LG is upgrading its midrange offering with the new Q7 series.
The lineup is made up of three models: Q7, Q7a, and Q7+. Across the board, the trio have the same display, battery, and OS, with a few differences in memory and camera specs, to name two.
Going by their datasheets, they'll likely make a splash among the current crop of midrange Android phones of 2018.
The Q7 Family
Arguably one of the best things the phones have got going for them is their display. It's a 5.5-inch screen with an FHD+ resolution (2,160 x 1,080) and an 18:9 aspect ratio, delivering a density of 442 ppi.
In the case of the processor, there's a 1.5 GHz Octa-Core configuration and a 1.8 GHz Octa-Core one. While they're unnamed, it's safe to assume that they're Snapdragon chipsets. As evidence to that, the phones feature Qualcomm's Fast Charge technology, which lets them charge up to 50 percent in just 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, the Q7 and Q7a both come with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of native storage. The Q7+ takes one step further with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of built-in storage. All their capacities are expandable by up to 2 TB via a microSD card.
Another factor that makes them stand out from one another is the camera. As expected, the Q7+ comes out on top in this one too, sporting a 16-megapixel rear camera with PDAF. The other two are equipped with a 13-megapixel snapper with PDAF on the back. On the front, it could be either an 8-megapixel sensor or a 5-megapixel one (Super Wide Angle), but that depends on the region. The Q7a is available only with the 5-megapixel configuration.
Interestingly enough, there's also the Smart Rear Key. It's a fingerprint sensor that doubles as a button that can capture screenshots, control the notification bar, and take photos.
All three of them run on Android 8.0 Oreo right off the bat, and they're all powered by a 3,000 mAh battery. Other specs worth mentioning are its Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, USB Type-C 2.0, and IP68 water and dust resistance rating. Adding to the list, there's the QLens feature, Hi-Fi audio, DTS:X 3D Surround Sound, Google Assistant, and, last but not least, a headphone jack.
Color options for the Q7 and Q7+ include Aurora Black, Moroccan Blue, and Lavender Violet. On the other hand, the Q7a comes only in Moroccan Blue.
Now LG talks up the Q7 family as having "premium features typically found in more expensive flagship smartphones." By that, the smartphone maker could be referring to its display, its level of resistance to dust and water, and its USB port.
The Bottom Line
Based on what's been revealed so far, LG's Q7, Q7a, and Q7+ are decent midrange smartphones. However, it's hard to say for sure since there's no word on what the processors are under the hood. If they follow the path of their predecessor, the Q6, which has a Snapdragon 435, then they could get a 400 series chip too. That might come across as bad news for some.
On top of that, pricing and availability have yet to be announced, so there's no way to get a good estimate of the phones' price-performance ratio at the moment.
