LG G7 ThinQ vs Huawei P20 Pro: the weigh-in

LG G7 ThinQ vs Huawei P20 Pro: the weigh-in

Huawei’s P20 Pro might be the surprise new mayor of Smartphone City but the last thing the triple-camera wonder can afford to do is get complacent. Why? Because there are phones like LG’s G7 ThinQ out there trying their very best to topple it. With its similarly iPhone X-esque notched design and bags of power, does the LG have what it takes to cut Huawei’s reign short? Here’s how the battle is shaping up.

Design: Two of a kind

At a glance, it would be easy to confuse these phones. Both cut down on bezel to maximise the screen’s impact, but the P20’s fingerprint sensor is underneath it, while the G7’s is round the back. While the rest of the LG is a bit on the plain side, if you get the Huawei in its fabulous gradient Twilight finish, you’ll get a visual perk that no other phone can quite match.

Screen: Notches all around

Both phones have 6.1in screens with notches cut out of the top, although they have settings that allow you to hide them by adding black bars either side. The P20 Pro opts for an OLED panel, with strong contrast and deep black levels, but at 1080 it’s at a lower resolution than many flagship phones today. The LG’s 1440p screen should be sharper but it’s an LCD instead of an OLED. That said, a “Super Bright” mode should ensure that it stays incredible bright even in tough viewing scenarios.

Camera: Triple or double?

With its triple-camera setup (8MP telephoto, 20MP monochrome and 40MP RGB) the Huawei P20 Pro takes even better snaps than the Google Pixel 2, although you might want to turn off the AI assist, which has a tendency to blow the colours out in certain circumstances. The LG is a more common dual-cam offering, with standard (f/1.6) and wide-angle (f/1.9) lenses and a pair of 16MP sensors, while an 8MP front-facing snapper takes care of your selfies.

Performance: No slowdown here

The P20 Pro packs in 6GB of RAM and Huawei’s own Kirin 970 chip. That chip’s been used in phones for several months now, but it’s still near the top of the pack in terms of raw processing power. On the other hand, the LG uses the newer Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, which has scored higher in some benchmarks but shouldn’t show any noticeable difference in day-to-day usage. It has 4GB of RAM by default, although some countries will get 6GB, but even the lower spec should keep things running smoothly.

Battery and perks: Big differences

With a smaller 3000mAh battery and a higher-resolution screen to power, the LG might struggle for juice compared to the P20 Pro, although at least it has wireless charging. The Huawei also has more internal storage by default but it’s not expandable like the G7 ThinQ’s is. The LG also has a dedicated Google Assistant button, far-field microphones and some new commands that you won’t find on other phones, plus it’s one of the few new phones to keep the 3.5mm headphone port. You won’t get one of those on the Huawei.

Initial verdict: LG has a tough battle

The Huawei is an excellent all-rounder with the best smartphone camera on the planet, which means the lack of a real standout feature might mean the LG G7 ThinQ struggles to compete. The added Google Assistant stuff sounds great and overall it seems like there will be a lot to like about the handset, but we’re not yet convinced that it can topple the likes of the P20 Pro or Samsung Galaxy S9.