The LG G7 ThinQ is a new flagship for 2018 that will compete with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S9, Google's Pixel devices and Huawei's P20 handsets.

The G7 ThinQ succeeds the LG G6 that launched in February 2017 with its 18:9 ratio display, one of the first phones to make this shift, while also making improvements on the LG V30, which followed the G6 in August 2017.

Here's how the LG V30 and LG G6 compare to the latest LG G7 ThinQ.

LG G7 ThinQ vs LG V30 vs LG G6: Design

  • G7 ThinQ reduces bezels with a notch design
  • All feature aluminium core with glass front and rear
  • All IP68 waterproof

The LG G6 features a glass and metal design, offering rounded corners, very slim bezels around the display and a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor underneath the dual-lens rear camera setup. It measures 148.9 x 71.9 x 7.9mm, weighs 168g and it features an IP68 water and dust resistance rating.

The LG V30 moves to a slimmer design; it's a larger phone than the G6, but looks and feels better overall, with a more accomplished design. It measures 151.7 x 75.4 x 7.4mm and weighs 158g.

The LG G7 is closer in design to the LG V30, further reducing display bezels. The big change this time around is the display notch at the top. Aside from this, the LG G7 sticks with an aluminium core with glass front and rear again.

It measures 153.2 x 71.9 x 7.9mm and weighs 162g, making it taller than the V30 but the same width as the G6. That's what the notch brings - better use of space and a larger display.

All three devices offer IP68 water protection and drop protection and they all offer a 3.5mm headphone socket.

LG G7 ThinQ vs LG V30 vs LG G6: Display

  • LG G6: 5.7-inch 18:9 LCD 2880 x 1440 pixels
  • LG V30: 6.0-inch 18:9 OLED 2880 x 1440 pixels
  • LG G7: 6.1-inch 19.5:9 MLCD+ 3120 x 1440 pixels

The LG G6 was significant for the move it made with its display. It offers a 5.7-inch IPS LCD screen with a Quad HD+ resolution for a pixel density of 564ppi. It has mobile HDR on board, which supports both HDR 10 and Dolby Vision and it also offers an ultra-wide aspect ratio of 18:9 - the first phone to do so in 2017.

The LG G7 ThinQ adds a notch to this arrangement, reducing the top bezel even more; the LG V30 had tiny bezels, but the G7 gives more space to the display, especially at the top.

The LG G6 was LCD, but the V30 was OLED - and not the best OLED on the market. LG uses a Super Bright MLCD+ panel for the LG G7, with the size pushing up slightly to 6.1-inches on the diagonal with a 19.5:9 aspect and 3120 x 1440 pixel resolution. It is brighter than previous devices with a peak brightness of 1,000 nits access through a Super Bright mode.

All three devices offer HDR support.

LG G7 ThinQ vs LG V30 vs LG G6: Cameras

  • LG G6: Dual 13-megapixel rear cameras, ultra-wide angle
  • LG V30: Dual 13 and 16-megapixel camera, ultra-wide angle
  • LG G7: Dual 16-megapixel rear camera, ultra-wide angle

The LG G6 has a dual-lens rear camera with two 13-megapixel sensors, one of which has a 125-degree wide angle lens. The LG V30 has 16 and 13 megapixel cameras on the rear, again offering wide angle.

The LG G7 carries a pair of 16-megapixel cameras on the rear, retaining the ability to take wide-angle photos, although it's now only 107 degrees. The focus now is on low light performance, with pixel combining to give better results in darker conditions thanks to the Super Bright Camera. That works too, although the trade-off is a loss of photo size as pixels are combined.

The LG G7 ThinQ also has the camera boosted by AI skills. This was something that LG introduced on the LG V30S ThinQ edition, so that won't come as a surprise. IA Cam will detect and select the best settings, although it can be a little unnatural when you look at the final results.

In terms of the front camera, there is a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with an aperture of f/2.2 and a 100-degree wide-angle lens on the LG G6, while the LG G7 offers a bump to 8-megapixels.

One of the strengths of the LG G7 is its portrait mode, available on both the front and back cameras.

LG G7 ThinQ vs LG V30 vs LG G6: Hardware

  • LG G6: Snapdragon 821, 4GB RAM, 32GB storage + microSD, 3300mAh
  • LG V30: Snapdragon 835, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage + microSD, 3300mAh
  • LG G7 ThinQ: Snapdragon 845, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage + microSD, 3000mAh

The LG G6 launched with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 chipset, supported by 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, with microSD support. There was a 3300mAh battery running the show, which is charged via USB Type-C with support for Quick Charge 3.0.

The LG G6 aged very quickly in 2017 because it launched on older hardware, rather than Snapdragon 835 - which sits at the heart of the LG V30 - making it a much more powerful device, with increased standard storage.

The LG G7 ThinQ has Snapdragon 845, which is two generations ahead of the LG G6, so is significantly faster and better performing, although only incrementally better than the LG V30. The RAM sticks at 4GB and microSD is available yet again to expand over 64GB of storage.

The G7 does see a slight reduction in battery capacity though, moving to 3000mAh from the 3300mAh found on the G6 and V30, but as expected, fast charging is included. Battery life isn't outstanding on the G7, but its not cripplingly short either. 

LG G7 ThinQ vs LG V30 vs LG G6: Software

  • ThinQ AI with Google Assistant button
  • Android Oreo
  • Updates confirmed for future devices

The LG G6 launched on Android Nougat with LG's UX 6.0 software over the top; the V30 also launched with Nougat. LG hasn't been hugely speedy with software updates on the 2017 devices, but has promised to give it more focus.

LG has already revealed that there's a greater emphasis on AI in new devices - another big trend of recent phones - and indicated by the ThinQ branding.

The LG G7 ThinQ launches with Android Oreo and there is a dedicated hardware button to launch Google Assistant or Google Lens. Otherwise the LG G7 reskins Android adding some additional software features, some of which don't add much to the experience.

LG G7 ThinQ vs LG V30 vs LG G6: Price

 
  • LG G6: £459.99
  • LG V30: £599.99
  • LG G7 ThinQ: £599.99

One of the appealing things about LG's phones is that they are often a little cheaper than some of the rivals. For the LG G6 you got a lot of phone for your money, but with older hardware, it's less attractive than the LG V30 now is, for example.

But the LG G7 ThinQ comes in at £599 - the same price as the LG V30. Of the two phones, the newer LG G7 is the better handset, making the Lg V30 look a little more expensive than it needs to be.

LG G7 ThinQ vs LG V30 vs LG G6: Conclusions

The LG G6 launched with a bang, but quickly fizzled as the hardware aged and other models launched that offered similar large display, but with more power. The V30 addressed a lot of these issues and is a phone that's endured better - and the V30 is still an attractive phone: it has power, a great design and that OLED display.

The LG G7 ThinQ carries more of the LG V30 than it does the older G6 and growing in size it's difficult to see how the G and V series will co exist. However, wide-angle camera, lots of power and the great LCD display are what the LG G7 ThinQ offers and all at an attractive price.

Of the three LG phones it's clear that the LG G7 ThinQ now has the most to offer, but the smaller battery, some questionable software and a design that's very safe sees this phone struggle alongside some rival devices.