LG’s new foldable dual-screen phone hands on: practical, sleek, sturdy – the future of folds?
LG had unveiled a new 5G-capable smartphone back in Feb, named V50 Dual Screen, which had a 2nd screen attachment. This smartphone became an unlikely bestseller, with over 500000 units sold in South Korea. This was despite the fact that 5G tech was still an emerging technology.
LG introduced an upgraded version of this dual-screen smartphone at the IFA event, held this week in Berlin. Named G8X ThinQ Dual Screen, this one’s designed for mainstream customers.
Living up to its name, the G8X happens to be an iterative upgrade to the G8, LG’s former flagship device. Although these phones are the same under the hood with the same primary camera hardware and an SD855 processor, the G8X comes with a much smaller notch, an enhanced fingerprint sensor (in-display), and an improved 32MP selfie camera.
Essentially, the G8X looks much sleeker and resembles an actual 2019 flagship unlike the G8, a device that carried an outdated 2018-ish look.
However, it’s the 2nd screen attachment, which has people going gaga for it. It endows a certain functionality to this smartphone – something nothing else available today offers at the moment unless we look back at the ZTE Axon M, launched in 2016. However, this smartphone would’ve been severely underpowered in today’s conditions.
For the previous V50 Dual Screen, its best & most practical function enabled by the second screen happened to be the ability to operate two apps simultaneously – Instagram and YouTube, or WhatsApp and email. This ability has been restored, thanks to this new smartphone.
But there’s more. LG has enhanced the software, adding several new abilities. Users are now able to launch certain apps on both screens, which enables a bigger canvas. However, at the moment, only a few Korean apps and Google Chrome can be run in this manner. It’s worth noting that the capability of reading an article on a couple of 6.4-in OLED screens uniquely enhances the overall reading experience.
Another feature happens to be the new ability to fill an entire screen with a handy keyboard that betters typing efficiency by a significant rate since the keys happen to be easier to push and are larger. With its clamshell design, this smartphone resembles a small laptop.
One screen can also be used as an effective virtual gamepad, which can greatly enhance your mobile gaming experience. While this feature was previously enabled on V50 Dual Screen, however, gamers were only capable of choosing between 4 game controller screens. The new software from LG provides users the ability to start customizing their own layouts for buttons.
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