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The LG G6 will officially use the Snapdragon 821 instead of the 835, and it's a brilliant move

By Joe M.

Updated: Feb 10, 2017, 7:16 PM

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LG Android

The LG G6 will officially use the Snapdragon 821 instead of the 835, and it's a brilliant move

LG's G6 flagship smartphone is expected to be officially unveiled later this month on February 26, and all signs are pointing to a very interesting piece of tech. LG is expected to ditch the modular design of 2016's G5 in favor of a more traditional approach with a near bezel-less display. Other expected features include the likes of a dual-camera setup and LG's own mobile payment system, but one aspect of the phone that's been up for a bit of debate is the processor that will be powering it.

Samsung is mass-producing the Snapdragon 835 processor for Qualcomm this time around, and because of this partnership, we've heard reports indicating that Samsung will be hogging the 835 for its upcoming Galaxy S8 handset that's expected to debut a few weeks after the G6. Some parties have been holding out hope the these rumors would turn out to be false and that the G6 would, in fact, get the latest and greatest from Qualcomm, but this has just been confirmed to not be the case. Likely to the dismay of many of our readers, LG's G6 will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor.

This confirmation comes by way of a photo that was taken at CES 2017 of a confidential LG presentation slide (see above), but while the 821 is no slouch, why would LG decide to outfit its main flagship smartphone with a piece of silicon from last year? The answer is actually quite interesting. Based off of Samsung's anticipated sales for the Galaxy S8 during its first few weeks of availability, any OEM that wants to equip its handset with the Snapdragon 835 will have to wait to release it around either late May or early June. So, if LG wanted to hold out and equip the G6 with the 835, they'd have to wait to release its phone weeks after the Galaxy S8 has been out in the wild. Some consumers may have been willing to wait a couple more months for the G6's release if it meant getting the latest and greatest from Qualcomm, but from a business perspective, opting for the 821 was a very smart move on LG's part.

Ditching the Snapdragon 835 for the 821 is a brilliant move on LG's part

Most consumers aren't overly concerned with what processor is powering their phone, as all they care about is whether or not their device is fast for sending out Tweets and Snaps. The Snapdragon 821 is still a very capable piece of silicon, and by not waiting around for the 835 to be available and out of the clutches of Samsung, LG has secured a nice head start over old Sammy. The LG G6 is expected to be available for purchase as early as March after it's announcement on February 26, and if all of this lines up the way we're anticipating, that means the G6 will have about six weeks or so of market availability ahead of the Galaxy S8 over in South Korea - arguably the biggest and most important area for both companies.

In addition to the confirmation of the Snapdragon 821, the leaked photo also reveals that the LG G6 will feature a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, dust and water-resistance, a quad DAC, and that its display will be named "Full Vision." The G6 may be launching with a slightly less powerful chipset as compared to the Galaxy S8, but that's not nearly enough to knock the device off of our watchlist. The G6 is still one of the most anticipated phones of 2017, and if releasing its phone a few weeks ahead of Samsung can give the company an edge in sales over the S8, LG may be looking at the head start it needs to beat out one of its fiercest opponents.

source: SemiAccurate via GSMArena

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Joe Maring, a reviewer and tech news writer at PhoneArena, specializes in thorough analyses and updates on cutting-edge mobile technology, helping readers stay informed about the latest trends and product features in the rapidly evolving smartphone market.