The release of LG's next flagship smartphone, the G7, has been reportedly postponed to undergo a major design overhaul. Now, there are clear signs that the handset is ready to be announced, as leaked photos of the gadget has been recently published. Going by its new name, LG G7 ThinQ, the premium device is revealed to have a dedictaed AI button, as well as the controversial notch display.
Tech Radar was able to obtain the exclusive first look photos of the LG G7 ThinQ. The images show the flagship handset still covered in packaging plastic, although the main features and deisgn of the G7 ThinQ are still visible. The most noticeable change in the new G series device is the notch, which is akin to the signature display feature of Apple's iPhone X. The LG G7 ThinQ notch is seen to have the notification LED indicator and the front-positioned camera.
Some people have issues with Android smartphones jumping on the bandwagon of the iPhone X-like notch. While having a notch display offers an extra space for the notification icons, some prefer the notch to be concealable. As for the LG G7 ThinQ, there are no hints if the users will get the option to hide the notch, similar to the Huawei P20 and OnePlus 6 feature.
Another highlight of the LG G7 ThinQ leaked photos is the button displayed on the left side of the almost bezel-less display. This button is believed to be dedicated for the smartphone's AI functions, which were first introduced by the LG V30S ThinQ at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 last February.
The Verge compared the LG G7 ThinQ's dedicated AI button with the Samsung Galaxy's Bixby button. However, this new button will not call for a voice assistant. Istead, it will prompt the AI camera features already existing in the V30S ThinQ. This shared feature between the two devices could also be the reason for LG to add the ThinQ moniker to the G7 smartphone.
There are also screengrabs of the LG G7 ThinQ's specs, showing that the smartphone will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. While this is consistent with the memory capacity of recent premium handsets, the G7 ThinQ is likely to be outclassed by other upcoming flagships such as the OnePlus 6 and Samsung Galaxy Note 9, which are expected to come with a whopping 256GB built-in storage space and 8GB of RAM.
The LG G7 ThinQ is expected to be announced in late April, with the smartphone units hitting the market in May.
