LG G7 –  Battery life

The spec that stood out the most on the G7’s unveiling was its battery size. A 3000mAh cell in a phone with a 1000-nit, quad-HD+ 6.1-inch display was never going to end well. Well, it actually fared better than I’d anticipated – but remains disappointing nonetheless.

It was hard to make it through the whole day without the phone requiring a top-up at some point; the G7 often managed less than 4 hours of actual screen-on time. Even the OnePlus 6, which I also found to be lacking in the battery department, managed around 5 hours. An hour of HD Netflix consumed 15%, while an hour of Spotify with the DAC turned on took off 19%.

There’s support for both types of wireless charging – Qi and PMA – along with fast charging too. That smaller battery does means that the G7 can get up to full power pretty quickly when using the supplied cable and plug.

Why buy the LG G7

Trying to come to a final judgement about the LG G7 has been difficult. The phone excels in certain areas – the spectacular screen and fantastic audio through the headphone jack – but then disappoints in others with terrible AI features, LG’s poor Android software and a dull design.

It feels like a device that could easily be the phone to buy in 2018 if LG had spent a bit more time finessing the product.

In the UK at least it does have price on its side: £599 SIM-free is noticeably cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy S9. However, the OnePlus 6 is £150 cheaper and is better in every area excluding the display. In the US you’ll be paying $750, which is certainly less enticing when compared to the competition.

Verdict

Close to greatness in parts, the LG G7 feels like it needed a bit more time on the drawing board.

Trusted Score