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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  • M
  • MikeDW888
  • 3eR
  • 15 Oct 2023

I usually don't comment on these but when this article popped up on my RSS feed, I had to share my thoughts because this article is just really poor and makes me question the knowledge of GSMArena, which I always regarded with the highest esteem.

First of all, the reason LG failed in the smartphone market is mostly because its devices were simply not available for purchase in either the USA or Europe. I had to get a V50 shipped from South Korea. But back in the V30 or even the G6 days, only certain countries and carriers had them.

Then there are marketing problems. You'd think the G8s and G8x were better than the regular G8 but it isn't the case. We're looking at 1080p LCD displays on the G8s compared to the 1440p OLED G8 for example. People back then were claiming they had an upgrade when they got the G8s compared to the G8.

Then there are the obvious issues regarding how, if people remember, MKBHD who back then was still highly regarded, came out with a video entitled "LG G8: Master of None" which was really a total debacle. Smaller youtubers came out with their own reviews correcting MKBHD. I guess other companies paid him way more.

But then to come back to your article, all you have to do is look back at your spec sheet.
You talk about a giant notch, but this notch contained a IR scanner for real/secure Face ID just like on the Note 9 or the iPhones.

Then there's the obvious Quad Dac which blew out the Galaxys sound quality with the 3.5. Same with haptics, way better.

You also need to remember that the G8 had an actual fingerprint sensor on the back, while the S10 had a on-screen sensor that was first generation and really not perfect.

You'd have to go for the V series phones to get the telephoto lens, the V series phones were always better for Video, or you'd need to get the Korean version of the G8. This has been an issue you mentioned and that is one of the few good points of your article.

When the pixel 4 came out with the motion sense gestures, they were basically a copy and paste of the G8 gestures.

Finally, people were back then always complaining about LG's lack of support. Guess what, the G8/V50 and the S10 all topped out at Android 12.

Flushed back cameras on the back unlike the S10, longer warranty than the S10, more natural looking display colors, Quad Dac, better fingerprint sensor, manual camera modes, face unlock that works at night, way cheaper if you bought it through T-Mobile at the time...

    • 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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