LG announced at the beginning of the year two high-end smartphones – the LG G8s ThinQ and the LG V50 ThinQ 5G – and, more recently, it has launched the LG G8x ThinQ, which borrows features of both models.
The front of the LG G8x ThinQ is dominated by a large 6.4 “FullVision screen with a small waterdrop type notch on top. Unlike other manufacturers, LG has not curved the screen on the sides for an aesthetic reason but is completely flat.
The frames surrounding the screen are relatively narrow and keep symmetry, but we have seen thinner edges on other devices.
The glass rear itself is curved on both sides, which helps make the phone look thinner than it is.
LG has done an excellent job of integrating the camera module so that it is flush with the surface without protruding, although the total thickness of 8.4 mm. It is not the lowest.
The LG G8x ThinQ has IP68 protection against water and dust and, in addition, the company presumes that the phone has passed tough tests of military resistance. The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 6 and the back by Gorilla Glass 5.
LG has been slow to include a fingerprint reader integrated under the screen but, finally, the LG G8x ThinQ has this technology.
In tests, the reader has not always recognized the first fingerprint. The recognition area is quite small, so we must be careful to support the entire surface of the finger well. The unlocking speed is sufficient, although it is perceived to be slower than a traditional reader or, for example, the on-screen reader of the OnePlus 7 Pro.
The LG G8x ThinQ screen has an OLED panel that has left me feeling good thanks to its high sharpness, its high brightness and its “infinite” contrast.
LG has incorporated a large number of color modes but, if you look at the Auto mode that is active by default, the colors are oversaturated – which, although it seems strange, is what many users prefer – and the color white tends to be something bluish. If we change to the color mode, which is the one calibrated for the standard sRGB range, the color fidelity improves but does not reach the color accuracy found in other high-end smartphones.
The LG G8x ThinQ has additional color modes that virtually cover 100% of Adobe RGB and DCI-P3 ranges. These ranges are much wider than sRGB and denote the large chromatic amplitude of the LG panel, which is even capable of playing HDR content.
Another notable aspect of the panel is the Always-On Screen, which allows you to see at a glance the time/date, the battery level and, above all, the notifications that we have pending to read.
LG markets an accessory called LG Dual Screen that provides a second OLED screen to the left of the main one. It allows a better multitasking experience, being able to run an app on each screen, and is also useful for games since the second screen can act as a controller.
LG has improved this accessory with respect to the LG V50 ThinQ since it now has a secondary display on the outside that shows important information and we can separate the screens at any angle (previously it only supported two positions). The drawback of this accessory is that it significantly increases the thickness of the device and, since it does not have its own battery, it consumes the phone faster.
LG has incorporated powerful hardware in the LG G8x ThinQ since it has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor accompanied by 6GB of LPDDR4 RAM. Although there are smartphones on the market with much more RAM, in practice above 6 GB, there is not much difference.
Today, the Snapdragon 855 is the processor that almost all flagships of 2019 carry, although, in a few months, the first smartphones with Snapdragon 865 will arrive.
In the day-to-day, the performance of the LG G8x ThinQ is excellent, without stops or lag when it comes to moving around the interface, using complex apps or enjoying 3D games.
I have tried some demanding 3D games such as Asphalt 9, Call of Duty or Dead Effect 2 and, in all of them, the FPS rate is high (30 or 60 FPS depending on the limitations of the game) and stable throughout.
The company has incorporated 128 GB of UFS 2.1 type storage, which, fortunately, can be expanded by micro-SD up to 2 TB. LG has not enabled Android’s Adoptable Storage feature, so we cannot format micro-SD cards as an extension of internal storage.
The autonomy of the LG G8x ThinQ is correct but it does not stand out against other high-end smartphones that I have tried.
The LG G8x ThinQ is compatible with Quick Charge 4.0 fast charging, so you will get half the charge in about 45 minutes and the total in just over two hours. It is not the fastest we have seen. Like other high-end smartphones, the LG G8x ThinQ supports wireless charging.
One of the highlights of the LG G8x ThinQ is the sound as it not only has stereo speakers – one at the bottom next to the USB-C connector and another in the earpiece – with a powerful and balanced sound (1.2W + 1.2W) but also maintains the headphone jack. In addition, it has DTS: X 3D surround sound, similar to Dolby Atmos.
The LG G8x ThinQ has a 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC that allows you to enjoy the sound in high fidelity, although you will have to have a very fine ear to notice the difference. Another novelty of this smartphone is the ability to record sounds with a large number of differences (ASMR).
As for the software, the LG G8x ThinQ still runs Android 9 Pie, although we assume that at some point you will receive Android 10.
