First impressions of LG G8 and V50: 5G-ready and a second screen or infrared palm unlock
- LG’s two latest flagship handsets appear identical at first glance but they differ inside
- The V50 can be attached to a second screen, and the G8 can be unlocked with a sweep of the palm
LG introduced two new flagships handsets on Monday in Barcelona as part of this year’s Mobile World Congress: the first is the G8, the latest in LG’s long-running spring line. The second is a 5G-ready phone that surprisingly has become part of the premium V series.
The latter decision is curious, given the V40 just launched in certain markets, including Hong Kong, last month. But LG says going forward, its V series will be its 5G line, while the G will stay with 4G until the new network tech matures.
The G8 and V50 appear similar at first glance: they each have notched OLED displays of similar size; both run on the Snapdragon 855 chip set, and the glass backs are now placed over the triple-camera module, resulting in a more seamless, smooth back.
But the similarities end there. The V50 has an additional 5G modem courtesy of Qualcomm, and a set of pogo pins on its back, which allows it to connect to a second screen accessory. The second screen attachment is probably the selling point of the V50. The snap-on accessory essentially turns the V50 into a folding phone, albeit the older type with two displays connected by a hinge as opposed to the cutting-edge single screen versions introduced by Huawei and Samsung.
Still, LG’s implementation is more ready for real world use as the tech is more established. During testing I can run two apps side-by-side, or use the second screen as a virtual game pad. Both usage cases ran smoothly without software problems.
The G8 lacks 5G support and can’t handle the second screen, but it has a few tricks up its sleeve.