LG Q6 review: Plans | Pricing | Specs

Where to buy

Most smartphone manufacturers tend to strictly differentiate their budget and premium lines, with only the most costly phones grabbing premium design and features. LG's pitch for the LG Q6 is that it's essentially a smaller LG G6 for the more cost-centric buyer who wants a full-screen Android handset.

Design

• Face-filling 5.5-inch display is bright and crisp.
• Dual-SIM support is a nice bonus for those who maintain two different phone numbers.

• Read more on the LG Q6's design

  LG significantly shifted its design language with the LG G6, especially compared to the LG G5 that preceded it, and that design style has clearly been carried across to the cheaper and smaller Q6.

  The LG Q6 measures 142.5 x 69.3 x 8.1mm and has a carrying weight of just 149 grams, helped no doubt by the fact that where the G6 uses a full metal unibody design, the Q6 sports a sealed plastic body. This isn't as troublesome as it might sound, because while plastic is less durable and the Q6 isn't water resistant in any way, the use of plastic also serves to somewhat soften the G6's more industrial design notes.

  The Q6's star feature is its 5.5-inch 18:9 aspect ratio display, which LG refers to as "FullVision". Although it is also used in the G6, and is an aspect ratio Samsung has offered on its premium phones, including it in a budget handset is a definite first.

  Most budget phones tend to lean on just one or two factors to differentiate themselves, and the Q6 sells itself on the entertainment potential of that display. The 18:9 ratio does give it the somewhat unusual resolution of 2,160 x 1,080 pixels (p), which is sometimes problematic for some Android games apps. Still, it's a bright and crisp display screen for a phone at this price.

  One other factor to consider is that the Q6 is sold in Australia as a dual-SIM phone, so if you fancy some multi-SIM action, whether that's for global roaming or simply to keep your work and personal accounts separate, it could be a decent match for your needs.

Camera

• Photo quality is impressively high for a phone at this pricepoint.
• Focus is a little slower than average which can make in-motion shots difficult to capture.

• Read more on the LG Q6's camera

  LG had to cut corners somewhere on the Q6 in order to shave off so much of the G6's asking price. One area where it does so is with the camera, which dips down from the G6's generally great dual lens array, to a single rear 13-megapixel (MP) sensor, coupled with a wide-angle front 5MP lens.

  While it's not up to the class of its bigger sibling, and you wouldn't expect it to be, the LG Q6 is an entirely capable camera for a device at its pricepoint. Like the G6, it can manage square Instagram-style shots, or combine them into collages for specific photographic styles.

  We were surprised how capable the camera actually is, although there is one significant caveat. The LG Q6 has very slow focus, so it isn't well suited for action scenes. However, if you're happy to wait for it to focus, you can get some genuinely pleasant images. Low light is naturally not the Q6's friend, but in most situations and with a little patience you'll get some decent shots. Here are some sample photos taken directly from the LG Q6:

  

Performance

• Middle-of-the-road performance for a budget handset.
• LG's custom Android interface is relatively clean and light.

• Read more on the LG Q6's performance

  The other area where the Q6 cuts costs is in the internal construction of the phone. It uses Qualcomm's much cheaper Snapdragon 435 CPU with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of ROM. The Snapdragon 435 is built to a very specific budget, and it's a combination that hasn't seen much traction in the mainstream Australian market outside the Oppo A57.

  Again, this is to be expected for a budget phone, and when benchmarked the Q6 predictably delivered distinctly budget results. This isn't a fast phone by any stretch of the imagination, and that's borne out by its lacklustre benchmark results. Here's how it compared against a range of more affordable handsets in Geekbench 4's CPU test:

  Handset	Geekbench 4 CPU Single Core (higher is better)	Geekbench 4 CPU Multi Core (higher is better)
  Moto G5 Plus	842	4,180
  Samsung Galaxy A7	771	3,998
  Huawei GR5 2017	814	3,398
  Huawei Nova Plus	843	2,985
  Nokia 5	662	2,833
  Nokia 6	664	2,832
  Oppo A57	662	2,810
  Moto G5	630	2,605
  LG Q6	536	2,005
  Huawei Y5	679	1,909
  Nokia 3	552	1,527
  LG X Power	554	1,482
  Motorola Moto G Play	522	1,334

  The same story is true for 3D performance; the LG Q6 isn't the worst performer we've seen, but only just:

  Handset	3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited result
  Huawei Nova Plus	13,969
  Moto G5 Plus	13,753
  Samsung Galaxy A7	13,629
  Huawei GR5 2017	11,859
  Moto G5	9,532
  Oppo A57	9,516
  Nokia 5	9,483
  Nokia 6	9,435
  LG Q6	7,779
  Huawei Y5	5,921
  LG X Power	4,953
  Motorola Moto G Play	4,475
  Nokia 3	3,676

  The Q6 runs on Android 7.1.1 out of the box, which means you do get features such as the Google Assistant built in. An update to Android 8.0 ("Oreo") started rolling out in July 2018, which may help to slightly improve performance. It's never going to be a rocket of a handset, but it might get a little better with Google's more highly optimised operating system.

  LG's own Android UX overlay is naturally present, as are a small number of preinstalled apps. While LG's take is hardly an essential one in the vast world of Android apps, there's little here that's particularly troublesome in terms of eating up space or totally taking over the core Android experience.

  Ultimately, the LG Q6 isn't a fast Android device, and there are some that are a little more nimble at this pricepoint; it's very much middle of the road for performance in its price bracket.

Battery life

• The 3,000mAh battery delivers solid results comparable with other budget handsets.
• All-day battery life is well within its capabilities.

• Read more on the LG Q6's battery life

  The LG Q6 comes with a sealed 3,000mAh battery, which isn't exceptional for its class, but neither is it remarkably low. It's a middle-of-the-road inclusion that, rather predictably, gives middle-of-the-road battery life. Here's how the LG Q6 compared using Geekbench 3's older battery test:

  Handset	Geekbench 3 Battery Test Duration	Geekbench 3 Battery Score
  LG X Power	14:50:30	5,714
  Huawei Nova Plus	13:21:20	8,013
  Samsung Galaxy A7	12:40:30	7,603
  Huawei GR5 2017	11:33:50	6,938
  Motorola Moto G5 Plus	11:15:40	6,756
  Motorola Moto G Play	9:36:00	3,840
  LG Q6	8:44:40	3,498
  Nokia 5	8:42:30	5,044
  Nokia 6	8:19:10	4,833
  Huawei Y5	8:00:10	4,659
  Nokia 3	7:34:10	3,028
  Motorola Moto G5	6:32:50	3,833

Verdict

• Thanks to its striking FullVision display, the LG Q6 is a standout budget smartphone well worth considering.

• Read our full LG Q6 verdict

  Testing the Q6 was an interesting experience, simply because it is so very much a boiled-down LG G6, and that's not an approach you see from every Android vendor. It's not entirely fair to compare it to its larger and pricier sibling, although you can find the G6 selling rather cheaply from many online retailers. Depending on your needs, it could be worth spending a little more for the extra power.

  Within the budget space, the standout feature of the Q6 has to be that FullVision display; it's something you just don't find on any other phone in this price range. The camera won't knock you over with quality, but with a little patience you can definitely get workable shots.

  The combination of these features marks the LG Q6 as a phone worth considering if you're looking for a budget handset, alongside devices such as the Motorola G5 Plus, Nokia 5 or Oppo A57.

Pricing and availability

• Price: ~$250
• Where to buy: Amazon

Specifications

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