LG’s new G7 ThinQ comes with AI and an iPhone-style notch

LG has unveiled its new flagship phone, the artificial intelligence-powered G7 ThinQ, which has machine learning capabilities built into the camera to help improve photo-taking.

LG finds itself trying to compete is an ever more crowded phone market, with the likes of Huawei and OnePlus offering premium-level alternatives to the smartphone status quo of Apple, Samsung and Google.

In an attempt to offer a viable alternative, LG has integrated Google’s new Google Lens technology – object recognition software that can identify objects the camera is pointed at and provide information about them.

The feature is built into Google Assistant, the tech giant’s virtual assistant that also has its own dedicated button on the side of the G7, with the Assistant also controllable using voice commands.

The new G7 also has a new “upgraded” camera system, the company says.

There are dual 16 megapixel lens on the rear camera as well as an eight megapixel sensor on the front of the device. The camera system also contains another layer of artificial intelligence called AI Cam, which first appeared in the LG V30S ThinQ earlier this year.

The feature uses scene recognition to identify the scene being captured by the camera and recommends settings to get the most from the image.

New software built into what LG calls the Super Bright Camera also improves low-light photography by using software processing to increase the brightness of darker photos.

Other flagship phones launched this year – most notably the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Huawei P20 Pro have also focused on improving low-light photography, but boosted their physical camera hardware to let in more light for photography rather than relying on software after effects.

LG president Hwang Jeong-hwan said: “The LG G7 ThinQ is strongly focused on the fundamentals and its launch marks a new chapter for our company.

“Through the combination of personalised and useful AI functionalities with meaningful smartphone features, this is LG’s most convenient smartphone yet.”

However, LG is yet to confirm price or on-sale date for the new phone.