LG G8X ThinQ Dual Screen Review: Double the screens, double the weight

Since 2015, LG's mobile partitioning has included a variety of gimmicks in its flagship smartphones.

For case, in that location was the second screen featured in the LG V serial, and and so the LG G5 and its modular 'Friends,' 'Air Move' on the G8 ThinQ and the secondary attachable display featured in the V50 ThinQ — which didn't make its fashion to Canada.

Now, LG is launching the G8X in Canada. The company initially revealed the handset at IFA Berlin in September. Like to the V50, the G8X offers an attachable secondary display. While some of these previous gimmicks were less than stellar, the G8X ThinQ's attachable screen is surprisingly useful.

Display

6.4-inch, OLED FullVision, 1080 10 2340 pixel

Dimensions (in.)

159.iii x 75.8 x 8.4mm

Rear Facing Camera

12-megapixel (f/ane.8), 13-megapixel (f/2.iv, super wide)

Front Facing Camera

32-megapixel (f/1.9)

Network Connectivity

GSM/HSPA/LTE

Sensors

Fingerprint (in-display), accelerometor, gyro, proximity, compass`

Launch Date

November 1, 2019

Misc

Colours: Aurora Blackness, attachable dual screen

LG G8X ThinQ

six.4-inch, OLED FullVision, 1080 ten 2340 pixel

LG G8X ThinQ

Snapdragon 855

LG G8X ThinQ

128GB of storage

LG G8X ThinQ

159.3 x 75.eight ten viii.4mm

LG G8X ThinQ

12-megapixel (f/ane.8), 13-megapixel (f/ii.4, super wide)

LG G8X ThinQ

32-megapixel (f/1.9)

LG G8X ThinQ

Android 9 Pie

LG G8X ThinQ

GSM/HSPA/LTE

LG G8X ThinQ

Fingerprint (in-display), accelerometor, gyro, proximity, compass`

LG G8X ThinQ

November 1, 2019

LG G8X ThinQ

Colours: Aurora Black, attachable dual screen

Right off the top, it's important to mention that the G8X ThinQ is not the smartphone for me, but I think those who value productivity, enjoy bigger screens or playing mobile games, will find this device a viable contender.

The LG G8X ThinQ isn't the successor to the LG G8, so its specs aren't necessarily better than the handset that came out earlier this year. This is particularly axiomatic when it comes to the smartphone'southward display.

The G8X ThinQ features a half dozen.4-inch OLED screen with a 1080 x 2340 pixel resolution, nineteen.5:9 aspect ratio and 403 pixels per inch (PPI) display. The resolution is inferior to what is featured in the G8 ThinQ, but it'south still quite skillful. Images look crisp and detailed, and someone who is used to 1080p screens would probable think information technology'southward great.

That said, when watching content that offers up to 4K resolution like BBC's Planet Earth on Netflix, and comparing information technology side-by-side with a device like Google's Pixel four Twoscore, most will probably notice the departure in quality.

The G8X ThinQ offers up to 600 nits of brightness, and during my time with the device, I oasis't experienced any issues with the display not being bright enough under direct sunlight. Still, fifty-fifty though LG says the G8X and its additional brandish are the same, I've noticed the attachment screen doesn't go quite as brilliant. Everything else about the secondary screen is identical to the main G8X screen.

A heavy boy

The LG G8X ThinQ feels premium in-paw with Gorilla glass on the front and the back, alongside a solid-feeling aluminum frame.

Instead of an iPhone X-way notch similar the G8, the G8X features a smaller waterdrop cutout. Just by looking at it, you tin can tell LG ditched face scanning and its Air Motility technology, which isn't a bad matter.

Other than the size and weight, the G8X feels similar to the G8. The phone offers a flat screen with a slim bezel running around the device. The handset likewise features rounded sides like the G8, which makes it comfortable to hold.

Similar to the G8, the phone sports its power button on the correct side. On the left, the phone features a volume rocker and a dedicated Google Assistant push button.

The back of the device is sleek and lacks a photographic camera bump, though information technology yet sports dual rear-facing shooters. LG also ditched the concrete fingerprint scanner for an in-display variant.

The G8X'due south sensor is optical, which offers less security than ultrasonic in-brandish engineering science. The scanner, unfortunately, doesn't always work well, and I oftentimes had to try multiple times earlier it activated. It reminds me of the OnePlus 6T'southward scanner, every bit I experienced the aforementioned problem with that handset.

The device'due south speaker grill and 3.2mm headphone jack flank its USB-C port on the bottom. Overall, the G8X on its ain doesn't look that different from the G8, but adding the second screen zipper switches things upwards.

Afterward attaching the secondary screen, the G8X is noticeably a lot heavier. Totalling at 326g, it weighs more than than virtually gaming phones, the Galaxy Fold and the Mate X. Occasionally, I got tired of holding the G8X because the handset and the case together are merely too heavy.

