Smartphone displays to rule 2017 and so LG G6 might fare better than G5: IHS

LG's new flagship smartphone, the G6 that was launched on Sunday in Barcelona, might fare better than its modular predecessor the G5, IHS analysts claim.

"LG walked back much of the hype it created last year surrounding modular G5 design, which fared poorly in the marketplace because of lackluster execution and little third party support. The G5 shipped just 3.7 million units in the whole of 2016, a fraction of the Samsung S7 or iPhone," Wayne Lam, principal analyst, IHS Markit, told Hindustan Times.

LG has been long trying to get back in the smartphone race but has not made enough headway to become headaches for its Android arch rivals HTC and Samsung.

"LG's new 5.7-inch display that offers more vivid colours and a new aspect ratio will attract consumers as smartphones with better displays are cheaper than TVs. Amazon, Netflix, and the TV and movie industry will soon find there are more HDR capable video devices which are in consumers pockets than in their home because of the sheer scale of the smartphone market," Lam explained.

He further said that LG "by addressing duelling consumer demands for larger screens but yet more pocketable device, LG took on the challenge of re-imagining what a modern smartphone should look like and function ergonomically."

The G6, which runs on LG's new 6.0 UI built on Android, will come with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor and will draw power from a 3,300 mAh battery. In terms of optics, the G6 will come with the same setup as the G5 or the V20. The G6 will come with a dual rear camera setup with 13-megapixel wide-angle and standard lenses. The rear wide-angle lens will have a 125-degree radius. The front shooter will also support wide-angle photography upto 100-degrees. The G6, as LG claims, has a smoother video zoom and a better optical image stabilisation.