LG G5 Vs LG G6: Should You Upgrade? - Tech Advisor

At a Glance

Our Verdict

The battery isn’t removable and it no longer supports Friends (oh no). In every other respect the LG G6 is a big and bold upgrade over the LG G5, and we’d say it’s by far the better phone. However, we’ll know more when we’ve had it into our Test Centre for proper testing.

Yesterday LG unveiled its G6 2017 flagship, but what’s the difference between LG G5 and LG G6? We explain the LG G6 new features. LG G5 vs LG G6. Also see: Best phones 2017

Pricing has not yet been announced for the LG G6, so for now we are merely comparing the specifications and design. Is the LG G6 a worthy upgrade?

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You’ll also like: LG G5 review | LG G6 hands-on review | LG G6 UK release date, price, features and specification

LG G5 vs LG G6: New features in LG G6

• New design: Gone is the painted plastic build of the LG G5, and in its place a metal frame with glass panels front and back. It’s slightly chunkier and heavier as a result, but smaller both in length and width. The 163g LG G6 measures 148.9×71.9×7.9mm in comparison to the 159g, 149.4×73.9×7.7mm LG G5.

• Screen: The 5.7in panel on the front of the LG G6 is larger than the 5.3in panel on the LG G5, and has a new ultra-wide 18:9 aspect ratio. This is a Quad-HD+ display, whereas its predecessor was merely Quad-HD, and incorporates HDR. The pixel pitch is only slightly higher on the LG G6, at 564ppi versus 554ppi, but the larger screen area presents new opportunities for multimedia and what you can do on the screen. The new screen has Gorilla Glass 5 protection, whereas the LG G5 used Gorilla Glass 4.

• Waterproofing: IP68 waterproofing means the LG G6 can survive immersion in up to 1m of water for 30 minutes. It’s also dustproof.

• Core hardware: Both phones support 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage with microSD expansion (there is also a 64GB LG G6), but the LG G6 has a slightly faster (around 10 percent faster) processor in the form of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821. The LG G5 uses the Snapdragon 820.

• Cameras: In common with its predecessor the LG G6 has a dual-camera at the rear, but rather than a 16Mp and 8Mp duo it now has two 13Mp cameras, one of which has a 125-degree wide-angle lens. In place of a laser autofocus is phase-detection autofocus, which LG says is faster. The selfie camera has had a bump down from 8Mp to 5Mp, but has a 100-degree wide-angle lens. There will be some new camera software features that are able to take advantage of the 18:9 screen, but in other respects the software should be largely the same between G5 and G6.

• Wireless charging: The 3,300mAh fixed battery inside the LG G6 is higher in capacity than the G5’s 2,800mAh removable battery and now supports wireless charging, but sadly only in the US.

• Hi-Fi Quad DAC: Unfortunately, only in Korea.

LG G5 vs LG G6: Missing features in LG G6

• Modular design: The LG G5 launched with ‘Friends’, basically add-ons that could be attached to its removable base, such as a spare battery or Hi-Fi DAC. (The LG G6 now features a Quad DAC, but only in the Korean model.)

• Removable battery: Although it can no longer be removed, the 3,300mAh battery inside the LG G6 is higher in capacity than the LG G5’s 2,800mAh battery and, in the US at least, now supports wireless charging.

• Selfie camera: The LG G6 has a lower-resolution selfie camera at 5Mp to the LG G5’s 8Mp, but it now has a 100-degree wide-angle lens for taking group selfies.

Read next: Best new phones

Specs

LG G6: Specs

• Android Nougat 7.0
• 5.7in 18:9 2880×1440 Quad HD display, 565ppi
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor
• Adreno 530 graphics
• 4GB RAM
• 32/64GB storage (region dependent)
• 13Mp dual rear cameras, Wide (F2.4, 125°) / 13MP Standard OIS 2.0 (F1.8, 71°) LED flash
• 5Mp front camera, Wide (F2.2 / 100°)
• 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth 5.0
• 4G LTE
• Nano SIM (Dual SIM in some regions)
• GPS
• NFC
• Hi-Fi Quad DAC (Korea only)
• 3,300mAh non removable battery
• Wireless charging (US only)
• Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0
• IP68 water resistant
• 148.9 x 71.9 x 7.9mm