LG G8 ThinQ
The LG G8 ThinQ is an Android smartphone developed by LG Electronics as part of the LG G series. It was officially announced on February 24, 2019. The device serves as the successor to the 2018 LG G7 ThinQ 4G.
Specifications
Hardware
The LG G8 ThinQ utilizes a metal chassis with a glass backing, and is IP68-rated for water and dust-resistance. It is available in black, gray and red color finishes. The G8 features a 1440p FullVision AMOLED display, with a diagonal size of 6.1 inches and a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The G8 is the first G series phone to have an OLED display, as this had previously been reserved for V series phones starting with the V30.The G8 utilizes the Qualcomm List of [Qualcomm Snapdragon systems-on-chip|Snapdragon] 855 system-on-chip with 6 GB of RAM. It is offered with 128 GB of internal storage, expandable via SD card. It supports wireless charging, and all models will support Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0. All models in all markets will include quad Digital-to-analog converters to enhance sound output.
The G8 retains the G7's biometric options but introduces a new "Hand ID" technology which reads the user's circulatory and hand patterns. The G8 also features AirMotion gesture control. These are enabled by the addition of a time-of-flight sensor called the Z camera.
Additionally, the G8 keeps the G7's Boombox speaker and adds "Crystal Sound" which vibrates the screen to work as a speaker in place of a traditional earpiece. However, the G8 still has a conventional bottom-speaking speaker.
In line with its predecessor G7, there is a button on the side of the phone similar to Samsung's Bixby button; while it cannot be remapped, it launches Google Assistant when held, rather than a different A.I. Double tapping the button launches Google Lens.
The camera is a dual or triple setup depending on the market, with a primary lens, wide-angle lens and a telephoto lens exclusive to Korea; the primary and telephoto units are 12 MP, while the wide-angle unit is 16 MP. The telephoto lens is omitted in other markets, where the phone has a dual camera setup instead. On the front, an 8 MP selfie shooter lives inside the notch, paired with a time-of-flight sensor used for depth mapping.
The G8's battery is a 16.7% increase over its predecessor, totaling 3500 mAh.
Software
The G8 ThinQ ships with Android 9 "Pie" and LG's UX skin. In November 2019, LG began to release Android 10 for the G8 ThinQ.As of late 2023, Android 12 started to rollout to select models in an over the air update.
Reception
gave the G8 a 6.5, praising the ergonomics, Quad DAC, Face Unlock and battery life, while criticizing the piezoelectric earpiece and Hand ID and AirMotion, noting that it "may not receive timely software updates". Engadget gave the G8 a 73, calling it "a wasted opportunity". Velazco praised the design, display and performance and had similar complaints. CNET gave the G8 an 8.5, remarking that "the LG G8 ThinQ is an objectively great phone...with a high price tag and no standout features", but was critical of portrait mode for video.The G8x received mixed reviews as well, with a 7 from The Verge, a 74 from Engadget, an 8.3 from CNET, 4 stars from TechRadar and 3 stars from Digital Trends.
The G8s received praise from Notebook Check for having decent battery life and good speakers, but was criticized for its poor low-light camera performance.
The triple-camera variant of the G8 received an overall score of 96 on DxOMark, with a photo score of 99 and a video score of 89, tying it with the OnePlus 6. While not ranked among the top smartphone cameras on the site, its score is a 13-point improvement over its predecessor and a 2-point improvement over the V40 ThinQ|V40].