Design
LG G8X possesses a typical design of a 2019 smartphone with a body finished from metal, glass back, waterdrop screen containing the selfie camera, and fingerprint sensor in the screen. There is also a 3.5mm headphone jack and a Google Assistant virtual assistant button on the side of the device.
The special thing is that the device’s rear camera does not have a convex design like other smartphone models. Instead, the camera lenses at the back are protected by the same piece of glass covering the entire back of the phone, giving it a neater look and making the device vulnerable to scratches when placed on the table.
LG has equipped an optical fingerprint sensor in the screen in this device; the reading speed of this sensor is quite slow compared to most phones equipped with similar technology. What’s sadder is that we don’t have facial recognition.
Accessories
The key highlight of the LG G8X is the included DualScreen accessory. It looks like a case with a second screen inside, showing you app notifications, battery health.
The hinge on the DualScreen case feels solid and allows the cover to be fixed at any angle. It can even act as a kickstand, but the distance between the two screens is about 16mm, which doesn’t look very good. The purpose of the LG G8X with DualScreen is to let you use two apps side by side.
For example, you can have YouTube videos on the left screen while scrolling through Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram on the right. Or you can look up Google Maps on one screen and messaging or email apps on the other. The device also allows dragging an app from one screen to another with a 3-finger swipe gesture.
A mode, roughly translated as “Wide View,” allows you to use an app on both screens. However, the only application that works well on this mode is Google Chrome. Other applications often split without reason due to the distance between the two screens when using this mode.
The LG GamePad is another feature of this DualScreen cover. You can display the game’s image on one screen and use the other screen as a virtual gamepad. However, not all games work with LG GamePad; the experience on this feature is not appreciated.
Screen
LG G8X has a 6.4 inch OLED panel , resolution 1080 x 2340 pixels. Colors feel lively and the accuracy is pretty high. The low minimum brightness is one of the nicest parts, because reading feels comfortable , especially at night. In general, the display looks really beautiful!
The DualScreen cover uses the same display tech as the LG G8X main panel . On paper, the image quality should be the same on both screens, but somehow in daily use the case screen looks a bit cooler in tone. Also, there’s a small plus: no fingerprint sensor is included on the cover screen.
Software and performance
The LG G8X it runs Android 9 Pie, with LG’s own interface laid over it, like a extra cover. It’s kind of aimed at making things simpler for one-handed use, even if it still falls short sometimes, not always in the same way. There are a few annoying things that show up , like the screenshot button that just doesn’t work properly, the pull-down notification bar arrangement is kind of awkward to operate, and the keyboard… takes about 1 second to appear. Minor, but it adds up.
For power, it comes with a Snapdragon 855 and 6GB of RAM so it should be capable, yet real speed isn’t that impressive. You get 128GB of storage too, plus a MicroSD card slot , so expanding space is possible.
Camera
LG G8X has this dual camera set up on the back, sort of with the main sensor and the ultra-wide-angle lens. Up front there’s a 32MP camera that kind of combines four pixels into one… and it claims you get brighter, clearer 8MP shots.
Over all, the LG G8X does a solid job with the main camera. The pictures are not perfect, sometimes contrast seems a little too strong and saturation gets turned up as well, but honestly they’re still good enough for most casual folks. The ultra-wide-angle camera is also handy for landscapes or those group frames where you want more in view.
Still, the LG G8X feels like it lags behind competitors when light gets dim, mainly because there isn’t a real night mode. There is a “Night View” feature, sure, but the improvement isn’t that dramatic in most situations.
As for selfies, the front-facing camera is a letdown. Even with the high resolution, the photos come out with not enough detail, and face detection feels off. On top of that, images are often blurry, especially when you shoot in low light.
LG has included a few new features for video recording, especially the great ability to switch between the main and rear cameras while recording. Another new video feature is an ASMR mode that increases the sensitivity of the microphones to allow them to capture blurred audio.
Sound quality
One of the highlights of the LG G8X is the speaker quality. The phone has a pair of stereo speakers, each with a capacity of 1.2W.m sound is loud, well balanced, has a lot of basses. That is considered one of the LG phones with the best sound quality.
Battery capacity
LG G8X comes with a 4,000mAh battery with a really good battery life that easily lasts for a day and a half of use despite having two screens. If only using the home screen, the duration can even be two days. The device is also equipped with a 16W charger in the box to charge from 0% in about 2 hours fully.
Ending
LG G8X is a strange phone, but not useful and straight to users’ needs. Beyond that, being creative is one thing, but LG still has to be a bit more attentive, like really perfecting its photography quality, updating its software, and tuning its interface, so the whole software experience feels smoother. I mean of course, there are some really notable points on the LG G8X, such as its gorgeous display, a solid long battery life, and excellent sound.
LG G8X ThinQ G850UM 128GB AT&T GSM Unlocked – Black (Renewed): Buy it now
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LG G8X ThinQ (128GB, 6GB) 6.4″ Snapdragon 855, Sprint Carrier Locked Smartphone: Buy it now
Tech Reviewer & Product Analyst
Định Bia has spent over 10 years testing consumer electronics with a focus on smart technology. He work as a product advisor at Biareview where he helped customers find the right devices for their needs. He personally tests every product featured on this site using a consistent evaluation framework covering quality, durability, and value. All reviews are based on experience, not influenced by the manufacturer.
