LG’s phone division has had a difficult few years, with several of its previous top smartphones not even being released in the UK. This pattern continues with the LG G8 ThinQ, which will not be available in the UK. Unfortunately, it’s simple to understand why in this case: this is a piece of great hardware let down by gimmicky features and an exorbitant US pricing.
We had great expectations for the G8 when we saw it at MWC in February, even dubbing it one of the finest smartphones on display, but at full price, it’s difficult to recommend, especially following spending more time with its jagged main features: Hand ID unlocking and Air Motion ‘touchless’ controls.
What will you see here?
Price and availability
To restate, the G8 ThinQ will not have an official launch in the UK, thus it will be import-only.
It is now available in the United States, albeit it is officially priced at $819 – a significant increase from the £599/$599 G7, in a clear attempt to portray this as a competitor to the Samsung Galaxy S10. Unfortunately, that comparison does the G8 no favors, since it lags below Samsung in both design and specifications.
Fortunately, the phone has already been discounted by various stores, and you can get it for as low as $619. At that price, the G8 becomes a more viable option – so keep a look out for attractive deals and contracts. If you want to get one.
Sound and vision:
So far, things aren’t looking good for the G8 ThinQ. Fortunately, LG has a leg up on the competition when it comes to video and audio technology, and it’s here that the G8 starts to make a genuine argument for itself.
First, there’s the display. This is the first G-series phone to include an OLED display — 6.1in of 564ppi goodness – with the now-standard notch at the top. LG’s bread and butter are displayed, so it’s no surprise that this one is excellent. It actually has a few more pixels than the S10 and S10+. But you’ll have to manually adjust the phone to utilize the maximum resolution — it defaults to 23401080.
The colors are vibrant, vivid, and clear, and the blacks are as inky and deep as you’d expect from LG’s OLED technology. If you’re a display freak, this is one of the best, easily competing with Apple and Samsung’s flagship phones. The broad notch is the one significant drawback — with this year’s other flagships going for teardrops or pinholes, the G8’s large notch already feels antiquated. Also, the Z Camera’s shaky gesture controls aren’t enough to compensate.
However, the screen has one more trick in its sleeve: the speaker. Or, more accurately, the absence of. Or, more specifically, the fact that the screen doubles as a speaker. The notch, like the Huawei P30 Pro, has been removed and instead employs innovative technology that shakes the display itself to make a sound. It’s worth noting that the display itself, not the glass, vibrates. Therefore it should still operate even if you shatter your screen.
Camera:
If only the cameras could match the screen on which they are captured. The G8 ThinQ’s shooters aren’t horrible by any means, but they’re just acceptable, and for $819, a fine isn’t enough.
Let’s start with the front: the aforementioned Z camera, in conjunction with the 8Mp primary front camera, may be utilized to capture portrait mode selfies. You’ll be able to alter depth of focus while taking shots — and afterward. Yet the bokeh effect failed to make out the borders of my hairline, clipping plenty of it into the background despite the Z Camera’s assistance. In the Flickr gallery, you can see a conventional selfie as well as a few various levels of blur.
The rear cameras are similarly unsatisfactory. While certain locations will receive a 3-lens model with a 2x optical zoom telephoto lens as well.
Overall, the photos are good. The colors are vibrant, and the wide-angle lens has a little fisheye impact. Photographer struggled with my hairline almost as much with the back lenses as it did with the front. Implying that LG’s software is just inadequate. The low-light performance was adequate but unremarkable.
Truly Flagship Phone:
The remainder of the phone is as sleek as you’d expect from a high-end LG smartphone, though the design is unlikely to turn many heads. It’s simply a mash-up of every previous flagship phone from the last few years: it looks nice, but it offers nothing new.
The slightly curved body is covered with Gorilla Glass – both front and back – on top of a very simple grey or black finish. There’s the standard selection of buttons, plus one more. A dedicated Google Assistant button on the left side, right below the volume controls.
The most welcome design feature, though, is the lack of any camera hump, with the two lenses lying completely flat with the rest of the device. However, there are two minor drawbacks: first, at 8.4mm, the entire device seems a touch thick; second, with no camera bump to produce friction, the G8 will slip off virtually anything. Smartphones move that much on their own, and you should absolutely put a cover on it to avoid an early tragedy.
The inside is equally as luxurious. This is one of the first phones to use the Snapdragon 855 processor, which is paired with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. In almost any day-to-day application, performance is seamless, and the 855 breezed through Geekbench’s CPU benchmark. However, the phone suffered a little more in our graphics benchmarks. This is unlikely to be an issue much to most people, but if you expect to play demanding games, you may be better off elsewhere.
Is it worth buying LG G8 ThinQ?
It includes a dual 16-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera for selfies. It can shoot stunning Instagram photos and is also ideal for uploading a short YouTube video. With some last thoughts on whether the LG G8 ThinQ is worth purchasing.
Is the LG ThinQ 8 waterproof?
Using the Ingress Protection certification method, the LG G8 ThinQTM is rated IP68. Regardless of its classification, your equipment is not immune to water harm in any circumstance. To avoid device damage, please follow the following guidelines: Do not submerge the gadget for more than 30 minutes in water deeper than 1 meter.
Does LG G8 have wireless charging?
The G8 also boasts wireless charging, microSD storage compatibility, and IP68 protection against moisture and dust entry. The majority of what was just described is also available in 2018’s LG G7 ThinQ, which costs nearly half as much as the $840 G8.
Conclusion
The G8 ThinQ has a lot going for it, but not in the area that most buyers care about. The display and audio quality are both among the finest in the business, and the Snapdragon 855 and 6GB of RAM can handle just about everything.
Bland design and a mediocre camera let it all down for most people. These are likely to be two of the most important aspects when choosing a phone. Especially when they’re expected to pay $800 for a premium device. LG appears to be hoping that gimmicks like Hand ID and Air Motion will distinguish the G8 from its competitors. But if they do, it won’t be in the way the company desires. Neither will impact the way you use the phone, and you’ll soon forget they’re even there.
What you’re left with is a phone that will appeal to audiovisual needs but won’t provide much else. It could be a better buy for a few hundred dollars less. But at full price, unless you already understood what 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC meant before starting this review, this isn’t the phone for you.
