LG G8X ThinQ: Better Than Other LG's Smartphones But Not At All Excellent

The LG G8X is one of the most experimented phones the company has ever released. The reason here is that LG has added to the otherwise decent phone a secondary OLED display.

This smartphone can be folded up, but not in the way Samsung’s Galaxy Fold does. With an affordable price of Rs. 52,900, the device might find itself some niche buyers.

LG phones have not made much of a good impression over the last few years as its V40, G7, and G8 is not so different. Its LG G8X ThinQ is a nice standing out device among these smartphones.

You may think that, judging from the name, the LG G8X will be somewhat like the G8. However, that is not the case. The highlight feature of the latter, the motion-sensing function that allows you to unlock the phone, has departed. The most notable common feature between the two phones is the Snapdragon 855 processor. But the rest of the phone is different.

The screen is bigger in size, reaching 6.4 inches, while the resolution is down to 1080p. The departure of the motion sensors has allowed the company to make a smaller notch and a 32-megapixel camera.

The thickness is the same, standing at 8.4mm, but the battery has been upgraded to 4,000Ah. On the rear, the camera setup consists of a 13-megapixel ultra-wide and a 12-megapixel camera.

When not being compared to another device from the same company, the LG G8X is short of highlights. There is nothing special on its overall design and you have only one choice when it comes to colors, which is the glossy finish that will surely retain fingerprints.

One of the most surprising features on this phone is the headphone jack, which has been eliminated by other phone makers, like Samsung. What you have is the excellent audio quality, courtesy of the phone’s ability to activate a quad DAC.

Another iconic LG’s feature that is absent on this phone is the first-class haptic feedback system, which has made using smartphones having it an enjoyable experience. The LG G8X is not so bad in this, but if you have used to the feedbacks on other LG devices, you might feel a little bit off.

The LG G8X is not a bad phone, and it is not an excellent phone either. We have a decent battery life, the camera is so-so, and the software has seen an improvement. But it will be a hard sell for LG given that there are better options out there, like the OnePlus 7T, unless there are some users who need to have a headphone jack, wireless charging, and water-resistant rating.

The LG G8X links to the other display through a USB-C connector. And you can comfortably wirelessly charge the device with the second screen attached to it.

When the two screens are closed and you pick the phone up, there is an OLED panel showing you the date, time, level of battery, and some other notifications.

If you open the case, the phone will be activated. You can unlock it via a system of in-display fingerprint sensor, which is reliable but a little bit slow.

When you open it up, what you see is seemingly two identical phones. The second screen looks just like the primary one, even with a notch without a camera. This is not the kind of technology that gives you extra space like the Galaxy Fold. Most of the time, except for when you can expand Chrome, it feels like running two separate phones side by side.

You will definitely notice the gap when the content spans but the LG G8X will be handy when you want to do two tasks at a time. For example, keeping YouTube running on one screen while doing something else on the other. In order to do this on a regular phone, you will have to pay for YouTube Premium.

Since the two displays share the same clipboard, you can copy information from one screen to another. It is a bit like iPad’s split view but with a much easier to understand UI.

Not many people are a fan of the way LG arranges its apps. And with two screens in place, you will have to deal with the issue for another time.

The only software that seems like it is made for the phone’s special form factor is the GamePad app. What it does is to turn one of the two screens into a controller, and users can make their own mappings for mobile games.

However, the lack of physical buttons will limit the use of the virtual controller. Since most games are designed to be played on one screen only, you may find little use for it too.

Another highlight of this phone is the battery. Manu users may have concerns over this aspect since this has never been a strong point of the company, and that the LG G8X has two screens to power. In a test, the phone can hold up for six hours with one screen streaming live sports while the other for other phone things.

Another feature to notice is that when the power is lower than 10%, the second screen will be switched off and you cannot turn it back on without charging the phone.

Overall, this phone is not something as futuristic and innovative as the Galaxy Fold but it can do some tasks others cannot. If these features sound appealing to you, the LG G8X will be a great deal.

The bulkiness of the phone is a real problem and you will have to put in lots of effort into making the most out of it.