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LG G8S ThinQ Smartphone Review: Innovative or outdated?

A notch too far. The LG G8S ThinQ has arrived late to the party, but it still brings a flagship SoC, a large OLED display, a ToF camera and a 3,550 mAh battery. The G8S ThinQ may have fancy camera tech, but it is otherwise a fairly run-of-the-mill flagship. However, read on to find out why we still think highly of LG’s latest attempt to disrupt the established order.
LG G8s

LG announced the G8S ThinQ alongside the G8 ThinQ at MWC 2019 in Barcelona back in February. The two devices initially caused a stir because of their innovative time of flight (ToF) cameras, which use infrared to analyse and collect depth-of-field information from a scene before relaying it to the main camera. This can help create more accurate augmented reality (AR) and potentially richer photos. Inexplicably, LG decided against releasing the G8 ThinQ in Europe and has taken until now to bring the G8S ThinQ to market, almost five months after it was originally announced.

So here it is; LG’s flagship G series device for 2019 in Europe. The G8S ThinQ ticks all the basics for a 2019 flagship with its Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC, 6.2-inch OLED screen, several cameras, current LTE and Wi-Fi standards, along with stereo speakers. Oh, and a notch. A huge notch.

The G8S ThinQ is comparatively reasonably priced at launch, with an MSRP of 769 Euros (~US$867). This is more expensive than the Huawei P30, the entry-level OnePlus 7 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S10e. The latter is pitched as an affordable flagship, underlining just how good value for money the G8S ThinQ is in 2019. Apple’s cheapest smartphone of last year, the iPhone XR, is more expensive than the G8S ThinQ though, as is the Sony Xperia 1. Prices have already started dropping just a few weeks after launch, making the G8S ThinQ even better value for money. We shall compare our review unit against all those devices and its predecessor, the G7 ThinQ.

LG G8s ThinQ (G8 Series)
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 8 x 2.8 GHz, Cortex-A76 / A55 (Kryo 485)
Graphics adapter
Memory
6 GB 
Display
6.20 inch 18.7:9, 2248 x 1080 pixel 402 PPI, capacitive touchscreen, P-OLED, Notch, glossy: yes, 60 Hz
Storage
128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash, 128 GB 
, 106 GB free
Connections
1 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm headphone jack, Card Reader: Up to 2 TB microSD cards, 1 Fingerprint Reader, NFC, Brightness Sensor, Sensors: Accelerometer, barometer, compass, gyroscope, proximity sensor, USB Type-C
Networking
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 5.0, 2G: 850, 900, 1,800, 1,900. 3G: B1, B2, B5, B8. 4G: B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B7, B8, B12, B17, B20, B28, B32, B38, B39, B40, B41., Dual SIM, LTE, GPS
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 7.99 x 155.3 x 76.6 ( = 0.31 x 6.11 x 3.02 in)
Battery
3550 mAh Lithium-Polymer, Quick Charge 3.0
Operating System
Android 9.0 Pie
Camera
Primary Camera: 12 MPix , f/1.8, Phase Detection AF (PDAF), LED Flash, videos at 2160p/ 60 FPS. 13.0 MP, f/2.4, wide-angle lens. 12.0 MP, f/2.6, telephoto lens.
Secondary Camera: 8 MPix , f/1.9, videos at 1080p / 30 FPS. ToF secondary camera
Additional features
Speakers: Stereo speakers, Keyboard: virtual keyboard, USB charger, USB cable, silicone case, cleaning cloth, headset, USB tool, 24 Months Warranty, SAR values: Body - 1.587 W/kg, Head - 0.482 W/kg. LTE Cat 20/5 (2,000 Mbps/75 Mbps), fanless
Weight
181 g ( = 6.38 oz / 0.4 pounds), Power Supply: 65 g ( = 2.29 oz / 0.14 pounds)
Price
669 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

One of the first things that you may notice about the G8S ThinQ is its huge notch. It is not as thick as the one Google opted for with the Pixel 3 XL, but it makes the G8S ThinQ look antiquated next to something like the OnePlus 7 Pro. The notch houses the ToF camera though, so it is not all for show, and the G8S ThinQ still manages an over 80% screen-to-body ratio. It has narrow side bezels too.

