MANILA, Philippines – LG’s tall-looking G6 made its first public appearance in the Philippines on Tuesday, April 18, at an event held at the SM Megamall Fashion Hall. 

The brand invited several personalities to endorse the features of the new flagship.

Spongecola vocalist Yael Yuzon likened the G6’s audio output to that of a vinyl player. The G6 makes use of a digital-to-analog converter (known officially as Hi-Fi Quad DAC) designed to make music more organic-sounding. It’s been seen on older LG phones but is rare in models from other brands.

“The raunchiness of the guitar is there,” Yuzon said. (Read: LG G6 in PH stores on April 29 for P37,990)

JP Habac, the director of I’m Drunk, I Love You, praised the phone’s Dolby Vision technology and support for HDR 10 – two technologies which broaden the color spectrum achievable by its display.

A publisher at lifestyle website Spot.ph, Owen Maddela, demonstrated the G6 camera’s “Food Mode”, which optimizes the camera for food photography. Showing some sample photos, images taken using the said mode appear to enhance the saturation of the subject, seemingly livening it up a little bit. 

The camera also has a wide-angle mode for both the front and rear cameras that has some use when taking group photos – a feature that’s slowly finding its way into more and more phones. 

Blogger Janeena Chan demonstrated the feature along with the “Square Camera Mode” that divides the screen into two squares, which can then be combined as one – a cute feature for those feeling a little creative. 

S8 comparisons

Design-wise, its most readily discernible feature is its screen’s 18:9 aspect ratio – a design choice that makes it relatively easy to grip in spite of the 5.7-inch screen. Most phones today have a 16:9 aspect ratio. A 5.7-incher with this aspect ratio can sometimes be a problem to hold securely. (Read: LG reveals near bezel-free G6 in Mobile World Congress invite)

The said spec is the reason why some are directly comparing the G6 with the Samsung Galaxy S8 which possesses an 18.5:9 aspect ratio. LG calls its screen the “FullVision” display while the S8’s is called the “Infinity Display.” (Read: Samsung Galaxy S8 arrives in PH on May 5)

Asked about the G6’s aspect ratio similarity with the Samsung flagship, LG Philippines’ product manager for mobile, Faith Mijares, said the latter has its con. In her own assessment, the notifications accessible on the side of the S8 – which is known for it borderless sides – can sometimes be pressed accidentally. She said that this could be “very inconvenient.”

The product manager also said that the G6 is doing well in Korea, and they hope to replicate that kind of reception in the Philippines. “In terms of quantity sold, it has surpassed or is on the same level as our competitor’s pre-orders,” revealed Mijares.

The G6 also has IP68 water and dust resistance, still the highest rating available for phones and which means it can be dunked in freshwater for 30 minutes at a max depth of 1.5 meters.

The G6 will be in stores on April 29, 2017 for P37,990. Available colors are “Astro Black”, “Ice Platinum”, and “Mystic White.” Pre-orders are from April 17 to 30, 2017. Those who pre-order will receive an LG G6 case, LG Tone Infinim headset, and a one-year extended warranty. – Rappler.com