At the Mobile World Congress (MWC) LG has already introduced a new smartphone concept with the V50 ThinQ, where a second display can be added by an optional cover. However, the first dual-screen smartphone was never sold in Europe, even though it was commercially successful according to LG. Now the South Korean company has presented the successor LG G8X ThinQ at the IFA 2019 in Berlin, which will also be launched in Germany.
The technical basis for the G8X ThinQ is the LG G8s, which could not establish itself in the high-end segment due to its weak display. The LG G8X ThinQ has a 6.4 inch OLED display with FHD+ resolution in 19.5:9 format, the second screen has an identical diagonal and even has a notch, although the secondary display does not have a camera.
The other components also belong to the superclass. LG uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, 6 GB RAM and 128 GB internal memory, which can be expanded via microSD card. The battery has a capacity of 4,000 mAh, but must also supply the second display with power. In addition, there is a 2.1-inch display on the outside, which shows notifications and the time when closed. The fingerprint sensor is integrated under the main display. Unfortunately, some magazines already report that the indicated maximum brightness of 500 cd/m² already causes the displays to be difficult to read in normal daylight.
Unfortunately LG has reduced the camera equipment a bit compared to the G8s. Instead of a triple-cam, the G8X ThinQ only uses a dual-cam consisting of a 12 megapixel wide-angle lens and a 13 megapixel super wide-angle lens. The Selfie camera has a resolution of 32 megapixels, which takes pictures with 8 megapixels even in poor lighting conditions thanks to pixel binning.
The reflective housing of the smartphone is protected against water and dust according to the IP-68 standard, and the military standard MIL-STD-810G against shocks and falls is also met.
Dual screen makes LG G8X ThinQ a “brick”
Unfortunately, the case with the second display ensures that the smartphone weighs a total of 326 grams. The device weighs 192 grams, the secondary display 134 grams. Even Samsung Galaxy Fold 5G is much lighter with a weight of 276 grams.
When exactly the smartphone will come on the market is not yet known. Up to now, however, LG has regularly been the case that European customers have only been supplied significantly after the Asian core market. The smartphone is sold in Germany for 749 Euro, the second display is 249 Euro. Whether also a reduced combination package appears is not yet known. Compared to the foldable Samsung Galaxy Fold, which will cost about 2,100 Euros, the LG G8X ThinQ is almost a bargain.