The back of the device has a glossy glass design like many modern flagships, which does not impede the various antennas like a metal back would. The G8S ThinQ does not distinguish itself from other flagships in regard to design, with it being a metal and glass sandwich, but it still looks nice. Currently, LG only sells the device in what it calls Mirror Black, which looks more like a bluish grey than black to our eyes. It will eventually start selling a white version too.

The footprint and weight of the G8S ThinQ puts the device squarely in the middle of our comparison devices. It is not especially compact, thin or light, but it is a nice compromise if you want a phone with a large display but without being as long as the Xperia 1.

Our review unit is well-built, with it withstanding all attempts at bending or twisting. The device is IP68-certified too, meaning that it is dust-tight and water-resistant. It is also MIL-STD-810 compliant, which means it must have successfully passed 14 environmental and climatic tests. However, no independent organisation or agency certifies MIL-STD-810 compliance, so the conditions under which LG tested it are unclear.

LG G8S ThinQ
LG G8S ThinQ
LG G8S ThinQ
LG G8S ThinQ
LG G8S ThinQ
LG G8S ThinQ
LG G8S ThinQ
LG G8S ThinQ

Size Comparison

167 mm / 6.57 inch 72 mm / 2.83 inch 8.2 mm / 0.3228 inch 178 g0.3924 lbs162.6 mm / 6.4 inch 75.9 mm / 2.99 inch 8.8 mm / 0.3465 inch 206 g0.4542 lbs155.3 mm / 6.11 inch 76.6 mm / 3.02 inch 7.99 mm / 0.3146 inch 181 g0.399 lbs153.2 mm / 6.03 inch 71.9 mm / 2.83 inch 7.9 mm / 0.311 inch 162 g0.3571 lbs150.9 mm / 5.94 inch 75.7 mm / 2.98 inch 8.3 mm / 0.3268 inch 194 g0.4277 lbs149.1 mm / 5.87 inch 71.36 mm / 2.81 inch 7.57 mm / 0.298 inch 165 g0.3638 lbs142.2 mm / 5.6 inch 69.9 mm / 2.75 inch 7.9 mm / 0.311 inch 150 g0.3307 lbs148 mm / 5.83 inch 105 mm / 4.13 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 1.5 g0.00331 lbs

Connectivity

The G8S ThinQ comes with 128 GB of UFS 2.1 flash storage and 6 GB of RAM, although you can add up to a 2 TB microSD card should you need more space. The device supports all modern file systems including exFAT, meaning that it can read files that are larger than 4 GB. The G8S ThinQ is a dual-SIM device too, but its second card slot is a hybrid one, forcing you to choose between dual-SIM functionality and microSD card expansion. Moreover, microSD cards can only be formatted as external storage, restricting apps and data to only the 128 GB of internal storage.

Naturally, the G8S ThinQ supports Bluetooth 5.0 and NFC. The 3.5 mm headphone jack makes a return too, calling into question why other OEMs have chosen to omit it from their recent flagship devices.

Under side: speaker, USB Type-C port, microphone, 3.5 mm headphone jack
Under side: speaker, USB Type-C port, microphone, 3.5 mm headphone jack
Top: microphone
Top: microphone
Right-hand side: power button, card slot
Right-hand side: power button, card slot
Left-hand side: Google Assistant button, volume rocker
Left-hand side: Google Assistant button, volume rocker

Software

The G8S ThinQ ships with Android 9.0 Pie, atop of which LG adds its skin. The company has made a few minor UI adjustments compared to stock Android and included a few additional settings. We like that LG has put a brightness slider in Quick Settings by default, allowing you to manually adjust the brightness without diving into the settings menu. Incidentally, LG has done a good job at organising Settings, having added some practical options like display colour options.

The G8S ThinQ comes with the standard set of Google apps along with several in-house ones like Smart Doctor and Games Launcher. Unfortunately, we can only disable and not uninstall the preinstalled Amazon Assistant app.

LG had pushed out the May 2019 security patch to our review unit at the time of testing, which was relatively up to date. However, we hope that the company rolls out a new one soon.

