The green circle shows the Snapdragon 821 chip where the thermal paste is

The rumors were right: the new LG G6 uses a Snapdragon 821 and not a Snapdragon 835. The majority of potential buyers won’t pay that much attention to this, but savvier technophiles may wonder why LG did not integrate the latest Snapdragon 835 which was officially unveiled recently. There are multiple reasons, and here is our take based on some information gleaned from LG, and what we can gather elsewhere.

Schedule and volume availability

There’s no official data on this, but the only known phone to feature Snapdragon 835 slated to be released soon is the Galaxy S8 (~April). Other handset makers have told Ubergizmo that 835-based handsets were coming, but many won’t be available before the summer. It is likely that the production schedule of Snapdragon 835 could only satisfy Samsung’s needs, or that Samsung somehow got exclusive access to the chip for one quarter (3 months).

In any case, if LG had selected Snapdragon 821, the G6 product could have been delayed until the summer, just when the next V-Series handset (the LG V30?) would be scheduled to show up. This does not seem like such a good idea.

System Stability

When we discussed with the Korean team that worked on the LG G6, they pointed out that Snapdragon 821 has been around long enough that software is extremely stable and very optimized. Using Snapdragon 835 would require some “ramp up” time, and in the end, LG deemed that 821 was the platform that resonated most with the LG G6 theme of reliability and value because engineers  (from both Qualcomm and LG )had time to optimize all aspects of the phone.

As you may recall, LG is not afraid shy of using the latest and greatest and it was the first to integrate Snapdragon 810 with the LG G Flex 2. But that episode showed that having the latest SoC does not guarantee a commercial success for your product.

While Snapdragon 835 would provide a performance boost thanks to a more powerful hardware, Snapdragon 821 is now used close to its full potential. Like any other processor, it will take some time for engineers to fully exploit the new chip. If you look at game consoles, code optimizations keep coming, even years after their original release.

LG has worked on software optimizations, but it has also improved the G6 thermal management by adding heat pipes to the G6 design (heat pipes use tiny amount of water to draw heat during the evaporation of water). As a result, it claims that it got a 10% performance boost while reducing heat during peak loads, making performance more sustainable.

Value

Unconfirmed rumors place the price of a handset Snapdragon processor as high as $70, and it is just about certain that Snapdragon 821 will be more affordable than Snapdragon 835. Because the LG G6 wants to be a premium phone, without going into “specs war” territory (that also means “spending war”), using a Snapdragon 821 yields a better “bang for the buck,” potentially for both LG and LG customers. We will know more when prices will stabilize over the next few weeks and months, but there is a logic to it.

Of course, there are value “premium phones” with high-end processors, many Chinese companies have tried this. But to achieve that “top processor” check-mark, they need to make sacrifice something on industrial design, screen quality and camera performance. As a result, some have carved a niche for themselves, but none has achieved broad success (at the level LG wants it) with this strategy. That is because the processor choice does not allow those OEMs to differentiate sufficiently with something that resonates with customers.

Conclusion

Even though there are Snapdragon 821 optimizations, we still expect a Snapdragon 835 handset to outperform a Snapdragon 821 in benchmarks – by how much remains to be seen, and we will soon have an answer… For LG G6 lovers who wanted “the best” of everything, there’s a dilemma because we expect Snapdragon 835 to do particularly well in benchmarks.

For those who don’t use heavy apps or play 3D games, the difference won’t be as noticeable. Maybe there is a lost opportunity to connect to more advanced LTE networks that Snapdragon 835 has access to, thanks to its more advanced modem. However, those networks are not yet deployed for the majority of potential customers.

While Snapdragon 835 does bring significant advances, it is logical that, from a performance/value perspective, Snapdragon 821 is a choice that works, even though it won’t please everyone (what does?). Given the schedule and the overall positioning of LG G and V Series handsets, Snapdragon 835 will probably be in the LG V30.

LG Will get some criticism from pundits, but would a consumer backlash actually happen? LG’s product team has done its homework and thinks that this was the right strategy. We’ll see what the data says.