Above, the LG UX 9.0 interface offers colorful icons, multiple wallpapers, and many customization options, as well as the ability to apply themes.
LG incorporates a good number of useful software functionalities such as the customizable height keyboard, the double tap on the screen to turn it on, the options during games to avoid interruptions, the Floating Bar, the automation of tasks according to location or action, the cloned apps to set up two accounts, etc.
However, I miss some functionalities that incorporate the layers of other manufacturers, such as the possibility of protecting access to any app by fingerprint (not only to the Gallery and QuickMemo +), a private space away from prying eyes or total control by gestures
LG has incorporated interesting applications to play multimedia files – images, videos, and music – that can be connected to DLNA servers on the local network.
In the photographic section, LG has not incorporated as many cameras as some of its competitors since we only found two cameras in the back: a standard wide-angle lens and an ultra-wide-angle lens. Personally, I would have preferred a telephoto camera since this is more appropriate for taking portraits but it is a matter of personal preferences.
The main camera offers good quality in good light conditions but, when the light is scarce, it cannot compete against other high-end rivals that have brighter lenses. Similarly, the ultra-wide-angle camera produces good snapshots in the daytime but the quality suffers at night.
LG has included a 32MP front camera that produces selfies with great sharpness. Both the front camera and the rear camera offer Portrait mode and the results are quite good. One aspect that I like is that it is possible to modify the depth of the field afterward in the Gallery.
Video recording is another of the strengths of the LG G8x ThinQ since, in addition to recording 4K video at 60 FPS, it offers real-time video filters and the possibility of progressive smooth zooming.
Finally, LG camera software is one of the most complete that you can find since it offers a large number of manual controls, both when capturing photos and videos.
LG G8x ThinQ Full Specifications
| DISPLAY | 6.4” FHD + OLED 19.5:9 |
| CHIPSET | Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 855 Octa-core |
| MEMORY | • Internal Memory: 128 GB ROM (up to 102.8 GB usable) • Expandable up to 2 TB with Micro SD Card |
| CAMERA | Rear (two cameras in the back): • 12 MP Standard, 78° FOV • 13 MP Wide-Angle, 136° FOV Front: • 32 MP with Pixel Binning, 78° FOV |
| AUDIO | 32Bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC DTS: X Virtual Surround |
| CONNECTIVITY | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth Version 5.0 NFC |
| CHARGING | Fast Charging QC 4.0 + Wireless Charging |
| BATTERY | 4,000 mAh |
| BIOMETRICS | In-display Fingerprint Sensor |
You can download the LG G8x ThinQ Full Specifications in PDF format from the following link:
In-depth analysis and opinion on the LG G8x ThinQ: design, screen, performance, battery, camera, multimedia, software, price, and competitors.
Price and competitors of LG G8x ThinQ
The LG G8x ThinQ is on sale in the LG Store, although we can find it somewhat cheaper in online stores like Amazon ($699.00). It is a high price but below many other high-end smartphones that exceed € 1,000.
Next, we will review some smartphones that compete in technical specifications with the LG G8x ThinQ.
The Huawei P30 Pro ( $685.00 (128GB), $733.99 (256GB) and $947.99 (512GB) ) is an interesting alternative if you want a Huawei smartphone because, in addition to bringing Google services, it has an OLED screen of 6.47 ″ Full HD +, Kirin 980 processor, 8GB of RAM, 128/256/512 GB of storage, 40MP + 20MP + 8MP + ToF quad rear camera, 32MP front camera and 4,200 mAh battery with direct and reverse wireless charging.
The Samsung Galaxy Note10 + ( 1,099.99 $ (128 GB) and 1,199.99 $ (512 GB) ) has a large 6.8 ″ OLED screen, Exynos 9825 processor, 12GB of RAM, 256/512 GB of expandable storage via micro-SD, 12MP + 12MP rear camera (telephoto) + 16MP (large angular), 10MP front camera and 4,300 mAh battery with fast charging at 45W.
The OnePlus 7T Pro (895.99 $) has a 6.7 ″ screen, Snapdragon 855+ processor, 8 / 12GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, 48MP + 8MP rear camera (telephoto) + 16MP (ultra-wide-angle) ), 16MP pop-up front camera and 4,085 mAh battery.
Another interesting competitor is the Google Pixel 4 (668.00$ (64 GB) and 798.00$ (128 GB)), which has a 5.7 ″ P-OLED screen, Snapdragon 855 processor, 6GB of RAM, 64/128 GB of storage, 12MP dual rear camera (wide angle) + 16MP (telephoto) ), 8MP front camera and 2,800 mAh battery. There is also a larger version, the Pixel 4 XL
The Best and Worst of LG G8x ThinQ
The best:
The Worst:
All Images credits: LG