Software information
Software information
Display colour options
Display colour options
Default home screen
Default home screen

Communication & GPS

The G8S ThinQ supports all modern Wi-Fi standards up to 802.11ac, although some flagships like the Galaxy S10 series support the newer ax standard, also known as Wi-Fi 6. Our review unit fell short of its predecessor in our iperf3 Client Wi-Fi tests with our Linksys EA8500 reference router, but it still averaged over 500 Mb/s with a few fluctuations.

The G8S ThinQ supports plenty of LTE bands too, making it capable of being used on intercontinental trips. The device supports LTE Cat. 20 for up to 2 Gb/s download speeds and 75 Mb/s upload speeds. The former is mighty impressive, although few carriers currently support these speeds. The G8S ThinQ’s upload speeds are rather slow by modern flagship standards though. Our review unit also maintained decent network reception during our tests in a built-up urban area.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Huawei P30
Mali-G76 MP10, Kirin 980, 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
680 (646min - 700max) MBit/s +35%
LG G7 ThinQ
Adreno 630, SD 845, 64 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
651 MBit/s +30%
Apple iPhone XR
A12 Bionic GPU, A12 Bionic, 128 GB NVMe
644 (578min - 672max) MBit/s +28%
Sony Xperia 1
Adreno 640, SD 855, 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
531 (414min - 620max) MBit/s +6%
LG G8s ThinQ
Adreno 640, SD 855, 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
502 (465min - 517max) MBit/s
OnePlus 7 Pro
Adreno 640, SD 855, 256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash
471 (438min - 506max) MBit/s -6%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Mali-G76 MP12, Exynos 9820, 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
468 (351min - 489max) MBit/s -7%
iperf3 receive AX12
LG G7 ThinQ
Adreno 630, SD 845, 64 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
656 MBit/s +13%
Sony Xperia 1
Adreno 640, SD 855, 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
617 (356min - 662max) MBit/s +7%
LG G8s ThinQ
Adreno 640, SD 855, 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
578 (474min - 617max) MBit/s
Huawei P30
Mali-G76 MP10, Kirin 980, 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
544 (38min - 618max) MBit/s -6%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Mali-G76 MP12, Exynos 9820, 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
520 (445min - 571max) MBit/s -10%
Apple iPhone XR
A12 Bionic GPU, A12 Bionic, 128 GB NVMe
517 (477min - 528max) MBit/s -11%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Adreno 640, SD 855, 256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash
467 (375min - 519max) MBit/s -19%
Average of class Smartphone
  (last 2 years)
376 MBit/s -35%
03570105140175210245280315350385420455490525560595Tooltip
LG G8s ThinQ; iperf3 receive AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø578 (474-617)
LG G8s ThinQ; iperf3 transmit AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø502 (465-517)
GPS Test: Indoors
GPS Test: Indoors
GPS Test: At a window
GPS Test: At a window
GPS Test: Outdoors
GPS Test: Outdoors

The G8S ThinQ uses BeiDou, Galileo, GLONASS and GPS, including A-GPS navigation for location services. Our review unit can maintain a satellite fix with up to four metres accuracy outdoors, which is on par with other modern flagships. Disappointingly, it could not find us indoors even when we stood next to a window, something that even some midrange devices can do.

We also took the G8S ThinQ on a bike ride to compare its location accuracy against our reference bike computer, the Garmin Edge 520. Impressively, our review unit proved more accurate than the Garmin in certain sections of our 14 km bike ride, with it plotting one of the most accurate routes we have ever seen. In short, the G8S ThinQ could replace most consumer-grade navigation devices; it is that accurate.

GPS test: Garmin Edge 520 - Overview
GPS test: Garmin Edge 520 - Overview
GPS test: Garmin Edge 520 - Loop
GPS test: Garmin Edge 520 - Loop
GPS test: Garmin Edge 520 – Bridge
GPS test: Garmin Edge 520 – Bridge
GPS test: LG G8S ThinQ - Overview
GPS test: LG G8S ThinQ - Overview
GPS test: LG G8S ThinQ - Loop
GPS test: LG G8S ThinQ - Loop
GPS test: LG G8S ThinQ – Bridge q
GPS test: LG G8S ThinQ – Bridge

Telephone Features & Call Quality

LG preinstalls its in-house suite of telephony apps. The apps work well and function like the endless alternatives, although the Phone app opens to the dialler rather than your call history as the Google app does. The Phone app divides call history, contacts and favourites into tabs though, with it also being possible to create contact groups should you wish to do so.

