LG G7 ThinQ Said to Feature Dedicated Google Assistant Button

BY Evan Selleck

Published 20 Apr 2018

LG is going to launch its next flagship smartphone, the G7 ThinQ, on May 2. When it does, we may see the first smartphone with a dedicated Google Assistant button.

CNET has a report out that suggests that’s exactly one of the bullet points that LG is going to talk about at its upcoming event. According to sources familiar with the design of the upcoming flagship, the button on the left side of the phone, positioned below the volume rocker, is going to be dedicated to launching Google Assistant. That’s a path that Samsung has gone down, starting with the Galaxy S8 and continuing on with the Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S9, with its own Bixby-exclusive hardware button.

The report, unfortunately, doesn’t go into any further detail. This would be the first smartphone to boast a specific physical button to launch Google’s digital personal assistant, which is certainly a noteworthy accomplishment in its own right. However, there is no word on whether or not future owners will be able to map the button to launch other features, or disable it entirely.

What do you think? Will including a physical Google Assistant button help sell G7 ThinQ models?

[via CNET]