Why The LG G6 Uses Snapdragon 821 Instead of Snapdragon 835 , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

[MWC 2017] When Google launched the Pixel phones, they approached it with an interesting strategy that they have never done on Nexus devices, which is where they made certain features exclusive to the Pixel. One of those coveted features was Google Assistant, the new voice assistant software for Android.

The good news is that during LG’s presentation and announcement of the LG G6, Google also announced that Google Assistant will now be available to all Android devices running at least Android 6.0 or above. According to Google, “The Assistant is already available on Pixel, Google Home, Google Allo and Android Wear. Now we’re bringing it to even more people. Starting this week, the Google Assistant is coming to smartphones running Android 7.0 Nougat and Android 6.0 Marshmallow.”

As Google notes, this will be available to Android users starting this week, so if you are a non-Pixel owner looking to get your hands on the feature, you’ll want to keep an eye out for it. Google writes, “The Google Assistant will begin rolling out this week to English users in the U.S., followed by English in Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, as well as German speakers in Germany. We’ll continue to add more languages over the coming year.”

As to how you can get it on your phone, according to Google, “The Google Assistant will automatically come to eligible Android phones running Nougat and Marshmallow with Google Play Services.”

Google Assistant Now Available To All Android Devices , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

[MWC 2017] Earlier this month Huawei confirmed that they will be launching a new smartwatch at MWC 2017, and sure enough they have. Given that Huawei (along with other Android Wear OEMs) decided to not launch new smartwatches last year, we guess there are probably quite a few customers who might be eager to make the upgrade.

Huawei has announced not just one, but two devices in the form of the Huawei Watch 2 and the Watch 2 Classic. Both devices pretty much pack the same hardware specs under the hood, so in reality the main difference in either watch would be the design, and what occasion they might be more suited for.

With the Watch 2, Huawei has created it to be a more sporty version of the smartwatch and it will feature a thermoplastic body and interchangeable bands. As for the Classic, this will feature a stainless steel body and interchangeable leather bands, so if you want a smartwatch that’s more suitable for the gym, the Watch 2 is the answer, while the Watch 2 Classic will be more suited for day-to-day use or even at formal events.

As for hardware, we’re looking at a 1.2-inch AMOLED 390×390 display. Both devices are water and dust resistant and have an IP68 rating. Both models will support 4G connectivity thanks to a tiny SIM card try at the bottom of the watch. They will also come equipped with a variety of sensors, 4GB of storage (about 2.3GB that’s usable), 768MB of RAM, and a 420mAh battery that will last up to a maximum of 3 days.

Huawei Watch 2, Watch 2 Classic Announced At MWC 2017 , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

 HMD is holding a press conference at MWC in Barcelona to showcase some of its first Nokia-branded phones. The conference starts at 4:30 PM CET (3:30 PM GMT, 10:30 AM EST). Get ready for the Nokia 3 and Nokia 5, two new smartphones under the Nokia brand. But, let’s be honest, I’m more excited about the Nokia 3310. Rumor has it that HMD is going to reboot the legendary device and sell… Read More

[MWC 2017] So the LG G6 has just been announced and it does pack some pretty amazing hardware specs, not to mention a rather unique design feature in the form of its 18:9 display, which we’re sure will probably take some getting used to. However LG believes this will become a popular ratio in the future.

The company believes that this will be ideal for watching videos, surfing the web, and especially playing games. So much so that they have also announced that to prove to customers that the LG G6 will be great for gaming, they have offered LG G6 owners $200 worth on in-game purchases.

Dubbed the “G6 Game Collection”, basically this is where six games have been bundled onto the LG G6 which includes Temple Run 2, Spider-Man Unlimited, Crossy Road, SimCity BuildIt, Cookie Jam and Genies & Gems. According to LG, as a promotion they’ll be offering $200 worth of in-game content for these six games.

This means that if you’re someone who invests a lot in in-game purchases, you’ll be able to save yourself some money, but that’s only if you play any of these games. It does seem a bit limiting but hey, free games and free in-game content, why not?

LG G6 Owners To Get $200 Worth Of In-Game Purchases , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.