Our review unit has decent, albeit not outstanding call quality. Our test calls never sounded crystal clear, with our call partner sounding better over speakerphone than using just the earpiece. The microphone transmitted our voice well though.

Cameras

Photographed with the front-facing camera
Photographed with the front-facing camera

LG equips the G8S ThinQ with three rear-facing cameras, with a 12 MP main sensor being supported by a 13 MP wide-angle sensor and a 12 MP telephoto lens. The latter supports optical zoom, while the default camera software allows you to combine shots from all three sensors into one GIF, should you find that useful.

The main rear-facing camera has an f/1.8 aperture and a large pixel diameter of 1.4 microns, theoretically allowing it to process plenty of light even in poorly lit scenes. Our test shots are richly detailed and look excellent in good light, with the 12 MP sensor able to keep up with the flagships like the iPhone XS Max. The main sensor lacks the light sensitivity of its peers though, with bright sunlight looking overexposed and the roof edges in scene 2 coming out a little overshadowed. Overall, the iPhone XS Max takes a much more rounded picture, in our opinion. The sensor retains plenty of details in low light too, while objects also look sharp. However, the scene looks noticeably underexposed, which is a shame. Incidentally, the telephoto and wide-angle lenses also take good pictures.

These cameras are complemented by an unspectacular 8 MP front-facing sensor and a ToF camera, the latter of which being one of the biggest selling points of the G8S ThinQ. As mentioned earlier, the ToF camera uses infrared to create a 3D model of a scene and capture more depth-of-field information than a conventional camera sensor can. Apple uses a different technology for its face recognition and AR emojis, but companies like Tesla use ToF to allow their self-driving cars to map out their surrounding environment. By contrast, the G8S ThinQ uses its ToF camera to help create more accurate bokeh effects, although the differences between the ones captured by our review unit and something like the Pixel 3 XL are minimal. We will also cover the other applications of the ToF camera in the Input Devices & Operation section of this review.

The G8S ThinQ can also record videos in up to 4K at 60 FPS, although the device cannot use its optical image stabilisation (OIS) at these settings. Unfortunately, you must drop the frame rate to 30 FPS if you want to shoot in 4K. The image quality of videos is just as good as photos, and we like that the default camera app can switch between focal lengths while recording. Unfortunately, this looks rather abrupt in recordings, with there being no smooth transition between cameras.

Image Comparison

Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.

Scene 1Scene 2Scene 3
click to load images
Standard sensor
Standard sensor
Telephoto lens
Telephoto lens
Ultra-wide sensor
Ultra-wide sensor
Standard sensor during a train ride
Standard sensor during a train ride
Standard sensor
Telephoto lens during a train ride

We also subjected the G8S ThinQ to further camera tests under controlled lighting conditions to assess the colour accuracy of its main rear-facing camera. The sensor does a good job at reproducing ColorChecker Passport reference colours accurately, although some colours are a little overexposed. Likewise, while our test chart looks sharp at the centre of the image below, contrast and sharpness levels drop off noticeably towards its outer edges.

Overall, LG has equipped the G8S ThinQ with a versatile and decent set of cameras. Its ToF camera is a nice addition, as are the three rear-facing cameras. However, the main sensor should do a better job in low-light conditions because our test shots are unacceptably underexposed.

A photo of our test chart
A photo of our test chart
ColorChecker Passport: The lower half of each area of colour displays the reference colour
Our test chart in detail
A photo of our test chart shot in low light at 1 lux

Accessories & Warranty

The G8S ThinQ comes with a pair of headphones, a charger, charging cable and a SIM tool. There is also a silicone case and a cleaning cloth. Currently, LG does not sell any G8S ThinQ specific accessories, but you can buy screen protectors and cases from third-party retailers.

The G8S ThinQ comes with a 24-month limited manufacturer’s warranty. Please see our Guarantees, Return Policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information. LG preinstalls a remote access app too, which allows its support teams to analyse your device before sending it in for a warranty repair. You must enable this before you can use it though, as it does not come enabled by default.

Input Devices & Operation

The G8S ThinQ comes with an accurate touchscreen, with there also being hardware buttons for volume control and power like almost every smartphone. LG has also included a dedicated Google Assistant button, which cannot be assigned to a different app or command.

