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.

Sort by:

LG should've put their top flagships to be as capable as the other flagship and only do experiments on their midrangers like the Chinese did at the time. Would've made it much more appealing as a smartphone brand. But trying to put all their eggs in on basket is probably what made them failed in the end. Sad that they couldn't figure out what they want as a smartphone until the very end.

    YUKI93, 15 Oct 2023The G8 is LG's answer to the similarly-sized Galaxy S1... moreI guess its there to bring the telephoto lens for a cheaper price.

      • W
      • Workale
      • 3kC
      • 15 Oct 2023

      LG brought many innovations to the phone industry, its software customizations were excellent, as were the hardware innovations, too bad it was not appreciated by the masses, the same thing happened to Blackberry and this marked their end, a shame for everyone.

        PhoneFreak45, 15 Oct 2023This doesn't feel like an objective article. It leaves... moreLG's detachable Dual Screen case is why I sold my Samsung Galaxy Fold and bought a V50. Since I started using the V50, I can easily vouch that dual display is still far more practical than foldable phones, both from the hardware and software side. More surprisingly, it can still turn more heads despite having a friend beside me with a foldable phone. Even though LG has exited the smartphone market, it won't stop me from adding the V60 to my collection.

          Peter-B, 15 Oct 2023It sounds like "think-cue", at least based on ads... moreThat's not what he was trying to say. The ThinQ branding was since day 1 not a premium one, but rather a way to indicate the product was internet connected and "AI-powered". Again, not anything premium, since LG had another branding "Signature Edition", indeed expensive products.

            The G8 is LG's answer to the similarly-sized Galaxy S10 and also serves as the more affordable version of the V50. The V50 is already there to fight against the (also) similarly-sized Galaxy S10+. The G8X is a mid-year facelift with added support for a detachable Dual Screen case. At least for G8 and G8X, it's not hard to understand.

            The G8s, though, is still a real puzzler. I still don't understand why that model even exists at all in the first place.

              • M
              • Mike
              • dPx
              • 15 Oct 2023

              Still using my LG G7 without any problem. Photos with GCam are still very good on 5 years old phone. Better on most nowadays phones.

                • S
                • Skipper
                • 0fC
                • 15 Oct 2023

                Yep they sure were innovatived up until 2021 before shutting they were cleaning up their on software updates but too little too late we need them back cuz I'm getting tired of motorola not wanting improve on their software update policy and takes them forever update their phones starting from the edge series mid rangers and moto g

                  Anonymous, 15 Oct 2023„ThinQ (pronounced “think-cue”) is LG’s branding for its pr... moreIt sounds like "think-cue", at least based on ads:

                  https://youtu.be/wegCVCptiDQ?t=31

                    PhoneFreak45, 15 Oct 2023This doesn't feel like an objective article. It leaves... more1. Apple introduced FaceID a couple of years earlier with the iPhone X - and removed the fingerprint reader at the same time. The G8 had both, which was a bit unnecessary. Also, you can't compare Apple and LG, really, Apple gets away with so many things that would be derided on an Android phone.

                    2. The LG G8X was $700 at launch in the US (this was in November) and the only thing that made it cheap was that this included the dual-screen accessory. In Canada, the price was "The phone is around $1,299 CAD off-contract but also available for $0 on select two-year plans," according to The Canadian Techie, so you may be thinking of how much the phone cost after it started getting massive price cuts (happened with the LG G8 too)
                    https://www.gsmarena.com/lg_g8x_thinq_lands_in_the_us_on_november_1_along_with_the_dual_screen_accessory-news-39758.php
                    https://thecanadiantechie.com/2019/10/24/lg-g8x-thinq-dual-screen-canada-release-date-price-availability/#more-24430
                    https://www.gsmarena.com/black_friday_lg_g8_thinq_can_be_yours_for_just_39999_for_a_few_more_hours-news-40346.php

                    3. The dual-screen case was indeed cool, but a bit of a gimmick. I don't think many people used it. Asus has the TwinView dock, but not a lot of people are using that one either.

                      • T
                      • TeamPixel
                      • B42
                      • 15 Oct 2023

                      justasmile, 15 Oct 2023Honestly, it's a wise move to stop making phones. L... moreIt can open the door to new competitors. Sony should focus on the Spider-Man movies or the PS5. However, Samsung and LG are overrated as appliances, have you ever looked at a Sharp TV?

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • 3SI
                        • 15 Oct 2023

                        „ThinQ (pronounced “think-cue”) is LG’s branding for its premium lines of TV and home appliances.“

                        Thought it was supposed to be „think“.

                        Also, it’s not really premium when the cheapest 200 nit LCD TVs from the UR7300 series have it. It was just to jump on the „AI“ bandwagon.

                          • N
                          • Neo
                          • nxd
                          • 15 Oct 2023

                          I miss you LG. The V30 is little bit outdated but the hardware and construction was awesome. Nobody makes such elegant fully equipped phones (especially for such money) these days.

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • t@S
                            • 15 Oct 2023

                            PhoneFreak45, 15 Oct 2023This doesn't feel like an objective article. It leaves... moreThe original iPhone X had an IR scanner in a notch so that's the feature LG copied from iPhone (along with the notch shape itself), just sayin'.

                              I never like LG phones that much. My wife and kid got me to breakdown and buy an fridge from them. I could never get it to Keep my food fresh. My Mother loved LG phones and used them for years until they stopped making them.I believe her favorite was the LG Dlite in pink. I remember looking at the prices of them a few years ago and they were ridiculous. I think she gave the phone to someone in my parents home country.

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • 0cB
                                • 15 Oct 2023

                                LG is really innovative company. Sad that mobile division failed.

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • S2T
                                  • 15 Oct 2023

                                  LG had other big problems too, bad quality and lousy customer support/software update policy. Since they also often used last years SOC, their battery performance also lagged behind.

                                    • G
                                    • George Shoeb
                                    • uNV
                                    • 15 Oct 2023

                                    Though LG was ahead of their rivals in terms of R&D yet they failed to capitalise it. And to me, LG was at a loss what to do, what to keep, what to lose. However, I enjoyed while using LG handsets.

                                      • s
                                      • shahar
                                      • EUk
                                      • 15 Oct 2023

                                      What killed LG smartphone business was the motherboards brick malfunction, and LG's refusal to take accountability and refund/replace their costumer's units. After that fiasco no one would ever get another LG device.

                                        • ?
                                        • Anonymous
                                        • kvF
                                        • 15 Oct 2023

                                        Anyone else still using a G8?

                                          4 of 6