Samsung and LG are two South Korean tech giants that have a healthy rivalry in so many markets, including phones, until LG pulled the plug in 2021. Today we want to rewind a couple of years earlier for the story of the last of the G series.
The LG G8 ThinQ marked the end of an influential and quite popular smartphone series that began in 2012 with the Optimus G. The G family also included innovative phones like the LG G3 and LG G5. But things were already falling apart when the G8 arrived.
The LG G8 ThinQ
First, you may have noticed the change in name. The “Optimus” brand never got the recognition that Samsung’s “Galaxy” did, so the phones quickly transitioned to the short and sweet “LG G” naming scheme.
This lasted until early 2018, when “ThinQ” was added with the LG V30S ThinQ, an update to the existing LG V30. ThinQ (pronounced “think-cue”) is LG’s brand for its premium lines of TVs and appliances.
It was first introduced on a smart refrigerator, a refrigerator equipped with an LCD display to make food management easier: it kept track of what’s in the refrigerator, when it expired, and so on, which you could view on your smartphone while doing shopping. the supermarket. People may have hated Bixbi, but at least they talked about it. The response to ThinQ on mobile has been indifference.
Anyone remember ThinQ?
Brand aside, LG had also lagged behind the competition in terms of design. Just check the size of that notch: It was out of fashion well before 2019. Compare the G8 to the Galaxy S10, launched around the same time.
The S10 used a punch-hole instead of a notch, had an under-display fingerprint reader, and there was a telephoto lens on the back. These were (and still are) the common traits of an Android flagship.
LG G8 ThinQ • LG G8 ThinQ • Galaxy S10
This is where the story gets a little confusing. The LG G8 had a telephoto lens… in some places. The model for South Korea featured a 12MP module with a 52mm lens (2x zoom) and OIS. However, we never got to test it as we only received the global unit for review. That one only had two cameras: 12MP wide and 16MP ultrawide.
The LG G8 ThinQ launched in the US at $820, although there was an early bird discount of $150. The Korean model cost 897,600 KRW. The Galaxy S10 on the other hand cost $900, so it was more expensive, but it also felt like it. And prices stabilized quite quickly anyway.
There was also a cheaper version of the G8, the LG G8S ThinQ. It had a 6.21-inch FHD+ OLED display, lower resolution than the G8’s 6.1-inch QHD+ panel. However, it used the same Snapdragon 855 chipset as the G8 (and some S10 units) and had one camera, a 49mm 12MP unit. What was the point of launching a very similar phone? LG should have just put those cameras on the global model and be done with it.
LG G8S ThinQ
There was yet another model, the LG G8X ThinQ. This came with a significantly larger display, a 6.4-inch OLED panel with FHD+ resolution. And it used the Snapdragon 855, although this skipped the camera. The battery capacity went up to 4,000 mAh (up from 3,500 mAh on the regular G8), which gave it much better endurance. However, this was neither an LG G8+ nor an LG G8 Lite.
LG G8X ThinQ
Samsung, meanwhile, had a well-structured range. It launched the Galaxy S10 and S10+, expecting them to be the best-sellers of the year (and they eclipsed the S9 series). He also tried something different with the little Galaxy S10e. Then it released the first ever 5G phone, the Galaxy S10 5G. Samsung’s first foldable, the original Galaxy Fold, also arrived in early 2019.
Galaxy S10, S10+, S10e and S10 5G
Samsung had the backbone of Vanilla and Plus models to carry the year as it took its first steps into the future of 5G and foldable devices. Meanwhile, LG left us scratching our heads with the G8, G8S, and G8X. They were similar enough to confuse people as to which one they should get. And despite having three models, the series seemed lacking in a phone for those who knew they wanted something different.
When all the dust settled, we felt that LG’s G series had lost its luster. The V Series still had a lot of promise, but it seemed like LG didn’t know which direction to go. This was evident with phones like the LG Wing, which was crazy (or maybe just crazy), but it’s just a footnote in the history of mobile. Meanwhile, these days every brand is rushing to launch its own foldable phone.
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