The ToF camera can be used to perform air-motion gestures, examples of which you may have seen in G8 ThinQ reviews. We found them intuitive and innovative, but they can be tricky to get right. Basically, you hold your hand a little away from the camera, with a small illuminated bar appearing once the ToF camera has detected your hand. You can then switch tracks, change the volume and take photos, all of which sound great in theory. While it offers a glimpse into the future, the area within which the ToF camera recognises gestures is small, often leading to the device not recognising the movement that you have performed. In short, air-motion gestures are currently a gimmick, but they could eventually revolutionise how people interact with their smartphones.

LG has included a fingerprint sensor on the back of the G8S ThinQ too, which reliably and quickly unlocks our review unit. You can even use the pattern of your veins in your hand to unlock your device, but this does not work as well as the fingerprint scanner does. The G8S ThinQ has facial authentication too, which works better than the vein recognition does. However, it is also slower than the fingerprint scanner at unlocking the device, leaving the latter as the fastest and most reliable way of unlocking the G8S ThinQ.

Using the default keyboard in portrait mode
Using the default keyboard in portrait mode
Using the default keyboard in landscape mode
Using the default keyboard in landscape mode

Display

Sub-pixel array
Sub-pixel array

A major leap for the LG G series is the transition from IPS to OLED screens. The G8S ThinQ has an OLED panel like many modern flagships, which offers better colour accuracy and contrast than the IPS equivalent in the G7 ThinQ.

The change in display technology does have its downsides though. The G8S ThinQ operates natively at 2248x1080, a lower resolution than the 3120x1440 display in the G7 ThinQ. Moreover, our review unit has an average maximum luminosity of 556 cd/m² and is 88% evenly lit, both of which fall far short of the G7 ThinQ. The G8S ThinQ still gets bright by modern flagship standards, but it cannot compete with the G7 ThinQ and its 975 cd/m² bright display.

531
cd/m²
549
cd/m²
580
cd/m²
538
cd/m²
539
cd/m²
572
cd/m²
539
cd/m²
550
cd/m²
605
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 605 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 555.9 cd/m² Minimum: 3.7 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 88 %
Center on Battery: 539 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 3.78 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 2.2 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
146.9% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.274
LG G8s ThinQ
P-OLED, 2248x1080, 6.20
Apple iPhone XR
IPS, 1792x828, 6.10
Sony Xperia 1
OLED, 3840x1644, 6.50
LG G7 ThinQ
IPS, 3120x1440, 6.10
OnePlus 7 Pro
AMOLED, 3120x1440, 6.67
Samsung Galaxy S10e
AMOLED, 2280x1080, 5.80
Huawei P30
OLED, 2340x1080, 6.10
Screen
29%
35%
-16%
29%
13%
26%
Brightness middle
539
672
25%
541
0%
974
81%
586
9%
426
-21%
561
4%
Brightness
556
641
15%
543
-2%
975
75%
584
5%
427
-23%
560
1%
Brightness Distribution
88
92
5%
99
13%
96
9%
97
10%
96
9%
95
8%
Black Level *
0.35
0.49
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
3.78
1.3
66%
0.8
79%
5.4
-43%
1.39
63%
2.14
43%
1.5
60%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
6.95
2.7
61%
1.7
76%
13.1
-88%
2.7
61%
3.29
53%
2.5
64%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
2.2
2.2
-0%
1.2
45%
5
-127%
1.6
27%
1.8
18%
1.8
18%
Gamma
2.274 97%
2.3 96%
2.2 100%
2.31 95%
2.243 98%
2.111 104%
2.2 100%
CCT
6013 108%
6868 95%
6601 98%
7480 87%
6672 97%
6329 103%
6512 100%
Contrast
1920
1988

* ... smaller is better

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM detected 235 Hz

The display backlight flickers at 235 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) .

The frequency of 235 Hz is relatively low, so sensitive users will likely notice flickering and experience eyestrain at the stated brightness setting and below.

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Another downside of OLED panels is that they use pulse-width modulation (PWM) to regulate their brightness, which can cause eye strain and headaches for some people. The display in our review unit flickers at 235 Hz, a frequency that is low enough to cause health issues for those who are PWM sensitive.

