By Krishna Sinha Chaudhury
New Delhi, Sep 5 (IANS): Smartphones with an 18:9 aspect ratio are becoming a rage in the Indian market and South Korean tech major LG is the latest to join the bandwagon with its "Q6", a mid-price segment device.
The 18:9 format offers more viewing space and a better immersive experience while streaming videos and playing games.
The company has introduced three versions of the Q6 and the variant with 3GB RAM is now available in India.
LG "G6" was the company's first smartphone to house an 18:9 display, that it calls the "FullVision" display. The phone, however, did not achieve good sales figures despite being a capable flagship device.
The South Korean company is now hoping to turn the tables with Q6 that has been cautiously priced at Rs 14,990.
Is LG Q6 all about the display or is there more to it?
LG has managed to house 5.5-inch full-HD (1080x2004 pixels) IPS display into a compact smartphone -- and how! The phone can be easily operated with one hand and does not feel any bigger than a 5-inch handset.
Having said that, the edge-to-edge display and a compact form make Q6 look quite similar to the flagship G6.
The front side of the phone is all about the display surrounded by slim bezels.
The build of the smartphone is impressive, given that the company has used 7,000-series (aerospace grade) aluminum frame on the sides.
The LG logo lies below the edge-to-edge display. The ear piece, selfie camera and the proximity sensor are placed above it.
The power key sits on the right side while the volume buttons and separate slots for a micro-SD card and two Nano-SIM cards are on the left.
Interestingly, the first slot is for accommodating a Nano-SIM and a microSD card while the second slot is for a second SIM. A 3.5-mm standard headphone jack and a Micro-USB 2.0 port lie on the bottom.
The rear side of the phone is ergonomic and fits perfectly in the palm. It also has a mono speaker.
The 13MP primary camera sits flush with the back. It is capable of capturing decent images in daylight with enough details in close-up and landscape shots. The colours do not look over-saturated.
LG has loaded the camera viewfinder with DSLR-like green squares to represent auto-focus points.
LG's own "Mobile Switch" app is useful and helps one copy data from an old device to the Q6 with ease.
A modest Snapdragon 435 chipset (which also runs Xiaomi Redmi Note 4) from Qualcomm powers Q6. The Snapdragon 435 chip enables the phone to handle day-to-day tasks but do not expect it to be a performance powerhouse.
What does not work?
We were disappointed to see a phone in the Rs 15,000-segment without a notification light and a fingerprint sensor as the latter has become a common feature now.
The plastic rear is prone to scratches and mars the smartphone's otherwise impressive looks.
The 5MP selfie camera produced average photos. The 3,000mAh battery without the fast-charging support is also not that great.
Conclusion: LG has ticked the right boxes with Q6 in the mid-segment. The affordable phone has an impressive "FullVision" display and a decent camera. The company has taken a right step towards innovation and we expect the Chinese handset makers take a cue from it.