LG Unveils G8 with Hand Biometrics and V50 with Dual Screen Accessory

Mobile World Congress is just getting underway, and LG is wasting no time putting all its cards on the table. The company has unveiled the LG G8 ThinQ and the LG V50. Both of these devices have a few tricks up their sleeves with the aim of standing out from the Samsungs and Googles of the world. However, a mix of hand-based biometrics and dual-display add-ons might not be enough.

The LG G8 is showing up right on time, and it matches the leaks almost exactly. This phone has all the expected 2019 smartphone accouterments including a Snapdragon 855, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a 6.1-inch 1440p OLED. There’s a small notch up at the top, and the phone has a bit more bezel than the Galaxy S10.

The display isn’t only for looking at — you can also listen to it. There’s no earpiece on the G8 ThinQ. Instead, the screen vibrates to produce sound. It’s neat but probably not enough of a selling point to tempt those who would otherwise buy a Samsung device.

LG’s other G8 feature is called the “Z Camera.” It uses an infrared beam of light to identify and track your hand. The Z Camera can actually map the veins in your palm to unlock the phone, which is a neat gimmick but also clunky and much slower than basically every other way of unlocking your phone. The Z Camera also enables touchless gestures like turning virtual knobs to change the volume. Everyone who’s tried this says the feature is extremely finicky.

LG has also taken the unusual step of announcing the V50 ThinQ at MWC — its V-series phones usually launch in the fall. However, some versions of this phone will start hitting retail in a few months, including one with Sprint 5G. Internally, the V50 is very similar to the G8. There’s a Snapdragon 855, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. The 6.4-inch 1440p OLED doesn’t act as a speaker, but you do get LG’s customary Quad DAC and a 4,000mAh battery. There’s no Z Camera.

The 5G support will be one of the V50’s selling points, but LTE variants will no doubt appear as well. The other stand-out feature is an accessory, the Dual Screen. This is a phone case that answers the trend toward foldable phones. Rather than make a larger folding display, LG added a second 6-inch OLED panel to a phone case. It connects to the V50 via pogo pins and some unspecified Wi-Fi protocol. There are definite shades of the Kyocera Echo here.

LG hasn’t committed to specific launch dates or pricing, but the G8 will be available on all carriers in the next month or so. The V50 will be a slower rollout that focuses on 5G.

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