OLED panels can switch off pixels individually though, giving devices like the G8S ThinQ a theoretically infinite contrast ratio and a 0 cd/m² black value. LG has included various presets for adjusting the colour reproduction of the display too, which is a nice touch. You can even set the white balance manually too, should you wish to tinker with how colours look. We included a screenshot of the display options in the Software section of this review, of which Cinema mode is the most colour accurate. CalMAN is not completely reliable at measuring colour spaces, but it does show that the G8S ThinQ comfortably covers all of sRGB and a large portion of DCI-P3.

LG includes an option that allows the display to automatically adjust its colours to suit ambient lighting. This works like Apple True Tone and should help keep the display looking colour accurate in all lighting conditions.

CalMAN: Grayscale – Default settings
CalMAN: Grayscale – Default settings
CalMAN: Colour Accuracy – Default settings
CalMAN: Colour Accuracy – Default settings
CalMAN: Colour Space – Default settings
CalMAN: Colour Space – Default settings
CalMAN: Colour Saturation – Default settings
CalMAN: Colour Saturation – Default settings
CalMAN: Grayscale – Cinema
CalMAN: Grayscale – Cinema
CalMAN: Colour Accuracy – Cinema
CalMAN: Colour Accuracy – Cinema
CalMAN: Colour Space – Cinema
CalMAN: Colour Space – Cinema
CalMAN: Colour Saturation – Cinema
CalMAN: Colour Saturation – Cinema
CalMAN: AdobeRGB colour space
CalMAN: AdobeRGB colour space
CalMAN: DCI P3 colour space
CalMAN: DCI P3 colour space
 
 

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 3 ms rise
↘ 3 ms fall
The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 13 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 3 ms rise
↘ 5 ms fall
The screen shows fast response rates in our tests and should be suited for gaming.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 15 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

The G8S ThinQ is easy to use outdoors, with its brightness sensor reacting quickly to changing lighting conditions. The display has a highly reflective finish though, which can impede readability in bright sunlight. Positively, the OLED panel has stable viewing angles, with there being only minor colour distortions at acute angles.

Using the LG G8S ThinQ outdoors with automatic brightness switched on
Using the LG G8S ThinQ outdoors with automatic brightness switched on
Using the LG G8S ThinQ outdoors at maximum manual brightness
Using the LG G8S ThinQ outdoors at maximum manual brightness
Using the LG G8S ThinQ outdoors at medium manual brightness
Using the LG G8S ThinQ outdoors at medium manual brightness
Using the LG G8S ThinQ outdoors at minimum manual brightness
Using the LG G8S ThinQ outdoors at minimum manual brightness
Viewing angles
Viewing angles
 
 
 

Performance

The G8S ThinQ features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC, a staple of 2019 flagships. Our review unit falls short of the OnePlus 7 Pro and Xperia 1 in synthetic benchmarks, but it still holds its own against the Galaxy S10e, the Huawei P30, and its predecessor, the G7 ThinQ. We shall cover why the G8S ThinQ performs worse than its Snapdragon 855-powered contemporaries in the Emissions section of this review.

Overall, the G8S ThinQ has flagship-level performance, and you shouldn't notice any slowdowns in daily use. System benchmark results like PCMark for Android underline this, with the G8S ThinQ finishing second to the OnePlus 7 Pro in our comparison table.

