Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.
These are our top 7 favorite LG G7 ThinQ features
LG loves to pack in as many features as physically possible into its smartphones. The LG V30 was hailed as a camera lover’s dream with its wide-angle lens, and the headphone jack has remained in the company’s entire flagship lineup.
The LG G7 ThinQ is no different.
You can check out all the new features present in this phone in our hands-on video, but here are the top seven features we think make this phone so great for enthusiasts.
7. Boom-box speaker
LG isn’t using front-firing speakers on this thing, but can still get loud. In fact, this phone has one of the loudest speakers available on the market, going head to head with the likes of the Razer Phone in loudness and sound quality.
The G7 ThinQ’s body acts as a resonance chamber that really boosts the bass and volume. It actually works really well. If you put your finger up to the speaker on the bottom of the device, you can actually feel air being pushed out of the phone. Music sounds crisp and clear even at high volumes. We were really surprised how much sound you could get out of this thing.
If you love playing your music loudly in the shower or with your friends, this is an awesome feature to have.
Read More:
6. Super bright display
The LG G7 ThinQ doesn’t use an OLED panel, and that’s ok. I would personally prefer a high quality LCD panel over a sub-par OLED. It seems like LG is being a bit more careful after their inconsistent OLED fiasco in the LG V30.
There are benefits to LCD, too. This panel gets really bright, up to 1,000 nits. You should be able to see your screen in pretty much any lighting condition, whether in a dark room or direct sunlight. While this might wear down the 3,000mAh battery rather quickly, we’re glad to have to option to crank the brightness up to 11 if needed.
Read More:
5. Front and back portrait modes
LG’s portrait mode is a little different than what you’ll find on other phones.
The portrait modes in the G7 ThinQ creates a depth map of the scene, letting you adjust the depth of field as you see fit. Because it attaches this depth map to the image, you can even adjust the depth of field after the photo is taken, which is pretty cool.
This works on the front camera as well, which is uncommon for smartphones right now. The Pixel 2 and iPhone X are some of the only devices that have a front-facing portrait mode. We haven’t had much time to test exactly how well this camera performs the effect, but we’re eager to test it out in our full review down the road.
4. AI Camera
Like many other flagships out today, this phone can detect different scenes to help you get the right settings automatically. The G7 ThinQ gives you more control than most phones, which mainly just change the settings and do things like saturate the color.
The phone recognizes up to 18 different scenes — like pets, landscapes, and people — with four different filter options for each. This gives you more control when you take the photo itself, and you might not even want to throw on additional filters afterwards.
The pro mode gives even more control over the camera, but if you just want a good, quick shot this feature is really great to have.
3. Google Assistant button
While Samsung has the Bixby button and Google has Active Edge, LG opted for a Google Assistant button on the side of the LG G7 ThinQ. I personally love this. It’s nice to be able to instantly trigger Google Assistant without needing to mutter the hotword.
The squeeze feature is one of my favorite features on the Pixel 2, and I’m happy to have something similar to use here. This is extremely useful for when you’re walking down the street and have a question, or if you just want to find the best coffee shop nearby.
LG says this button won’t be remappable out the gate, but it’s listening to feedback and may enable this feature in a future software update if that’s what customers want. If that’s something you would use, be sure to be vocal about it in the comments section down below.
2. IP68 water resistance
Every phone should be water resistant. I’ve been vocal about this ever since my Pixel’s speaker stopped working from rain damage, and I’ll continue to chant it until it is standard throughout the industry. Luckily, LG has outfitted the G7 ThinQ with IP68 water resistance.
You can go swimming with this phone and take pictures underwater, take it out on the boat with no worries, or even blast music in the shower using those super-loud boombox speakers. It’s not a new feature or one that’s exclusive to the G7 ThinQ, but having water resistance on your phone is awesome.
1. New second screen
LG is bringing back the popular secondary screen of the V20 using the notch. The G7 ThinQ will display supplementary information in the screen area on either side of the display’s notch. You will also be able to fill it in with black, grey, or even a gradient of color if you just hate the notch that much.
This isn’t much different than regular notch devices, but LG is giving you a lot more control over what you show in that extra bit of screen than just getting rid of it. Huawei first gave you the option to hide it with the P20, but I think more manufacturers need to give you this control.
These are just seven of the new features present in this phone (there’s a headphone jack, too!). We’re eager to share more with you in our full review down the road.
What are your favorite new features from this device? Looking to pick it up? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below.
Check out our related LG G7 ThinQ coverage below: