Review of LG G8s ThinQ

I was counting on this smartphone very much. LG in recent years successively presented better and better smartphones from the high shelf, from G6, through V30, G7 and V40. LG G8s is also part of this trend, but ...

... right - but. I spent a few weeks with a variation of LG G8 ThinQ, which went to Poland and I can say directly that I really like this phone. Really. I have been using the LG V30 regularly for many months and is something nice to know in the LG G8s ThinQ, which I really appreciate. I appreciate the trouble-free. I appreciate the quality of work, which really is unmatched. I appreciate the peculiar, hmm ... nonconformity that comes from using the LG smartphone, instead of the next Samsung, Huaweia or iPhone.

As a reviewer of the equipment, however, I have to wait for a moment to close the door to the room with my personal preferences and look at the device objectively. And then it turns out that from which side you would not look at the LG G8s, there will always be some "buts".

LG G8s ThinQ has a great specification, but ...

... at this price, we can buy phones with even better specifications. Snapdragon 855, 6 GB of RAM, 128 GB of data memory, 3550 mAh battery, triple camera - all this sounds great. Until we realize that we are talking about a smartphone for PLN 3,500, and if we look around the landscape of this price shelf, we will find almost exclusively better equipped devices.

OnePlus 7 o 7 Pro not to mention - it has a better specification. Oppo Reno 10x Zoom - has more RAM and more memory for data. Samsung Galaxy S10 - more RAM, more pixels on the screen. And where to mention the Xiaomi Mi9 , which on the paper eats LG G8s, and costs half as much?

Do not get it wrong, LG G8s ThinQ components are enough for almost everything, but when I used the Oppo Reno in parallel with the LG smartphone, unfortunately the difference in performance was seen at first glance.

LG G8s ThinQ has a great screen, but ...

... 2018 he called and asked him to give him a note. Ok - LG has a good excuse for a gargantuan indent in the screen, alive out of the X and XS iPhones. It houses a ToF sensor, enabling it how necessary AirMotion gestures unlocking the phone with a face scan, almost as reliable and safe as Face ID, but against the background of rivals who either have small incisions or do not have them at all, look pretty ... poor.

Unless I intend to pick up the resolution, because at 6.21 "2248 x 1080 px is more than enough value, so I have to attach to lower than the competition brightness, much worse than the competition of its automatic adaptation and higher than rivals color shifting when we look at the display at an angle.

LG G8s has a great screen, but the leaders are a bit lacking.

LG G8s ThinQ has great speakers, but ...

... where is the division of the Quad DAC, which was the biggest distinguishing feature of the flagship LG for years? And why was it removed from the LG G8s, since it has LG G8 available abroad?

I know that the answer to this question is "LG V40", which has a quad DAC on the board, but really, taking it out of the LG G8s equipment is simply shooting samobója.

Some will be comforted by the fact that the headphone jack in the LG G8s is at all, but for me it's a bit of a consolation when I have an LG V30 with a headphone jack that sounds better. The nice thing about this is that the double speakers in LG G8s ThinQ really are great, though ... and here I have one "but".

The top speaker has been slightly moved to the right to fit the ToF sensor. And because of that we have to change the handle of the phone slightly to aim the speaker in the ear during the conversation. A small thing, but it requires a habit.

LG G8s ThinQ has Android 9.0, but ...

... the overlay imposed on him cries out for heaven. I emphasized this on the occasion of the first impressions and I would like to emphasize again: LG needs to work on its Android distribution, because the competition has jumped back to light years. What's worse, the company does not have the best reputation for regular Android updates, so buyers can assume that Android Q may be the latest development version of the Green Robot that will hit their smartphone.

LG G8s ThinQ is well made and beautifully presented, but ...

... all you need is 30 seconds in your hands to (at least in Mirror Black) stop being beautiful. On the LG smartphone fat from the skin and any micro-sweat seen more than on any smartphone I have encountered in recent months.

As for the quality of workmanship, this one is exemplary, but ... not everywhere. Yes, the casing is strong enough to receive IP68 and MIL-STD810G certificates, and the screen covers Gorilla Glass 6, but the SIM card tray is made of cheap, flexible plastic, which can be easily damaged.

I also do not understand the bizarre location of the screen lock button - instead of being in the middle of the right edge of the case, it was at its top, where it is difficult to reach.

The LG G8s ThinQ has a bigger battery than the LG G8, but ...

