7.9mm and 162 g.
The newcomer is a bit longer because it takes advantage of a 6.1-inch FullVision Super Bright Display with 19:5:9 aspect ratio and 3120 x 1440 resolution. In contrast, the LG G6 boasts a 5.7-inch 18:9 display with 1440 x 2880 resolution.
LG’s new LCD technology will enable users to clearly view the phone’s screen in direct sunlight. This is possible thanks to a brightness of up to 1,000 nits and a 100% DCI-P3 color gamut.
The flagship also packs six different viewing modes including Auto, Eco, Cinema, Sports, Game, and Expert. These can be toggled automatically depending on the content displayed.
As for the notch, LG refers to it as the “new second screen”. That’s because it’s easily customizable, so users can choose to expand it to minimize the bezels. Other options including highlighting it by changing the notification bar to a different color or blacking out the notification bar altogether.
Performance
While last year the LG G6 launched with an older processor on board, this year the company did not make the same mistake. LG had its reasons to opt for the Snapdragon 821, the most important one being trying to beat the Galaxy S8 to the market. In retrospect, this wasn’t the best decision, as the G6 still ended up being grossly overshadowed by Samsung’s flagship.
But this year, the LG G7 ThinQ arrives with the top-of-the-line Snapdragon 845 on board. The new arrival also starts off with more storage than the G6’s introductory 32GB. The G7 includes 4GB of RAM with 64GB of storage. While an additional variant dubbed the G7+ will ship out with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Both models include a microSD card slot.
The new G7 is powered by a 3,000 mAh battery. Which is a downgrade considering the G6 came equipped with a 3,300 mAh one. However, the Snapdragon 845 chipset powering the new model is said to be up to 30% more energy efficient. The G7’s display also promise up to 30% power savings.
Battery life was never one of the G6’s strong points, but we’ll have to wait and see how the G7 fairs with real-life usage.
Cameras
The LG G7 ThinQ boasts an upgraded 8-megapixel selfie camera on the front, compared to the G6’s 5-megapixel.
But the biggest improvements are on the back. There’s now two 16-megapixel lenses in standard and Super Wide Angle configurations with f/1.9 and f/1.6 respectively. The G6 offered dual 13-megapixel rear-facing cameras.
Naturally, LG has imported some of the AI camera features that made a debut on the V30S ThinQ and improved them a bit.
AI CAM comes equipped with 19 different shooting modes, instead of eight. LG also gives G7 ThinQ users more effect options. The algorithm behind the Bright Mode has been improved too, in order to deliver up to 4 times brighter photos.
LG also bundled the phone with a Live Photo mode which records one second before and after the shutter has been released. A Portrait Mode is available, as well as a feature that uses facial recognition to create your 3D avatar.
Other features
Music lovers might take a keen interest in the new G7 because the flagship comes with a single mono loudspeaker. Yeah, the company choose this route, as opposed to implementing stereo speakers. But the key word here is “loud”.
LG calls it the G7’s Boombox speaker, and as the name suggests it’s bigger and louder than the G6’s. It’s also clever enough to use the inner space inside the device as an echo chamber to amplify the bass. The company says the speaker should be 39% louder than its predecessor.
LG also cares about the new device’s audio quality, so it has included the 32-bit quad-DAC from the G6. The company says the quad-DAC should provide a clearer sound over wired headphones (yes, 3.5mm jack still on board).
The phone also offers DTS:X virtual surround sound, which creates a 7.1-channel audio. This is the first time this technology has been incorporated into a phone.
Another attention-grabbing feature on board of the G7 is the Google Assistant button. Like in the case of Samsung’s Bixby button, you press it once to bring up the virtual assistant.
Should you upgrade?
Notch aside, the LG G7 ThinQ is an incremental update rather than a whole new take on LG’s smartphone offering. Yet, the changes are positive and represent a step in the right direction.
On top of the general performance improvements, you get an improved dual camera on the back and selfie camera. The bright screen is also a nice to have. The Boombox speaker should also be a hit for people who like to use their phone for media consumption or to play music.
Last year, the LG G6 launched in the US for $650 and up. The Korean phone maker has yet to share pricing details for the G7 ThinQ.
After months of leaks and rumors, LG has finally launched its 2018 flagship with the G7 ThinQ. The device was finally introduced and has a few tricks up its sleeve to help separate itself from the pack.
Display and more
Kicking things off, we have a 6.1-inch QHD+ display which features a resolution of 3120 x 1440. The reason for the odd resolution is due to the notch that we have on board.
As the recent leaks confirmed, there’s a tiny cut out at the top of the display. This notch houses the front-facing camera, as well as the earpiece for your phone calls.
While some folks may be moaning and groaning, this is the where the first G7 ThinQ trick is found. If you want to hide the notch, LG has included a software feature to get this out of the way and so you can get a “full” view of the display.
This display is rather unique, however, as it was revealed that it is the brightest display on the market. It has a 1,000 nit rating, along with six different viewing modes to optimize the display. All of this means is that you should run into no issues when viewing your phone in any conditions.
LG G7 ThinQ Specs
6.1-inch QHD+ Display (3120 x 1440)
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC
4GB RAM (6GB w/ G7+)
64GB Storage (128GB w/G7+)
8MP Front Camera
Dual 16MP Rear Cameras
3,000mAh Battery
Android 8.0 Oreo
In the power department, we have exactly what you would expect to see in a flagship. The Snapdragon 845 chipset is leading the way, and has been coupled with 4GB of RAM along with 64GB of storage.
New Cameras
Aside from the notch, the cameras are where LG is trying to really set itself apart from the competition. The G7 ThinQ sports a standard 8MP sensor on the front, along with dual-16MP lenses on the rear.
As was the case with the LG V30 ThinQ, the G7 ThinQ has some AI features and goodies of its own. The included “AI CAM” features 19 different shooting modes, along with three different effects.
There is also a “Super Bright Camera” mode which intends to boost up those low-light images. LG claims that these are “up to four times brighter” than your standard low-light photos.
AI-enhanced
It was reported on that the G7 ThinQ would feature its own dedicated Google Assistant button. Now that the device has arrived, this hardware decision has been confirmed, as the button is housed on the left-side of the frame.
This marks the first device with a dedicated Assistant button, as we have only seen Samsung’s Bixby button in the past. However, LG is also having some more fun, stating that the G7 ThinQ will be one of the first devices to launch with Google Lens.
The included hardware button can be tapped once to quickly and easily access Assistant. However, tapping it twice will automatically activate Google Lens, which is “a first on any phone”. Holding down the Assistant button will allow you to start talking and making requests immediately.
Cost and availability
If you were all ready to jump on board with the LG G7 ThinQ, then you will have to wait a bit longer. LG has confirmed that the device will be coming to South Korea first, as has been the tradition.
Then, it will come to “major markets” including North America and Europe. Unfortunately, the company did not share any pricing details or any specifics on a launch date here in the US.
We’ll be sure to report back once this information has been revealed. But in the meantime, let us know what you think about the G7 ThinQ and if you are interested in picking one up for yourself.
Hopefully, the 
order, not moving to the next level until you “win” the current one.
controls and course challenges. To race your bike, you only have two main controls: up & down arrows on the right side of your display. The down arrow lets you pump or wheelie down hills and over whoops faster, and the up arrow let you bunny-hop, which helps get more air off ramps and other jumps.
If I had one disappointment, it is with the amount of ‘boost’ each upgrade gives you. I really couldn’t see or feel the difference after dropping hard-earned money for one or more attribute upgrades. I would appreciate it more if more impact was given to these.
