I’ve always had a soft spot for LG smartphones. Whether it was the LG Chocolate in the mid-2000s or the LG Wing, I loved that the company wasn’t afraid to try different designs.
However, the company’s devices never gained the traction required to keep going, and it was a sad day when LG announced it would no longer produce smartphones.
We need more smartphone competition in the US, not less, and it’s disappointing (although not unsurprising) that the marketplace didn’t reward LG for doing things differently.
I recently had the chance to pop a SIM back into the LG G7 to see what it had left in 2025, and you’ll be surprised by the result.
It doesn’t feel ancient
The LG G7 is still premium
The LG G7 may have come out in 2018, but it feels like a 2025 flagship. It features Gorilla Glass 5 on both the front and back, with an aluminum frame.
I’ve been a fan of LG’s Raspberry Rose color since I saw it on the LG V30, so I had to have it on my G7. It’s gorgeous, and I love the way it looks when the sunlight hits the back glass.
It’s a sturdy device with an IP68 rating, and it reminds me how much I appreciate compact flagship smartphones with only a 6.1-inch display.
It was refreshing to use a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor again. Ultrasonic readers in today’s smartphones have gotten better, but I still prefer a fingerprint reader on the back of my smartphones.
However, there are a couple of other design elements that date the G7.
The LG G7 is a 7.9mm device with wireless charging, so I don’t know the argument that companies can’t fit in a headphone jack.
It features a notch in the display, a trend popularized by the iPhone X from the previous year. It also has a slight chin at the bottom of the display, but that’s not something that bothers me.
It was refreshing to regain a couple of legacy features by reverting to the LG G7. It includes a microSD card slot for expandable storage and a 3.5mm headphone jack — more on that later.
The LG G7 only sports an IPS LCD, but it does the job in 2025. It’s not as color-accurate as today’s OLED panels, but I still found it to be bright and vibrant.
It also features a notification LED, a feature I wish would return to modern smartphones.
Performance isn’t terrible at all
The Snapdragon 845 aged well
I didn’t know what to expect after I loaded up all my favorite apps on the LG G7. My Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is still usable, and the G7 is powered by the same Snapdragon 845 chipset.
I was pleasantly surprised by how smoothly everything ran. You can tell you’re on a flagship from seven years ago, but nothing was unusable.
Threads and Instagram scrolls were no issue, and hitting a few stops in Pokémon Go was a pleasant experience.
Depending on the storage variant you selected, your G7 comes with either 4 or 6GB of RAM. My 64GB storage model is limited to 4GB, which thankfully wasn’t a huge problem on Android 10.
I was able to set up my favorite widgets, and work tasks were handled easily — sending a message in Slack wasn’t an issue.
I did notice a few glitches when apps would close out, but I remember those being a part of the LG software experience when the phones were new.
Unfortunately, LG wasn’t fantastic at updating its devices. I’ve had devices from the company that only got two major Android upgrades, and if you were lucky, you got three.
Thankfully, the LG G7 was left on Android 10, so I at least got to use gesture navigation.
It last received a security patch in September 2020, so it might not be best for your financial apps, but otherwise, I didn’t feel limited.
I got to enjoy my favorite LG feature again
The audio is outstanding
Anyone who is okay with 3.5mm headphone jacks disappearing on smartphones has never used the Quad DAC on an LG device.
The audio is absolutely outstanding, and plugging in my headphones and enjoying my favorite songs brought me back.
The LG G7 is a 7.9mm device with wireless charging, so I don’t buy the argument that companies can’t fit in a headphone jack. More people would use it if you made it something special, and LG absolutely did that with the Quad DAC.
I didn’t expect much from the LG G7’s 3,000mAh battery, but it wasn’t awful. If I were careful, I could stretch four hours of screen-on time, but this will vary depending on battery health and usage.
If you want to rock a G7 in 2025, consider bringing a portable power bank with you.
Not as bad as I thought it would be
I love revisiting older phones and seeing how much value they still hold.
I wouldn’t recommend running out to pick up an LG G7 in 2025, but if you have one sitting around in a drawer, it’ll do the job in a pinch.
It’s always helpful to have a backup phone around, and it’s excellent to see the LG G7 is still viable — especially if I get to listen to Amy Grant songs in such high-quality audio.