... still too small to talk about it in other categories than "average". 3550 mAh is cell capacity that can store energy up one day of use, never more. And unfortunately, LG G8s also has a tendency to very uneven energy consumption in standby mode - in the case of my copy, the differences ranged between 5 and even 20 percent. within a few hours, although the latter extreme case probably resulted from the strange behavior of the 5 GHz network (Orange Funbox - greetings).

For comfort, we have fast charging and wireless charging, but we do not have reverse charge, which we could charge, for example, wireless headphones.

LG G8s ThinQ has a pretty good camera, but ...

... not bad enough. Especially when talking about a phone costing 3500 PLN.

The triple rear set (12 + 13 + 13 megapixels) really makes it. It is especially interesting in the case of a wide angle, which - surprisingly - is better than in the LG V40 and does not stick out so much quality from the sensor with a standard lens. Tele lens, as it usually does, still does not produce as good results as the other two, but it's hard to be surprised, since it is much darker than the rest of the rate (f / 2.6 vs f / 1.8 and f / 2.4).

During the day, it would be difficult to distinguish pictures taken LG G8s from photos taken with another top smartphone. Maybe you would like a slightly wider tonal range and better control of the x-rays, but it's cluttered - during the day the main LG G8s are able to produce fantastic results.

It looks much worse after dark, especially against the background of rivals who have mastered the highest quality night photography available for modern smartphones. You can not see it here. Pictures taken after dark are just average and nothing else.

The front camera is also average, which has a resolution of only 8 Mpix and produces effects almost identical to those of the LG V40.

Just like the LG V40, the LG G8s also makes up for all the shortcomings of the most advanced camera application available on Android smartphones straight from the manufacturer.

You can also not have any comments on the speed of application and the speed and precision of autofocus, at least during the day. Unfortunately, after dark it can miss.

LG G8s ThinQ is a great smartphone, but ...

…are better. And this is his biggest problem. For 3,500 zlotys, we will buy a lot better headphones, piercing the LG G8s in many respects.

It is a pity that LG cut the capital DAC for headphones with G8s ThinQ, because it deprived itself of the last distinguishing feature, which can be specifically pointed and say "here's the reason to choose LG instead of Samsung / Huaweia / Oppo / OnePlusa". This is what LG G8s is missing the most: one specific, clear reason to choose it instead of a smartphone competition, or even instead ... LG V40.

And I think that it is the LG V40 is the biggest problem LG G8s ThinQ, because even if someone is determined to buy a smartphone LG instead of a smartphone competition, he will do better by spending money on an older model. The LG V40 already costs under PLN 3000, has a good camera, a better and bigger screen, very similar performance despite the older processor and has a fantastic Quad DAC, which absolutely shakes every headphone jack in the history of smartphones.

There are no double speakers, but a single speaker at the bottom of the casing sounds good enough to satisfy the majority of recipients. I wrote in the review LG V40 - it will be the best smartphone you buy in half a year . It's been half a year and in fact, the LG V40 is a great choice. And certainly the best choice from the LG portfolio.

LG G8s ThinQ is not the best, but ...

... I still like him very much. And like the LG V40, which I'm smiling at just the memory, LG G8s is a living proof that the specification and comparison to the competition is not everything.

Apart from a bit of unpredictable energy consumption in standby mode, which may well be a matter of a specific product, LG G8s has earned my liking with one feature: predictability.

I test Android smartphones from various price shelves and unfortunately the last thing I can say about them is that they are stable and predictable in their operation. Even smartphones more expensive than LG G8s could hang on to me, cause problems with Bluetooth, with range, with network connectivity, with things that can not be included in the technical specification.

Meanwhile, the LG G8s from the first day of testing until now did not give me the slightest surprise. He never once disconnected the Bluetooth signal in the car (which really drives me crazy, especially when I'm going somewhere in a hurry, and the on-board computer displays the message "no connection"). Not once did he lose coverage during a phone call. He did not hang up once.

I was not afraid to take him to the beach or for long trips to the forest with a dog, because I knew that even if the phone fell out of my pocket, nothing more serious than scratching would happen to him.

In fact, I did not even think about these tests at the time of the tests, "I wish I had an X smartphone on hand, because ...". I just took it in my hand the first day, I set it up and the LG smartphone became transparent. That is exactly what modern consumer electronics should be.

Yes, LG G8s ThinQ is not the best. It is objectively too expensive to recommend a purchase with a clear conscience. But when its price falls even below PLN 3000, it is definitely worth giving it a chance.

Review of LG G8s ThinQ