- [Michael] Since part one of this review
a couple weeks back the LG G7 has surprised me twice.
One thing I thought would be a problem really wasn't,
and another thing I never expected to give me trouble, did.
Is that enough to make people sit up
and take notice of the G7?
Probably not.
So its a good thing these cameras are here.
I'm Mr. Mobile, welcome aboard to part two of the
LG G7 review, brought to you by TunnelBear.
(upbeat music)
Going into this review, the battery was my biggest
concern about the G7.
I mean, 3000 milliamp hours just didn't seem big
enough to carry me through a day.
Whether I've got Qualcomm's tuning or LG's power
management to thank, this was the more pleasant surprise.
It held up better than I expected.
Not that I'm saying it rivals a true road warrior.
Look, if you need exceptional battery life what you need
is a Huawei Mate 10 Pro or a Moto Z2 Play.
By the end of the day on G7 I was usually down to the
teens on my power meter.
But it got me to the end of the day,
which I really didn't expect.
Especially given my typically heavy usage,
which includes things like mobile hotspot and using
super bright mode on the screen.
A bit of my unpleasant surprise in a few minutes.
First I want to list some of the smaller details that
jumped out when I was using the G7,
the little stuff.
For one, that Google Assistant button on the side
is actually pretty smart.
You know how sometimes Assistant takes a beat to start
listening once you invoke it?
Well the G7 gives you a little haptic buzz when Assistant
launches and a separate sharper vibration once it
opens up the mike.
That's very helpful for knowing exactly when to speak.
Another nice thing about the button,
you can double-click it to jump right into Google Lens,
which came in handy on a Lens scavenger hunt
Google put together at the zoo, during Google I/O.
Point is, I'm glad the button is here.
The Samsung Bixby, this is not.
Few more details.
The G7's haptics are great for an Android phone,
right up there with the V30 and Note Eight.
I also like that LG kept the chassis narrow for the
G7 which makes one handed typing easier compared to
wider phones like the one plus six.
For a device that uses a rear-facing fingerprint sensor
and features wireless charging, double-tap to wake
and double-tap to sleep are crucial and I'm glad
LG kept them around.
For those who like a little LED with their notifications,
this one is fun because in addition to blinking for alerts,
it also flashes on system events,
like airplane mode turning on,
or when you pair the phone to a bluetooth headset.
I love little touches like that.
What I don't like is the sort of slow fingerprint sensor
compared to other devices on the market,
and occasional lag when tapping into
the multi-tasking ribbon.
Obligatory warning about this being a pre-production
device running pre-release software,
yeah, keep that in mind.
Real quick, let's take one more trip up to notchville
for the unwelcome surprise I teased before.
Take a look at the earpiece, you notice how LG bumped it
over a couple millimeters to make up for the selfie camera?
Well it turns out that decades of phone talking have
trained we humans to center a phone on the ear pretty
perfectly and changing that by even a hair takes
some getting use to on a call.
Once you get it phone calls are fine.
And I love the addition of an extra volume option in
speaker phone mode.
In the same vein, extra time with the boombox feature
has totally sold me on it's utility.
I mean you're never gonna mistake it for a bluetooth
speaker or proper stereo,
but find a good hard surface or better yet something
hollow like a filing cabinet and boombox does live
up to its name.
("Bouquet" by Pinback)
When it comes to the camera I'm in about the same
place as before.
On the upside you know I'm always gonna be a superfan
for that wide-angle lens which really does open up
so many possibilities.
Also, the main camera is pretty reliable even those
spray and pray burst shots.
And while super bright mode might you look like you're
an early 90's glamour model,
at least it makes a photo possible in the dark.
Also I want to say once more that I'm glad this phone
finally has a proper selfie shooter.
But look, most of that is LG playing catch up,
rather than bringing something new to the table.
That even applies to the so-called AI mode,
which is just automatic scene detection
and usually adds so much saturation that
even my tacky taste is put off.
Annoyingly, LG has even removed one feature that made
it's camera stand out, pop-out picture mode.
In it's place we get portrait mode.
Which okay, it popular, I get it.
But I tend to like LG the most when it bucks trends,
rather than belatedly trying to follow them.
With other companies delivering some truly jaw-dropping
cameras these days, I'm sad to say it,
but the wide-angle is no longer enough.
You'll notice folks that nowhere in the video have I
yet mentioned the G7's ridiculous surname.
Well if you'd like to thank you me for that,
stick with me through the sponsor spot here,
our last stop before the conclusion.
This video is brought to you by TunnelBear.
True story, its the first VPN I ever used,
And I'm genuinely glad to sponsor it.
TunnelBear lets you browse the web safely on a
public hotspot which I'm on frequently and it lets
you do it with a flick of a switch.
TunnelBear even opened itself up to independent audit
to prove its keeping its security promises.
Mainly though, I gotta be real, I'm here for the mascot.
(bear roars)
Help support Mr. Mobile and more importantly,
keep your browsing secure.
Hit the special link in the description for a discounted
rate at TunnelBear.com/Mr.Mobile.
And since I dropped that sponsor URL it means,
we're coming to a conclusion folks,
and its a fairly simple one.
If LG tries to price the G7 in line with other flagships
at the seven to eight hundred dollar price tier,
it doesn't have much to stand on.
I mean the industrial design is nothing special,
the camera doesn't stand out the way it used to,
and the AI spin LG is trying to sell is, frankly, weak.
Also, if the past is any indication,
we're not likely to see the company put a lot of muscle
into marketing this thing to Americans,
which means only enthusiasts are gonna be aware of it.
But, if the G7 hits the U.S. market at 650 dollars,
like the G6 did, well its absolutely worth the attention
of those enthusiasts,
with a wide-angle camera and the boombox feature,
that no one else is doing.
I still yearn for the LG of days past,
unafraid to go boldly in strange new directions.
But maybe fitting in is the just cost of doing business
in the smart phone space these days.
What do you think of the G7?
Let me know if its got a chance of pulling LG Mobile
out of the red, in the poll attached to this YouTube video.
Be sure to visit that TunnelBear link in the description
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Until next time, thanks for watching,
and stay mobile my friends.
(upbeat music)