The secondary screen also features a fake notch and speaker grill. LG says it did this so that both displays look the same, but I'd rather they didn't. The case itself feels well built and similar it tin can take a hit.

On the front of the instance, at that place's a 2.one-inch monochromatic screen that merely offers the time, the date, a few notifications and the device's battery percentage. It'southward also so cogitating that you can utilise it every bit a mirror. Effectually back, there'southward a big open square so that the cameras, LED wink and G8X ThinQ branding remain unobstructed. The telephone would have looked a lot better in the case if LG fabricated the cutout smaller to only fit the cameras and the dual-LED flash.

The case sports a 360-degree swivel that allows it to swivel to the back. I often used the G8X ThinQ like this, with the case and the display back to back. That way, the secondary screen was e'er ready when I wanted to use it, and it wasn't in the style.

Unfolded, the G8X doesn't lay flat since this would cake the phone's volume rocker and Assistant push.

The case likewise adds more bezel to the bottom of the device. When open, the instance has a rather large swivel in betwixt the two screens. In that location is a manner to extend the display across both screens on specific apps, only I'd advise not to do this considering information technology doesn't look neat.

Let'southward talk 'Dual Screen'

While I initially found that the secondary screen zipper looked gimmicky, it grew on me during my time testing the telephone. And information technology was piece of cake to use, every bit a iii-finger swipe gesture lets you move content from one screen to the other

The dual-screen has a variety of use-cases, but my favourite and then far is the LG Game Pad. When playing PUBG with the dual screens, I turned the principal display into a custom controller, with the second screen showing off the game. This felt odd at first, but subsequently getting half dozen kills and taking habitation a 'Chicken Dinner,' I walked away impressed with the blueprint.

On elevation of gaming, the secondary screen can turn into a keyboard. With LG'south keyboard, y'all tin split up it so that information technology's hands attainable with both easily.

When you're taking pictures, yous can view previous images with 1 screen and take shots with another. If you have the perfect photo, you can pull up a messenger app, and in your conversation with a friend, there'due south a share push button on the keyboard. Borer shares the screenshot with the contact you're chatting with.

This is a characteristic I found very useful. LG also implemented a 2nd browser, which allows users to run two unlike web browsers at the same time. If you're non a fan of LG's browser, yous tin can grab Firefox or another browser from the Play Shop.

The 360-caste hinge also works similarly to a 2-in-ane laptop, which ways it'south suitable for media consumption without needing to hold the device.

Quick and powerful

LG'southward G8X ThinQ sports a 4,000mAh battery, which is 20 percentage more than the G8 ThinQ. Nevertheless, LG says the secondary screen increases battery consumption by 20 pct, equally the battery is required to power ii displays.

I found fifty-fifty with the screen attached, the LG G8X ThinQ was able to brand it through the 24-hour interval with about 15 to 20 percentage battery life remaining. Without the second screen, I constitute the device made information technology through the twenty-four hours with well-nigh 35 per centum battery.

The G8X ThinQ features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor with 6GB of RAM. During my fourth dimension with the device, I rarely experienced slowdowns while jumping betwixt apps. With the secondary screen attached, the telephone occasionally lagged and scrolling became choppy. These issues didn't ruin the experience but are worth noting.

One of the best things about the LG G8X ThinQ is the detailed sound with solid bass its speakers provide.

The LG G8X features stereo speakers that brand the phone quite loud. One of the speakers faces frontwards and the other downwards. While I prefer two forepart-facing speakers, G8X's sound is impressive.

Sharper image

Similar to Huawei, Samsung and Motorola, the LG G8X ThinQ's camera offers scene detection, allowing the phone's artificial intelligence (AI) to identify what is present in an image and accommodate the camera settings appropriately.

For example, when you're taking a motion-picture show that features the sky, the scene detection saturates the resulting paradigm and makes it bluer. The device over saturates pictures of flowers and the sky, but not landscapes or people. For people, the device seems to turn up the highlights, which backfires when the person is wearing a white shirt.

Pictures taken by the LG G8X ThinQ are decent. Information technology was able to retain colours quite well. In every image, colours seemed accurate, and when colours weren't, it was usually because of the AI.

Images look good, but you'll notice the phone over sharpens objects like bricks, pilus and leaves, creating a loss in item.

The device also features a 'Night View' feature that attempts to make pictures brighter nether dark lighting conditions, merely these images go soft and feature even fewer details. Apple tree'due south, Google'southward and Huawei's version of nighttime time photography works a lot better.

LG upgraded the G8'southward 8-megapixel selfie camera to a 32-megapixel lens only the selfie camera nonetheless overexposes the groundwork and doesn't show much detail with some facial features like beards.