Dual screens make this phone a multitasker's dream, but there's a pricing caveat – CNET

When it launched on Oct. 30, you could have nabbed both the LG G8X ThinQ and its second-screen accessory for $700, $750 and $780 on LG, Sprint and AT&T, respectively. It was at this price that I reviewed and recommended the phone for people interested in the G8X and its novel dual-screen design. I thought that was a great deal for the price, and I was excited to recommend this best-of-both-worlds phone and case.

It’s come to my attention, however, that these deals are being offered only for a limited time, which throws a wrinkle in my initial endorsement. After Dec. 5, for example, AT&T will sell the G8X under its “AT&T Installment Plan” for $780 and the dual screen will cost an additional $199 — totaling $979. Sprint also confirmed that its offer of the G8X’s dual screen attachment as a free gift (with purchase of the phone) will be limited as well, though it did not confirm an end date to the sale.

That said, some retailers are still selling both for under $700, like B&H and Best Buy, but these deals may not last forever, and you’ll still have to sign on to a carrier separately for the phone to work. My opinion of the phone is still the same: The G8X is great and if you can get both the LG G8X and the second screen for $780 or under, it’s an affordable alternative to the fully foldable Galaxy Fold. Outside that price range, however, and I’d hesitate to recommend this phone.

Editors’ note, Nov. 27: Updated with pricing information from carriers. The original review, published on Oct. 30, follows below. 


If you’re curious about the latest trend of foldable phones like the Samsung Galaxy Fold or Huawei Mate X, but you’re not ready to commit either to the novel design or the high price tags (both cost more than $1,000), LG’s G8X ThinQ is a worthy alternative. Like the other foldable phones, the G8X doubles its screen size by opening like a book. But instead of having a flexible screen, the G8X is a regular 6.4-inch phone that attaches to another 6.4-inch screen using a special case. 

It’s a similar arrangement to 2017’s ZTE Axon M (if anyone actually remembers that phone) and the upcoming Microsoft Surface Duo in that they’re really just two phones or screens attached together. But the G8X gives you the freedom to detach the phone out of the case too, leaving you with a regular premium phone if you want. 

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The G8X without its case.


Angela Lang/CNET

LG created a similar accessory for the V50 ThinQ, which launched in February. Unlike that release though, the G8X and its screen attachment are available in the US. The phone is available unlocked or through AT&T and Sprint. 

It’s true that the G8X doesn’t have the Galaxy Fold’s or Mate X’s super elegant and novel design. It’s quite clunky to carry around and you won’t be able to watch videos on a seamless, single tablet-esque screen. 

But the G8X is a durable, middleman solution. And the best part is the phone’s price. For a limited time, LG, Sprint and AT&T are selling the G8X for $700, $750 and $780, respectively. The carriers are also offering deals that lower the cost even more (for instance, Sprint has a plan that totals $270). That price puts it pretty much on par with, if not a tad cheaper than, most high-end phones these days. But LG and these carriers intend to sell the whole thing, second screen and all, at those prices during launch. International pricing isn’t yet available, but the $700 price tag converts to about £545 or AU$1,020.

Even without the second screen, $700 is a good price for the G8X, which is fast, reliable and takes good photos. But throw in two screens for the same price and LG’s got a compelling phone to offer.

LG G8X design: Double the screen, double the size

I drew a few stares while using the LG G8X at a farmer’s market. I mostly chalked it up to people wondering why I was taking pictures of produce with a big, silver Nintendo DS, but after a while I got used to handling the G8X boldly in public. After all, people buy clunky portfolio cases for their iPhones all the time. So eventually I stopped feeling out of place.

Speaking of clunky, the G8X is so thick it reminds me of what it’s like to use an ultra-rugged Otterbox phone case. Putting the phone in my pants pocket or a small clutch was out of the question unless I just wanted to use the G8X itself. Pressing the volume buttons or the Google Assistant key on the left side of the phone when the second screen is open is also difficult since the hinge gets in the way of my fingers. 

The front cover, while useful for displaying the time and notifications, traps fingerprints like crazy — I often found myself wiping it clean. In addition, I thought at first that I couldn’t charge the phone inside the case, but LG included a magnetic USB-C accessory that connects outside the case and plugs into a charging cable.

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The G8X is thick when it’s inside its dual-screen case.


Angela Lang/CNET

Other design takeaways

  • The G8X has wireless charging and you can charge it wirelessly inside the case too. (For some reason, my personal Qi charging pad didn’t work when I charged the G8X with its case, but I used two other colleagues’ charging pads and it worked just fine.)
  • Like other LG phones, the G8X has a headphone jack — a rarity among premium phones these days.
  • The phone has an in-screen fingerprint reader so you can it by scanning your finger right on the display. It works fast enough, but it doesn’t feel as instantaneous as the OnePlus 7T.
  • The phone is rated IP68 for water resistance, but the second screen lacks any such protection.
  • Despite the teardrop notch on the second screen, it doesn’t have a front-facing camera. (LG used the same G8X display as the second screen to save money.) You can hide this teardrop notch with a black band in Settings.

Life with the LG G8X’s dual screen

Despite my initial reservations that the dual screen was gimmicky, the accessory actually ended up more useful than I believed. Because the second screen bends all the way back, I could configure it at any angle as a kickstand. I propped up the phone sideways to watch videos and I placed it standing like a book so I can take photos at a distance. The second screen was also handy for multitasking. I can use it for navigating to a restaurant on Google Maps while looking up other options on Yelp with the other screen. 

Playing games such as Call of Duty was more comfortable thanks to the “LG Game Pad,” a mode that turns the main screen into a separate game controller. There are different preset controls to choose from, like one that has a steering wheel for racing games. Not every game in the app store will work automatically with these preset controllers, so expect to customize your own controller for some games (I had to do this with Call of Duty to get it to work with the gamepad).

source: cnet.com