At their launch event here in Sydney today, LG has officially unveiled the LG G6 in Australia, announcing retail and carrier availability.
Availability
First up, at this stage the only retail availability is through Telstra who also have the carrier availability. Telstra will happily sell you an unlocked LG G6 outright for $1,008, or if you want, on a plan. LG is still talking to retailers about making the phone available through this channel, but we have no details on who they are in talks with or when that will happen.
LG is not bringing the wireless charging model to Australia in either the retail or carrier channels, for those looking for the Quad-DAC HiFi model LG has said they are looking to see if they can bring this model to market through retail channel only. The Telstra model doesn’t have the Quad-DAC Hifi sound either, so if you’re really looking at this to sway you to purchase then you’ll have to wait and see if LG can bring this model to retail.
Telstra
As was previously announced, the LG G6 is available exclusively through Telstra. Telstra is offering the G6 in Ice Platinum (Silver) or Astro Black on a range of plans starting at $55 per month with a $27 handset repayment ($82 per month in total), which includes 1GB of data, unlimited talk and text and $550 worth of call credits.
But of course there’s a range of plans, and inclusions you can add on. Telstra and LG have partnered on a bonus for early G6 customers on Telstras $95 per month plan that also has a $6 handset repayment ($101 per month over 24 months) which includes an LG FullHD resolution (43LH600T) LED LCD TV.
Full Plan options:
| S | M | L | XL | XXL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Included Data | 1GB | 3GB | 8GB | 20GB | 30GB |
| Included Talk, TXT, MMS | $550 Talk Unlimited SMS/MMS to Standard Australian Numbers |
Unlimited to Standard Australian Numbers | |||
| International Calls, TXT, MMS | N/A | N/A | Unlimited from Australia to 10 selected countries. | ||
| Plan Cost | $55 | $75 | $95 | $135 | $195 |
| Handset Repayment | $27 | $16 | $6 | $0 | $0 |
| Total per month (over 24 months) | $82 | $91 | $101 | $135 | $195 |
Phone
Announced back at Mobile World Congress, the LG G6 is their latest flagship level phone. After experimenting with a modular design with the G5, LG has returned to a premium all-in-one body with the G6 made of aluminium and glass. It’s comfortable to hold, and has a thinner body with an 18:9 aspect ratio making it easier to hold and operate.
Despite the glass, the G6 is more durable with a design that LG says makes it less susceptible to damage from drops. It’s also water and dust resistant with the phone carrying an IP68 rating. It’s a simple thing, but water resistance is definitely a welcome change.
The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 SoC and comes with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, but that’s bolstered by the inclusion of a microSD card slot with support for cards up to 2TB in size. The processor is a hardy one, currently powering a number of flagships from last year and should handle the day to day running of a smartphone without much issue.
LG has gone wide-angle with their cameras again this year with a dual rear-camera setup offering a 13MP Wide (125°) angle f/2.4 aperture alongside a standard 13MP sensor with f/1.8 aperture. Those dual cameras sit almost flush on the rear with a virtually non existent camera bump. A 5MP front-facing camera completes the setup, and event that gets a 100° field of view to allow for those ‘Groufies’.
LG has released the G6 with Android 7.0 (Nougat), which includes the Google Assistant but also included their own LG UX 6.0. LG UX hasn’t been our favourite in the past, but like most of the OEM skins these days it’s getting better, just how much better we’ll have to find out.
Full Specs:
| Key Specifications: | LG G6 |
|---|---|
| Release date | February 2017 |
| Screen size | 5.7-inch |
| Screen technology | LCD |
| Resolution | 2,880 x 1,440 |
| PPI | 564 |
| Rear camera | 13MP Wide (125°) + 13MP Standard (71°) |
| Front camera | 5MP |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 821 |
| Core config | - |
| RAM | 4GB |
| Storage |
|
| MicroSD | Yes, up to 2TB |
| Battery | 3,300 mAh |
| Battery removable | — |
| Connector | USB C |
| Headphone Port | Yes |
| Headphone Location | Bottom |
| Speaker Configuration | Bottom |
| NFC | Yes |
| Android OS | Android 7 Nougat |
| Vendor skin | LG UX 6.0 |
| Dimensions | 148.9 x 71.9 x 7.9mm |
| Weight | 163g |
| Colours |
|
Want to put your order in for an LG G6 on Telstra? Head over to the website and check it out.
Conclusion
We’ve got a retail unit of the LG G6 to review, and the honours for this one will be going to Scott, who will have it in his hands shortly. A full review will be forthcoming but we’ve already had some time with the LG G6 and you can check out our hands-on report here, as well as check out a shootout with the Google Pixel and Huawei P10 over here.
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I got thisbphone yesterday, and first impressions of only havingbit for a day is its a relly good phone. Like really good, lack of wireless is fine for me would have love the quad dac but when i plug my headphones in the audio is really clean and crisp if not better than my htc m9 was, the phone is fast no lag at all. The screen is incredibly amazing and youtube videos just dont show how great it is, camera is really good but thats comparing it to my m9. Front facing camera is a bit poor but.
Looks like the Asian market (Where I got my G4) is going to have no wireless charge but with Hi-Fi DAC and 64gb storage. (Qi USA versions seems to be just 32GB).
Why they don’t just release a phone with all options is a head scratcher to me. Production run of just one version would have to be cheaper surely?
BTW: Guys, check out the youtube of JerryRigEverthing on the G6 (If you haven’t already) and watch it get ripped apart 🙂
Can’t buy one outright, just tried at 2 Telstra stores. They have stock but only for customers on plans. I contacted LG directly, and they agree with this practice. LG couldn’t tell me when or where it will be available for outright purchase.
