lg wk7 thinq speaker

Can LG’s first ever smart speaker really stand out in an already overcrowded market? We pump the volume to find out...

Say hello to LG’s first ever smart speaker. It already has some stiff competition, but we’re keen to hear the WK7’s side of the story

Eeveryone has a smart speaker now, and there are loads more to come. So you need something a bit special to stand out, and LG’s partnership with Meridian Audio caught our eye. Meridian makes incredible high-end speakers for the home, so the LG WK7 ThinQ sounded like it could be that special something we’ve been looking for.

Say it loud

On top of that, it’s a Google Assistant-powered speaker too, offering AI voice control, and has Chromecast built-in, meaning it can be part of a multi-room system right out of the box. Can the sum do justice to its many great parts?

It’s a bit dull in the looks stakes, alas. The grey exterior is fine, and won’t stick out too badly, but lacks the style of the Sonos One or the considered curves of the Apple HomePod. Four lights on the front of LG’s speaker indicate when Google Assistant is listening (or thinking), and on top you’ll find volume and playback controls, a way to switch between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth streaming, plus a button for invoking Assistant (though saying ‘Hey Google’ works perfectly well). The mics aren’t as good as the HomePod’s bat-like hearing, but are on par with other smart speakers.

Because it’s based on the Android Things platform, you can use the Google Home app to control the WK7. This also means it can be updated with more features directly from Google (including, hopefully, stereo pairing down the line – this is currently missing from the features list).

Once we fired up the audio we got the full benefit of LG’s emphasis on speaker quality. Despite its small size, the scale of sound is impressive, beating the Sonos One when it comes to filling a room, though not quite as strong as the HomePod. Treble is clear and clean, letting the detail shine in songs without any harshness. The bass and mid-range are strong, without overwhelming the treble, helping drive the powerful sound that covers the room. That said, the bass can overstep its mark sometimes, muddying up the sound elsewhere needlessly. LG’s Wi-Fi Speaker app offers ways to customise the sound, but we don’t recommend them.

In a nutshell, if you’re looking for a Google Assistant equivalent to the Sonos One and Apple HomePod, this is a really strong option.