Kicking off MWC 2017, LG unveiled the G6, the first major flagship smartphone of 2017. The Korean company had a particularly terrible 2016 with the modular approach that it took with the G5 getting huge thumbs down from consumers.

This year, LG has decided not to experiment with its flagship handset for 2017. Instead, it has filled it to the brim with features and cutting-edge technology. The handset does use Qualcomm’s yesteryear Snapdragon 821 chipset, but don’t rule it out just on that basis. There is more to the G6 than its chipset. Here ar e5 things about the G6 that you probably don’t know, but should.

Read: LG G6 Hands On

No more boot loops

LG devices are known for suddenly bootlooping after a year or two of use. The issue has been affecting almost all flagship LG devices since the last three years and includes some of its popular devices like the V10, G4, G5, Nexus 5X, and V20. Most of the time, the issue occurs when the device is already out of warranty, and since LG does not officially acknowledge the problem, customers end up paying for the repair job out of their pocket.

Thanks to the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco last year, the whole of smartphone industry has taken a look at their QC/QA testing process and made it more stringent. LG too has laid great emphasis on the reliability of the components used in the G6 this time around. While there is no official confirmation from LG here and it’s too early to tell, be rest assured that the G6 will not suffer from any bootlooping issues like previous LG devices.

Bye Bye IR Blaster

Last year, the G5 was among the very few flagship handsets to feature an IR blaster. While not popular in the US and European market, IR blaster is incredibly handy to have on a smartphone. On previous LG devices with an IR blaster like the G5, G4, and V10, one could easily control all home appliances like TV, music player, etc. around them by using LG’s Quick Remote app.

However, with the G6, LG has given the IR blaster a boot. This means that you will not be able to use the phone to control other electronic appliances around you.

Google Assistant

Up until now, Google’s Pixel handsets were the only one in the market to ship with Google Assistant out of the box. That changes with the G6’s unveiling which now becomes the second handset in the market to offer Google Assistant. Google’s new personal assistant is not perfect, but with Google at the helm of things, its just a matter of time and a few updates before Assistant becomes a key factor for anyone buying an Android phone.

Until Google opens up Assistant to other Android devices, the G6 and Pixel will remain the only two devices to feature the company’s new smarter and more conversational assistant.

IP68 Certified

Not to miss out on the water-resistant trend that all flagship handsets this year will follow, LG has also ensured that the G6 features an IP68 certification. This means that the handset is dust-resistant and can also survive being dunked in 1.5m depth of water for up to 30mins without any issues. However, as is the case with water-resistant phones, LG’s standard 1-year warranty does not include any kind of water damage repairs. So, if you somehow still end up water damaging your G6, you will have to shell out money from your pocket to get it fixed.

Free Unlimited Storage Space on Google Photos

Like with the Google Pixel, LG is also offering free unlimited storage space on Google Photos with the G6. This means that any photo or video — even the ones recorded in 4K — that you upload to the service will not count against your existing quota of storage space on your Google account. This might not seem like a big deal but considering how good the rear shooter on the G6 is, you will automatically start clicking more photos with the handset. This will also let you delete photos from your G6 once they are backed up to the cloud thereby ensuring that you don’t run out of internal storage space on the device.

Bonus

Wireless Charging

The LG G6 variants sold in the United States will come with wirlewss charging built-in. However, the variant of the handset sold in Asia and other regions will give the technology a pass.

64GB Storage

While the US variants of the G6 will come with wireless charging, they will only come with a paltry 32GB of storage. In comparison, the Asian, Korean and CIS variants of the handset will come with a more standard 64GB of storage space.

So, while there is not much that can be done about the G6 coming with a Snapdragon 821 chipset, it is still a fine handset by all means that packs some impressive piece of technology. Do you think you will buy the G6? Or are you disappointed with the handset?