Was advised the same at a Telstra shop here in Perth; chatted online with Telstra and was told it won’t be available for outright purchase for some time.
Which store in Perth?
Subiaco
I have tried 2 so far in Melbourne who won’t sell it outright either
I got one outright from the Melbourne Bourke St store. I rang up and they said they’ll do it, got there and got told they won’t. Had to explain the phone call, and they found the person who said it (after checking with their manager), so I managed to get one but sounds like there is no guarantee. Good luck.
I`m checking in with Telstra and LG. Which stores?
Both Telstra stores in Southland Shopping Centre, Melbourne.
I also chatted with LG online, and they informed me that this is the case, and they don’t have a date on outright availability. This is through the LG Australia live chat.
So after a lengthy Telstra online chat, being passed between Sales and Prepaid teams, and eventually getting through to a manager, a Telstra representative confirmed that they will not sell the G6 outright online, or in store. The $1008 ad is for “customer reference” only. Pretty poor form on the advertising. It’d be worth chasing up, hopefully I’m wrong.
Telstra in Cat and Fiddle arcade Hobart city wouldn’t sell it outright either. Said, they were only doing plans at this stage as the phone had only just released. I didn’t ask at the big store in the Mall.
So we get the gimped variant with no wireless charging or quad DAC? Thanks LG, but no thanks.
$1000 is a huge ask for a phone only available outright through a carrier.
Will it have carrier branding firmware for this price?
It will come with Telstra 24×7 App installed on it, you will also be waiting for Telstra to check and approve updates.
That’s a fail then for those wanting it outright. An outright phone should be exactly that, outright and unbranded.
It’s a push when carriers inject their own tweaks to a ROM even on phones that they offer on plans, but an outright phone with a carrier branded ROM is no no.
This is probably LG’s fault at part, as they might have an exclusive with Telstra, or are struggling to find retailers to sell the phone.
Unfortunately Android vendors don’t have the might of Apple to give them a kick up the bum when it comes to this.
Cheers
Correction: The XXL Plan includes unlimited IDD calls to all countries, not just 10.
Let me see if I understand this. LG are not going to release the quad or Qi to the Australian market? If true, then they want to treat us as a second rate market, well then, excuse my French, they can get stuffed! Further, as a Telstra customer I WOULD NOT buy any LG6 unless it had at least one of those options!
It’s true, no ‘if’ about it. The Telstra version has no wireless charging or Quad DAC
Why would you need the quad dac so bad?
I’ve always been an audio purist, your phone is something you use everyday, the quad dac bought the opportunity to use the phone as a high end audio source so that your always listening to the best quality from your headphones.
For me it’s not about needing it so bad, it’s more about paying more for a device with less features compared to other markets.
i want wireless charging.
Most music and dacs and headphones sound the same to me,
So older processor, 32gb storage, no wireless charging and no quad dac. And still $1000?
I get it has the slim bezels, but I fail to see the draw for this phone?
What am I missing?
And before the preachers come out, I get the S8 will be $300 more, but at least you get all the bells whistles and kitchen sink.
Agree….it’s like they developed the slim bezel screen and said “that’ll do!”
Why buy this over a Samsung?
I was really interested in this phone. The lack of wireless charging didn’t worry me but the lack of the quad DAC, 32 gig’s storage and Telstra exclusivity kills it for me. I’ll see what the Samsung Galaxy S8 has to offer.
It’s not 18:9. It’s 2:1. If you can’t figure out how 16:9 relates to 2:1, then the primary school education system has failed you.
Hmm. That’s getting a little personal.
The spec sheets list 18:9 aspect ratio, I’m not stupid as you’ve outright accused me of. I’ve left it in to give an easier comparison spec when people look at things like a 16:9 aspect ratio on other devices.
Sorry mate. Actually didn’t mean “you” as in “the author of this article”. But I totally see how my comment reads now.
I meant the “you” as those of who cannot do such conversion is why LG is going for marketing this as 18:9 instead of 2:1.
18:9 is handy for quickly visualising how much taller it would be compared to a 16:9 display. By that analogy, Ultra-wide 21:9 monitors should be called 7:3 and 16:10 displays should be called 8:5…
It’s just a handy reference point to relate dimensions to each other.
It’s a real shame Telstra didn’t get the variant with a Quad DAC as I may have signed up for a plan. I guess I’ll wait and see what the other retailers offer first and then go grey market if I have to. This not including all features in all markets just doesn’t make sense to me.
We can rule out Vodafone getting the G6. They had so many issues with the g3 (bootloops and Mobo issues) they pretty much said never again.
boohoo – no quad DAC – that’s what i was hanging for, such a shame, is there any official reason for not offering this at all? What’s the DAC like in this bargain basement model?
1GB of data is a joke! I can’t beleive in this day and age that’s even an option.Absolute bare minimum of 5Gb – and even that’s pushing it.
Thanks to this thing called wifi I still get by with a 3gb plan and some months I probably only use just over 1gb of data.
If you want cheaper plans for your chosen amount of data usage, fine. We all want that but don’t attempt to force those who don’t need 5gb plans onto that as a minimum 😉
General phone sync uses 1gb of data min, and Then if ur spotify user u need min of 3gb. May be kids like u don’t use much.
WIFI isn’t available everywhere and for everyone. You must travel short distances between home and work and never go out much.
I bet if you had the data available you would use it. It’s only because you don’t that you probably go to great lengths to locate WIFI when possible.
In any case, to be a little more clear, I don’t intend for it cost more. I just belief that in this day and age that 5Gb should be the new 1Gb.
I commute for nearly 3 hours each day and have no problem accommodating my data needs in a 1GB plan. I’d prefer more for the same money but who on earth thinks that’s going to happen?
Good for you. 🙂