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 1440pFullVisionAMOLED 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 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. 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; the primary and telephoto units are 12 MP, while the wide-angle unit is 16 MP. The telephoto lens is omitted in markets with a dual camera setup. On the front, an 8 MP selfie shooter lives inside the notch. The G8's battery is a 16.7% increase over its predecessor, totaling 3500 mAh.
Software
The G8 ThinQ ships with Android 9.0 "Pie" and LG's UX skin. In November 2019, LG began to release Android 10 for the G8 ThinQ.
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.
Variants
LG G8s ThinQ
The LG G8s ThinQ was released in select markets in Europe, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East in July 2019. Visually, the G8s is differentiated from the G8 by a larger notch and more color options. It uses the same chipset as the G8 while having slower charging, a marginally larger 3550mAh battery and a 64 GB model. The display is larger at 6.21 inches, but is 1080p. The G8s has a triple camera setup in all markets, but the camera sees some slight downgrades in terms of aperture and focal length while having a lower resolution ultrawide sensor. The G8s has stereo speakers like the G8, but lacks the G8's Crystal Sound technology.
LG G8x ThinQ
The LG G8x ThinQ was released in November 2019 with newer LG UX 9 software. A Dual Screen accessory is bundled with the device and connects via the USB-C port. It can run two apps simultaneously or extend the display when using a web browser. The screen is 6.4" with Gorilla Glass 6, and is 1080p. A monochrome panel on the opposite side shows the time, date, battery level, and a few notification icons. A dual camera setup is present on the rear, with no telephoto sensor. The selfie camera is 32 MP as opposed to 8 MP on the G8 and G8s. Additionally, while recording videos users can now switch between the front and rear camera. The device uses an under-display optical scanner, and the battery is larger as well at 4000mAh. The device was launched in South Korea as the LG V50S ThinQ with 5G capabilities.
