LG G8X ThinQ review: Finally, a second screen that’s actually kind of useful - weavercounce

Connected its own, the LG G8X is a wholly everyday speech sound. It won't break quicken tests or turn heads, or screw up you away with nighttime shots. It doesn't even feature the time-of-flight gesticulate tricks that the G8 has. But none of those things should affair to anyone buying an LG G8X.

lg g8x back case — The back of the Dual Screen case has a big window for the camera.

That's because the cause for the G8X's universe isn't genuinely the ring itself. It's an accouterment, a case to be precise. LG calls IT the Threefold Projection screen, and information technology actually accomplishes what LG phones have been trying to do for years: supply a second screen so you can be more productive. Along the V10 it was an inset funnies preceding the main display, on the V30 IT was a natation bar, and on the G7 IT was the area approximately the notch. Along the G8X, it's a literal second screen that attaches to the phone via USB-C and looks the like you're retention deuce G8X's side by side.

Yet, while my first response to the LG G8X Dual Screen was heavy on the eye rolls, as I spent more time with it, I actually kindhearted of grew to like it. It has its problems—burden and thickness chief among them—and it's probably not kind of of phone you'll want to use as your primary device. Under the right-handed circumstances, however, it's as useful as a dual-varan Personal computer setup. And like the Galaxy Plica or the Microsoft Surface Duo, it makes ME excited for the future.

Specs aren't the story

In an age when every phone is trying to one-dormie its competitors with bigger screens, spare cameras, and mounds of remembering, the LG G8X is a wallflower. Its superior C.P.U. and very squeamish display merely maintain with the push of Android phones already shipping, even when compared to the G8 that launched in the spring. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S10 and OnePlus 7T have many RAM, large batteries, and better displays:

G8X ThinQ

Dimensions: 159.3 x 75.8 x 8.4mm
Display: 6.4-inch OLED FHD+ (2340 x 1080)
C.P.U.: Snapdragon 855
RAM: 6GB
Storage: 128GB
Battery: 4,000mAh
Front camera: 32MP, f/1.9
Rear camera: 12MP, f/1.8, OIS + 13MP, f/2.4 ultra wide

G8 ThinQ

Dimensions: 151.9 x 71.8 x 8.4mm
Exhibit: 6.1-inch OLED Quad HD (3120×1440)
CPU: Snapdragon 855
RAM: 6GB
Storage: 128GB
Rear camera: 16MP Comfortable, f/1.9 + 12MP, f/1.5
Front camera: 8MP, f/1.7
Battery: 3,500mAh

Even the design is sort of fustian, with the usual notch, forehead, chin, and bezels, along with a glass-and-Al structure. Like the G8, the rear television camera is fitted under the methamphetamine hydrochloride, which is silken-smooth to the touch. Just its headphone jack and excellent sound continue to be among LG phones' outflank qualities.

lg g8x notches — Yes, that's a second mountain pass on the Dual Screen. No. at that place's no camera inside it.

There's none fingerprint sensing element on the back or prison term-of-flight sensor for 3D face unlock, so LG has turned to an optical in-display fingermark detector for secure unlocking and assay-mark. It's beautiful finicky, and on the average it took 3-4 tries ahead it unfastened. But even when it worked, the process feels slower than with other phones imputable LG's weird procedure: When you put your thumb over the sensor, the entire front screen turns black to help the sensor read your fingerprint. Thus instead of a smooth animation, you get a jarring screen meretricious which makes the whole process flavor choppier than it should.

lg g8x photo compare2 — With night musical mode turned connected, the G8X (far left) kept the luminousness to a minimum, while the G8 (center) overexposed the light. However, the Pixel 4 even captured the condensation on the bitt.

The G8X takes perfectly fine photos, but nothing that's going to dispute the iPhones and Pixels of the world. The immoderate-wide electron lens captures an impressive 136-point field of view, just there's some distortion at the edges. Night modal value basically ups the exposure without any of the nicety you get with the Pixel 4 surgery the iPhone 11. While the app performance is a teeny-weeny stuttery—particularly when switching modes—the shutter is snappy, and the extremity controls are fantabulous.

lg g8x photo compare1 — The LG G8X (unexhausted) captured the colours and the definition in that scene better than the G8 did (center field), just the Pel 4 (right) was the alone one to handle the Snow quartz glass and unusual fine inside information.

All said, your pictures will be very good, only non Pixel good. The ThinQ AI stuff that takes place tail end the scenes does a relatively delicately job with sussing out the prospect and fashioning the proper adjustments in car mood, but as you can see in the comparing photos above, the Pixel 4 is Interahamw more sophisticated.

A second concealment steals the show

But tied if the G8X had the best camera and screen in the business enterprise, that still wouldn't constitute the understanding anyone bought it. That honor falls to the Dual Screen case, which transforms the phone from only some other handset to something distant more intriguing.

The showcase itself is a powered portfolio not unlike the Samsung LED Billfold Flip Cover. Snapping the phone into blank space is a simple ii-step process that requires you to connect the USB-C sparking plug into the phone and snap the top into position. It's thicker and heavier than even up some battery cases, and it introduces some supplying annoyances—most notably the magnetic arranger that's needful to consign it via USB-C—but for the just about part, it's no less elegant than an OtterBox Defender case.

lg g8x buttons — The Two-fold Covert's book buttons are a little tricky to get at.

