LG G8s ThinQ: Great package in value flagship segment

The smartphone maker's focus has been to introduce their handsets in a rather hushed tone in the country, often minus the limelight.

The recently launched G8s ThinQ also follows suite. It was introduced in India for Rs 36,990 amid no fanfare with specifications as good as any other flagship smartphone. Well, at least on paper.

Powered by the mighty Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor coupled with water and dust resistance and stereo speakers, the smartphone seems to tick all the right boxes in the value flagship category. We used the 6GB RAM and 128GB onboard storage variant (only this variant is available in India) for a few days to find out.

The LG G8s ThinQ should absolutely not be confused with the LG G8 ThinQ.

Talking about the design language, we used the Mirror Black variant, which indeed had a highly glossy and reflective finish at the rear.

Pick the phone in your hand and you would know it has a premium built. But, given the glass front and rear, it would be impossible to use it without a cover and not get fingerprint smudges.

The glass sandwich design is completed with a metal frame beautifully melted in with the glass, thus, giving it an iPhone-like look too.

According to the company, there is a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 6 on the rear and Gorilla Glass 5 on the front to prevent it from scratches, which is fairly correct.

To protect the phone from water and dust, there is the IP68 certification along with MIL-STD-810G compliance for protection against shock.

The power key sits on the right and the volume buttons are on the left with a dedicated Google Assistant button below.

It has thick bezels and a large notch which might disappoint few prospective buyers.

The 6.2-inch FHD+ 2248x1080 display is every bit bright and works well under direct sunlight with realistic colours and deep blacks.

Some may find the Snapdragon 855 processor a bit outdated, but it ensures the performance is smooth. Browsing, multimedia consumption, etc. is fast.

Like other LG G-series and V-series devices, the G8s ThinQ also impresses in the camera department.

The triple rear camera set up comprising a 12MP primary sensor with a 13MP wide-angle lens and a 12MP telephoto sensor produces great photographs with fine details.

Exposures are accurate, but focus is a little on and off on the primary camera. Night photography is also good.

Both the portrait mode and AI mode work equally well.

Talking about the battery, it is a little disappointing to see LG offering a 3,550mAh battery at this price point. Also, given the FHD+ screen, it would have been nice if LG fitted the phone with a bigger battery.

However, there is Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, which we found to be strictly okay.

In terms of software, LG ships the G8s ThinQ with Android 9 operating system (OS) with its heavily customised user interface (UI).

The earpiece is placed a little off-centre which looks a bit awkward.

Conclusion: The LG G8s ThinQ is a very capable Android smartphone with top notch chipset and ample RAM capacity. The latest from the South Korean manufacturer ticks most of the right boxes and poses competition to the likes of OnePlus 7T and Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro.