At MWC 2019, LG unveiled its two new flagship phones under the G and V series moniker — the LG G8 and the LG V50. The LG G8 comes with some innovative new features, while the V50 packs 5G connectivity.
LG G8
The LG G8 features an “understated design” that does away with all nonessential design elements. It features a 6.1-inch QHD+ 19.5:9 aspect ratio display, 6GB RAM, 128GB storage, and a microSD card slot. However, the highlight of the G8 is the new Crystal Sound OLED feature and advanced palm vein authentication made possible by the use of a ToF Z camera and an infrared sensor. The former, as detailed by LG before, makes use of the display as a speaker diaphragm thereby eliminating the use of the front speaker completely.
As for the advanced palm vein authentication, LG is calling it Hand ID and it is able to identify the owner by recognizing the shape, thickness, and other such characteristics of the veins in one’s palm. The Z camera is also used on the LG G8 to capture portrait photos and for face unlock. There’s also Air Motion on the LG G8 that uses the ToF sensor for offering gestures to answer/end calls, take screenshots, adjust volume, and more. Another unique camera feature on the LG G8 is Video Portraits. So far, we have only seen smartphones capable of taking portrait photos and as the name suggests, video portraits allow one to record videos with a fake bokeh effect.
Other specs of the LG G8 include a Snapdragon 855 chip, Wi-Fi ac, USB-C, headphone jack, triple rear cameras, 3500mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0, Boombox speaker, Quad DAC, and more.
LG V50
The LG V50 is meant to capture the 5G hype in the market right now. It features a 6.4-inch QHD+ OLED display, Snapdragon 855 chip with X50 5G modem, a 4,000mAh battery, and Vapor Chamber cooling system. The 8.3mm thick smartphone also comes with an interesting optional accessory called Dual Screen. As the name suggests, it adds a secondary display to the LG V50 which can be used independently of the primary display.
There’s no ToF sensor on the V50 but it has the same primary camera setup as the LG G8. This means at the rear, there’s a triple-camera setup including a super wide angle 16MP shooter. At the front, there’s a dual-camera setup which includes an 8MP primary shooter and a 5MP super wide angle sensor.
What are your thoughts on the LG G8 and LG V50? Impressed? Or will you prefer the Galaxy S10 over it?