The outside screen merely gives you a raise-to-wake close vista with time and notifications. I lost chase away of how many another tips I tapped to no avail. But every is forgiven when you flip information technology open. That's when the Dual Screen springs to life, and the G8X becomes unlike any Humanoid phone you've ever used.

Inside the front cover is a full minute screen that mirrors the important one. Information technology's the same size, has the Saami rounded corners, and even has the same television camera notch, though on that point's no tv camera. It sounds silly, but it's a nice bit of symmetry that serves to unite the two screens visually contempt the rather large breach between them.

In and of itself, you probably South Korean won't deficiency to use Chrome's "Wide-screen view" function—which spans a lonesome window across both screens—entirely that much. It's fun (or maybe funny) to flip it on to show people that it works, simply ultimately it adds niggling to the purpose of the plural screen. Much cooler is LG's "seamless" wallpapers that offer a scene that continues along the other display. It's essentially two wallpapers that act upon conjointly, so if you want the effect on one of your own photos it keister be done, though it'll require some cropping and saving.

lg g8x holding — You really tail be more productive when using the LG G8X with its Dual Covert case—especially if you're exploitation Chrome.

Performance-wise, the second screen doesn't seen to have any scrofulous personal effects connected the processor. It's as stylish as you'd carry a Snapdragon 855 phone to be.

Battery life, nevertheless, is another story. While I was able to push the battery to better than 13 hours of screen-not delayed, the Dual Screen barely topped 9 hours. It struggled to get in through a full day—and that's with significantly lower maximum brightness for the alternate screen (615 nits, vs 825 nits for the main display). Battery life could always amend with a future software update, only because the G8X is motionless running Android 9, with no denotation from LG that an Android 10 update is sexual climax (even after asking), I'm not sanguine.

Fold for the future

It will deman some serious retraining of your sinew memories, but once you start using the G8X with the Plural Screen, it's in reality kinda useful. Both screens extend access to your app draftsman and shortcuts, so you can open ii full-screen apps at the duplicate time (or tetrad if using split-screen). However, unless you're using Chromium-plate, you fundament't undefended the aforementioned app twice, like you can connected the iPad.

To that end, the tools you'll need are available using another of LG's antiquated tricks, a floating bar pinned to the right side of the screen. Tap it and you'll see several options:

Swap screens
Show main on Dual Screen
Show Three-fold Screen connected main
Put main covert to log Z's
Turn disconnected Dual Blind

IT's complete obvious and works as expected, simply information technology also underscores how separate the screens are. The 2d screen appears to be lengthwise an older version of Android. For instance, you fanny't plant leading gesture navigation, so the old-school bar is ever present even if you've enabled gestures on the chief screen. You also can't pull apps between the screens or swipe across them, and unless you're using Chromium-plate operating room one of the apps LG has optimized for the Dual Screen, you're in essence working in two separate windows.

lg g8x dual screent tool — The extra screen is harnessed victimization a floating toolbar.

Art gallery is the most prosperous of the Three-fold Screen apps, as you can see images on one side while you scroll through you tv camera roll on the other, but virtually people will probably stick with one-person-screen photos. The LG Game Inkpad turns unrivaled of the screens into a landscape accountant, but most games aren't and probably will never constitute compatible.

More often than not, you'll be working on isolated displays. Take this scenario: If you're opening a file cabinet from an netmail in the Gmail app operating room or another guest on the main screen, IT won't out-of-doors happening the irregular screen as you'd expect IT to. There's also no way to "force out" it to do then. So if you want to multitask, you'll need to re-create the link, launch Chrome on the second screen out, and paste the link into the address bar.

There are other frustrations. The volume buttons are under the moment screen, so they'ray tricky to press when information technology's opened (positive they're very stiff). Making a earphone call with the screen open—which you'll need to do to usance the phone app—is rather uncomfortable. And if you flip the cover around, you can't use the rear camera.

lg g8x movie — The Twofold Screen works prizewinning when you're doing two separate things, like surfing and observation a movie.

The sec screen still has lots of potential. Given LG's tendency to abandon concepts subsequently a single earpiece (anyone remember the G5's "Friends?"), I don't know whether the Dual Riddle will constitute allowed to germinate, but it's an interesting unconventional to the utmost-priced and fragile foldaway phones knocked out there. I'd candidly care to see a G9 that goes all-in on the Dual Screen and incorporates IT into the ring itself.

Merely even if LG doesn't see its vision through, the G8X makes me passing curious about Microsoft's Surface Duo, which is hypothetical to launch late next year. Piece that phone English hawthorn add up in a sleeker parcel, it's essentially the unvarying concept: a dual-screen phone that runs Humanoid. Concept videos express untold more interactivity between the two screens. I'll be interested to encounter whether Microsoft gets any more developers on board with its own iteration.

Should you buy an LG G8X?

On its own, the G8X is hard to recommend, even at its perennially discounted $700 price give chase. Just add in the Dual Screen case, which is bundled with the phone no matter where you buy IT, and you've got something far more interesting than likewise priced handsets from Samsung and Google.

lg g8x case closed — The straw man of the Dual Screen door case has a look-but-don't-touch display.

LG's been pushing its second-screen concepts since the V10 in 2015, sol information technology's skillful to see it come to realisation here. Even when half-parched and unlikely to realize its full potential, the G8X feels more alike a climax of effort than anything LG has done recently. In a few years, folding screens may be all the rage, and the G8X bequeath seem quaint and comical. For now, it's a sign of what's likely with a bit outside-of-the-boxwood thinking.