LG G7: News and rumors

LG pulled out all the stops to deliver one of the year’s best smartphones in the G6. With its breakthrough design, a massive display for its size, excellent wide-angle camera, and dependable performance, it was a return to form for the company that had something of a misstep with 2016’s G5. Almost as soon as LG G6 hit the market in March, rumors already began to swirl about the company’s next top-of-the-line handset. Here’s everything we think we know about the LG G7.


Name

While we’ve listed this as the “LG G7,” earlier rumors from The Investor said that’s unlikely to be the name of the device released as a successor to the LG G6. LG was reportedly looking into retiring the “G” part of the name in favor of a double-digit name that would bring the LG phone parallel with the higher numbers on the iPhone X and upcoming Galaxy S9. It’s clear LG is worried the name “G7” might be perceived as less powerful than a competing phone with a higher number.

But LG has thrown a wrench into those particular rumors thanks to a now hidden page of its U.K. website. Initially spotted by TechRadar, the now-deleted part of their website listed “Future LG G7” as being compatible with QuickCharge 4.0. Clearly, this wasn’t meant to be made public as the link is now dead. An LG spokesperson said device names are never set in stone before a product launch in a statement to PocketNow, responding to the apparent gaff.

Android Police also noticed an app listing for LG Pay mentioned the LG G7, adding further fuel to that particular fire. That app has now been removed.

Release date and availability

The G7’s release date is a mystery, but there’s a rumor LG’s flagship will launch as soon as January. According to The Investor, the company hopes to gain a competitive advantage over rivals like Samsung, Huawei, and ZTE.

With no CES 2018 announcement in sight, it looks like LG may debut its next big phone as it always has at Mobile World Congress in February.

Specs

LG is already hard at work with Qualcomm on the chipmaker’s next-generation 845 processor, industry sources told South Korea’s Aju Business Daily. According to the report, the two companies have been partnering on developing the chipset since early May. The article states the 845 will utilize a new 7-nanometer construction process, making it more compact and less power-hungry than Qualcomm’s current range-topping silicon, the 835.

While LG decided to settle for the outdated 821 processor in the G6 to accelerate the process of bringing its product to market, competing devices, like the Samsung Galaxy S8, recently launched sporting the more powerful 835. In working alongside Qualcomm now, the phone maker looks to avoid a similar situation next year when it launches the G7. According to Aju Business Daily, LG is planning on fitting the G7 with an 845, as is Samsung for next year’s Galaxy S9.

The 845 is rumored to be anywhere from 20 to 30 percent more powerful than the 835, which itself was already about 30 percent more powerful than the 821, while consuming 40 percent less energy, according to Qualcomm’s estimations at the time.

Meanwhile, a report from The Investor earlier in May claimed that the G7 will receive an OLED display, like Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and the iPhone X. The new industry trend has shifted toward OLED technology, which offers improved contrast, power efficiency, and thinner screens compared to LCD. Moving to an OLED panel would also make the G7 compatible with Google’s Daydream VR — a feature the G6 missed out on.

That’s all the information we have on the LG G7 at the moment, but we’ll continue to update this article over the coming months as we hear more.

Update: The LG G7 may now be named the LG G7, according to multiple accidental leaks from LG.