While the software on the LG G6 we have in for testing is largely finished - LG says it's about 90-95% there - we won't be benchmarking or scoring this handset until we've reviewed the final software, as per our reviews guarantee.
However, we've learned enough of the quirks of the handset to bring you our more in-depth hands on review of the phone - if you're excited about what LG is bringing to the table, we've got the info for you.
With the LG G6, the modular design of the LG G5 is gone in favor of a more traditional phone, one that takes multiple elements from the top handsets around, blended together to make a more prosaic (but still intriguing) handset.
Having used the LG G6 for a couple of weeks, it's easy to see that this is a 'grown-up' handset from the South Korean brand. It just feels nicer in the hand, more solid and refined, and I really haven't missed anything from the LG G5 at all.
The main thing that's perturbing is the early price rumor: it's going to possibly cost up to £699 (around $860 / AU$1125) at launch, and, well, that's just too much for what's on offer.
(This may be an early price from retailers jumping in too quickly though, so keep an eye out for other costs landing soon).
However, LG seems to have baked all the components together well, so if you do have to spend that much you'll be getting a decent phone.
It’s interesting that some early reviews of this preview build have called the LG G6 a 'return to form' - apart from perhaps the LG G2, the brand hasn’t had a stellar flagship device for years. Rather, it feels more like a ‘finally understanding what users actually want in a phone’.
Design
The LG G6 is covered in a mix of glass and metal, with two sheets of Gorilla Glass (although weirdly it's Gorilla Glass 5 on the rear, but only the much older Gorilla Glass 3 on the front) framed with a rim of aluminum.
What's most impressive is how little bezel there is on this phone – we're expecting the same kind of design from Samsung on the Galaxy S8, but the narrow bezels have been shrunken top and bottom to create an impressive effect when you turn the phone on.
Anyone aware of the LG G5's design will be surprised by the way of just how … normal this phone looks. Gone is the dull plastic back of the LG G3, the odd leather of the G4 or the come-apart design of last year’s phone – the LG G6 is smooth and classy all the way around.
Battery
The improvement of the battery from 2800mAh to 3300mAh should bring cheers from anyone who wants a phone with a long battery life – LG has historically been excellent at optimising battery, so packing in more power is always going to be a welcome move.
This is where the inclusion of the Snapdragon 821 processor is going to have an effect too, according to LG, as its engineers have worked with the chipset for longer and have managed to extract more performance out of it, which leads to longer-lasting and less hot handsets.
Whether this is just an excuse remains to be seen – there are many efficiency advantages being touted by Qualcomm in its latest 835 chip – and LG could be just trying to deflect from the decision to use an older (and presumably cheaper) engine in its phone.
The ways you'll charge your new phone are varied, and a little hard to explain as there will be so many versions of the LG G6 throughout the world. In the US you'll be able to charge this phone wirelessly, with both PMA and WPC standards supported.
our verdict
The LG G6 is a phone that takes things back to basics, and does so well. The sleek metal and glass fusion is attractive, and to anyone using the iPhone 7 Plus, the ratio of screen to body will be staggering.
The larger display has been well used for the native apps, but massive worries remain over third-party apps. While LG has assured us that things will stretch nicely this isn't certain, and if your favorite titles have ugly black bars left and right that's going to be bad press for the phone.
Similarly, the Netflix and Amazon HDR content sound amazing, but it's too early for those to be must-have features, and you'll need to be on high-end plans to make them work properly in the case of Netflix.
What we worry most about is LG's past: it has a history of starting something and not following it through. VR content for 2016's headset? Not really. The Rolling Bot? Never made it out the gate. New modules for the G5? Never appeared... so how do we know that the company will work with app developers to improve their wares for its longer screen format?
The success of the G6 depends on one thing though: the price. LG has been pretty clear that it made cost-cutting decisions throughout this phone – for instance, the lower-power chipset or the loss of certain features for certain regions – as it listened to what would actually enhance the consumer's experience and made design decisions accordingly.
Well, most brands say that. It would be dumb to just create a phone with a random set of features and hope that something sticks – but then again, LG has done that in the past, so it's good that the brand is taking things back to basics.
However, the early prices seem worrisome, and anyone looking to buy the G6 will be hoping that it drops in price quickly if those costs are to be believed.
That doesn't mean the G6 isn't innovative – the screen looks great and there's raw power, from the camera to the battery to the general snappiness of the handset, rippling through this phone.
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