Flashback: the LG G8 lost the plot

15 October 2023
A huge notch? A separate fingerprint reader on the back? No telephoto lens? That was not a good look for a flagship in 2019.

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  • K
  • Krillo
  • mrr
  • 15 Oct 2023

LG V30 must have been the most underrated phone off all time, it was brilliant.

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • XMh
    • 15 Oct 2023

    PhoneFreak45, 15 Oct 2023This doesn't feel like an objective article. It leaves... moremaybe it’s their way of “calming” people in wanting lg to come back…
    or to “downplay” how lg was brave enough to innovate on ways hard to think…
    imagine, this phone has 3 ways for biometric security…
    and yes, that dual screen from v50, v50s, v60 and velvet is well-thought accessory…
    it lets people experience foldable or more like a Microsoft duo in a cheaper way, yet uncompromised as an android phone…
    i have this phone, along with 3 other lg phones…
    you cannot claim that you love innovation without having an lg phone…

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • rAf
      • 15 Oct 2023

      PanRT, 15 Oct 2023Branding aside, LG was also falling behind the competition ... moreSame thought

      Apply has been using ugly notch

        This doesn't feel like an objective article. It leaves out some seriously important bits of info.
        1. The G8's notch featured IR scanners for secure facial recognition. Something apple took til LAST YEAR to put in a cutout, let alone under the display.
        2. The G8X was considerably cheaper despite it's strong specifications. Costco sold the G8X for 400$ CAD brand new in 2020.
        3. The G8 series stilll had the features that made it an LG phone. Not lacking character at all with a Quad DAC, usual suite of manual camera modes, unique if hated by some software. Not to mention a DUAL SCREEN CASE for the G8X. Ngl, that feels like an important detail to leave out. Meanwhile samsung gets a pass for exynos. Huh.

        My point is this is not an objective look back. I don't care what your opinion on LG phones is, this article is not objective in the slightest.

          LG lost its way, which is a shame and perhaps surprising, as the G2, G3 and G4 were ahead of their time. I had all three and there were major issues with battery life on the G3 and G4, but they had superb screens and cameras at the time...especially the G4. The G4's leather back was gorgeous. Why did it all go wrong?

            Yes, I liked a lot the LG G series, after they started to produce giant trash smartphones and it was the end.

              Bro looks like iPhone 10 - 13 series💀

                • c
                • c8c
                • 8XP
                • 15 Oct 2023

                ... and I also remember, back then I was in the position to choose a new phone, and I considered the S10 and the S10+, but I found that corner punch hole to be awful, and the pill shaped punch hole, even worse. I bought the S10, but I never liked it. I still have it, laying around.

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • NFi
                  • 15 Oct 2023

                  Anonymous, 15 Oct 2023I think more than anything it was LG'S software and la... moreYes, it they can not sell as many units as Samsung. They should go with open source, like oneplus, the cost of maintenance/development would be much lower, plus the hardware side they just should invest in grimmick features (such as multi-display), should just focus on the basic important things, like battery life, and camera.

                    • c
                    • c6c
                    • 8XP
                    • 15 Oct 2023

                    I remember, I was quite confused myself about the G8 series' cameras. The lack of a telephoto module on international markets didn't make any sense. Too many G8 variants and none on them desirable.

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • tZk
                      • 15 Oct 2023

                      PanRT, 15 Oct 2023Branding aside, LG was also falling behind the competition ... moreWhile the notch design was outdated in 2019, at least the G8's notch was functional in housing biometrics sensor for 3D facial unlocking. I remember only Huawei Mate 30 series and Pocophone F1 have 3D face unlock at the time.

                      I agree that LG was 1 or 2 years behind competitors in design, with the V60 and Velvet still sporting waterdrop notch in 2020 when other flagships moved to smaller punch hole. The G8 was a missed opportunity for LG to regain market. Instead of focusing in improving the basics like better display and cameras, LG went for useless gimmicks and the rest is history.

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • xjH
                        • 15 Oct 2023

                        Management matters in all things of life.

                          PanRT, 15 Oct 2023Branding aside, LG was also falling behind the competition ... morethey copied from budget Mi A2 Lite.

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • MDZ
                            • 15 Oct 2023

                            i think i'm one of the few people who prefer a notch with useful stuff inside over a selfie-punchhole

                              Honestly, it's a wise move to stop making phones.

                              LG should focus on improving their TVs.

                                So much for microsd and headphone jack.

                                  • A
                                  • Abdullah
                                  • 6Py
                                  • 15 Oct 2023

                                  LG's Marketing team had a serious beef with their engineers

                                  I mean it had a 3D facial scanning set-up in a small notch, iPhone's notch was more than double the size to do the exact same thing

                                  The Quad DAC on this things gives a better quality audio output than my ROG laptop

                                  I'm still using a G8 and it's just AWESOME, The cameras with their cine-effects and Manual video with audio control .... NOTHING on the market quite like it still

                                  I wish it jad log video recording like the v30 though

                                    the notches remind me of the g7 power/play, when it was still the "cool" thing to do. teardrop notches still don't make sense on brand new phones tho

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • D3u
                                      • 15 Oct 2023

                                      I think more than anything it was LG'S software and lack of openness to open source community that did the trick.

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                                        • PanRT
                                        • Mrn
                                        • 15 Oct 2023

                                        Branding aside, LG was also falling behind the competition in terms of design too. Just check out the size of that notch – that was out of fashion well before 2019. Compare the G8 to the Galaxy S10, which launched at the same time.. Rly, Apple use stupid notch in 2022-23

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