Last year, many smartphone brands launched a new series of online-only devices and LG was one among them too. The company launched its W-series of smartphones in India, but there were no signs of a flagship smartphone launch. Last month, the company launched its flagship G8X ThinQ smartphone in India after announcing it in September 2019 at the IFA. The G8X ThinQ comes with a unique dual-screen accessory and other interesting features. We got to check out the smartphone, and here is our unboxing and first impressions of LG G8X ThinQ.
LG G8X ThinQ specifications
- 6.4-inch (2340 x 1080 pixels) 19.5:9 FHD+ FullVision OLED Display
- Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 7nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 640 GPU
- 6GB LPDDR4x RAM, 128GB storage, expandable memory up to 2TB with microSD
- Android 9.0 (Pie), upgradable to Android 10
- Hybrid Dual SIM (nano + nano / microSD)
- 12MP rear camera with f/1.8 aperture, 1.4µm pixel size, 78° lens, 13MP ultra-wide camera with f/2.4 aperture, 1.0µm pixel size, 136° lens, LED flash
- 32MP front camera, f/1.9 aperture, 0.8μm pixel size, 79° lens
- In-display fingerprint sensor
- 3.5mm audio jack, Stereo speakers, 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC, FM Radio
- Dimensions:159.3 x 75.8 x 8.4mm; Weight: 192g
- Water, dust resistant (IP68), MIL-STD 810G certified
- 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz and 5GHz), Bluetooth 5 LE, GPS, NFC, USB Type-C 2.0 (3.1 compatible)
- 4,000mAh battery with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0
Box Contents
The unboxing experience was quite different from usual as there are a couple of boxes that house the G8X ThinQ itself and the dual-screen cover. Upon opening the primary box, you will find the LG G8X ThinQ which is followed by a Transparent case, LG Fast charger, SIM ejector tool, earphones, and the audio is tuned by Meridian Audio. The secondary box houses the LG Dual Screen cover along with the quick start guide for the same.
- LG G8X ThinQ
- Travel adapter (5V-1.8A / 9V-1.8A)
- USB Type-C cable
- Earphones with braided cable
- SIM ejector tool
- Clear protective case
- Quick Start Guide for the G8X ThinQ
- LG Dual-Screen cover
- Pogo pin to USB Type-C converter for the Dual-Screen cover
- Quick Start Guide for the Dual-Screen cover
Physical Overview and Build Quality
Let’s start with the physical overview. The power button is to the right and to the left there are three buttons which are not commonly seen on all smartphones. The left side of the smartphone houses the volume rockers and a dedicated Google Assistant button. To the bottom, there is a USB Type-C port, 3.5mm audio jack (thankfully, it’s not gone yet!), primary microphone, and the speaker grille. The hybrid SIM tray is located to the top. Lastly, the rear of the phone houses the dual rear cameras and the LED flash.
Regarding the build quality, the G8X ThinQ provides a great in-hand feel, thanks to the premium glass build. It doesn’t sport a fancy dual-tone or a gradient back and sports a plain and simple design. It has a solid build and but at the same time, is slippery and a fingerprint magnet too. It is to be noted that it has dual Gorilla Glass protection and is MIL-STD 810G certified. Also, it attracts a lot of fingerprints and smudges quickly, and it is highly recommended to use a case or skin.
Display
LG G8X ThinQ flaunts a 6.4-inch (2340 x 1080 pixels) 19.5:9 FHD+ FullVision OLED display and is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 6. In our limited time with the device, the display quality impressed us. The panel used by LG is very good with great viewing angles, sharpness, and vivid colors. The sunlight legibility is also quite good and gets the job done. Having said that, the chin is quite thick and it is probably the only nitpicking factor as of now with regards to the display. We will have more to say about the display and multimedia experience in our full review.
It’s all about the Dual-Screen!
The unique selling point a.k.a USP of the G8X ThinQ is the bundled Dual-Screen cover. According to us, this is LG’s solution to a foldable device, but at the same time, it can’t be positioned as a competitor to other foldable devices in the market like the Galaxy Fold and HUAWEI Mate X.
Regarding the functionality, the Dual-Screen cover has a dedicated connector where the G8X ThinQ fits snug, and once it is fit, the secondary display can be triggered through the quick toggle. The secondary display has a range of use cases and LG has also preinstalled dual-screen apps. One of the use cases is, you can use the primary display as a virtual gamepad and enjoy the gameplay on the secondary display. We tested the same with the preinstalled games and it works fine. Apart from this, you can use the secondary display to view the images, videos taken from the primary camera, dual-video mode, and more.
The secondary display can be folded too and the best part is, users can check the time, date, battery charge, notifications, and other useful information without opening the Dual Screen. It adopts a new 360 Freestop Hinge to allow for viewing at any angle (0, 104° and 180°), just like a laptop, and it connects to the phone via USB instead of Pogo Pins in the previous generation.
In our first impressions, we felt that when the G8X ThinQ is inserted into the cover, there is no perfect symmetry and it is uneven. The phone feels a bit taller compared to the secondary display, and you will notice it too. Having said that, there are many use cases with the Dual-Screen accessory and we will have more to say about this in our full review.
Performance, Battery, Cameras, and others
The G8X ThinQ is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor 7nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 640 GPU and is paired with 6GB RAM with 128GB storage. There is room for storage expansion up to 2TB with microSD. It runs on Android 9.0 (Pie) and we would have wished to see it ship with Android 10. Nonetheless, LG has started already rolling out the Android 10 update to the G8x ThinQ.
Regarding the cameras, it sports dual rear camera setup with a combination of 12MP rear camera with f/1.8 aperture + 13MP ultra-wide camera with f/2.4 aperture along with a LED flash. The front camera is a 32MP front shooter with f/1.9 aperture. Lastly, it packs a 4000mAh battery with support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 and sports an in-display fingerprint scanner.
In our limited time with the phone, it felt snappy and there were no signs of lags or whatsoever. But, it is too early to comment on the same, and we will have more to say regarding the performance, cameras, and battery in our full review.
Stay tuned to our full review which should be dropping soon.
Pricing and Availability
The LG G8X ThinQ comes in Aurora Black color, is priced at Rs. 49,999 and comes with the bundled LG Dual Screen accessory. It is available to buy from Amazon.in and for a limited time, users can also claim a free 24-inch LG LED TV on purchasing this device.