Geekbench 4.4
64 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
3406 Points
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
4750 Points +39%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
3506 Points +3%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
2448 Points -28%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
3472 Points +2%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
4506 Points +32%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
3207 Points -6%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (3406 - 3537, n=14)
3480 Points +2%
Average of class Smartphone
  (800 - 9574, n=90, last 2 years)
5063 Points +49%
64 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
10274 Points
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
11276 Points +10%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
11172 Points +9%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
9029 Points -12%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
10812 Points +5%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
10553 Points +3%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
9547 Points -7%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (10187 - 11388, n=14)
10955 Points +7%
Average of class Smartphone
  (2630 - 26990, n=90, last 2 years)
13549 Points +32%
Compute RenderScript Score (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
7442 Points
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
21070 Points +183%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
7509 Points +1%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
13497 Points +81%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
7470 Points 0%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
10170 Points +37%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
5864 Points -21%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (7372 - 8024, n=12)
7629 Points +3%
Average of class Smartphone
  (2053 - 18432, n=70, last 2 years)
10590 Points +42%
PCMark for Android
Work performance score (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
11890 Points
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
10747 Points -10%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
9503 Points -20%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
11766 Points -1%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
10008 Points -16%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
9890 Points -17%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (10330 - 14439, n=19)
12161 Points +2%
Average of class Smartphone
  (10884 - 19297, n=2, last 2 years)
15091 Points +27%
Work 2.0 performance score (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
9125 Points
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
8760 Points -4%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
7717 Points -15%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
9974 Points +9%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
7966 Points -13%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
8016 Points -12%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (8342 - 11440, n=19)
9710 Points +6%
Average of class Smartphone
  (9101 - 12871, n=4, last 2 years)
10872 Points +19%
3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
65945 Points
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
77597 Points +18%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
65656 Points 0%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
56669 Points -14%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
64389 Points -2%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
56465 Points -14%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
35680 Points -46%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (55771 - 83518, n=17)
70036 Points +6%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
97354 Points
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
162695 Points +67%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
105718 Points +9%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
80534 Points -17%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
106829 Points +10%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
72022 Points -26%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
44261 Points -55%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (97354 - 110432, n=17)
105781 Points +9%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
30972 Points
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
27413 Points -11%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
28223 Points -9%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
27817 Points -10%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
26936 Points -13%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
32155 Points +4%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
21257 Points -31%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (20636 - 45072, n=18)
32923 Points +6%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
5251 Points
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
5724 Points +9%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
7197 Points +37%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
5799 Points +10%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
7501 Points +43%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
4015 Points -24%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
3337 Points -36%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (5251 - 7820, n=18)
7091 Points +35%
Average of class Smartphone
  (712 - 7285, n=52, last 2 years)
3495 Points -33%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Graphics (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
6122 Points
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
7806 Points +28%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
9447 Points +54%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
7633 Points +25%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
9845 Points +61%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
4507 Points -26%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
3281 Points -46%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (6122 - 10008, n=18)
9272 Points +51%
Average of class Smartphone
  (618 - 9451, n=52, last 2 years)
3845 Points -37%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Physics (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
3505 Points
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
2960 Points -16%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
3656 Points +4%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
3150 Points -10%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
4091 Points +17%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
2906 Points -17%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
3548 Points +1%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (3001 - 4618, n=18)
3925 Points +12%
Average of class Smartphone
  (1093 - 4525, n=52, last 2 years)
2989 Points -15%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
5268 Points
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
7555 Points +43%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
5552 Points +5%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
5877 Points +12%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
7955 Points +51%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
4321 Points -18%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
3226 Points -39%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (5268 - 8141, n=18)
7186 Points +36%
Average of class Smartphone
  (704 - 23024, n=115, last 2 years)
9014 Points +71%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited Graphics (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
6358 Points
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
14085 Points +122%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
9158 Points +44%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
7882 Points +24%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
10420 Points +64%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
4886 Points -23%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
3491 Points -45%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (6358 - 10420, n=18)
9569 Points +51%
Average of class Smartphone
  (607 - 45492, n=114, last 2 years)
15728 Points +147%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
3293 Points
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
2880 Points -13%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
2345 Points -29%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
3109 Points -6%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
4352 Points +32%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
3077 Points -7%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
2550 Points -23%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (2345 - 4703, n=18)
3892 Points +18%
Average of class Smartphone
  (1075 - 8749, n=114, last 2 years)
4327 Points +31%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
5068 Points
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
3629 Points -28%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
4556 Points -10%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
4471 Points -12%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
5581 Points +10%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
4477 Points -12%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
4020 Points -21%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (4556 - 5747, n=20)
5489 Points +8%
Average of class Smartphone
  (286 - 7890, n=102, last 2 years)
2665 Points -47%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Graphics (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
6040 Points
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
3806 Points -37%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
5663 Points -6%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
5006 Points -17%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
6248 Points +3%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
5206 Points -14%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
4200 Points -30%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (5429 - 6362, n=20)
6201 Points +3%
Average of class Smartphone
  (240 - 9814, n=102, last 2 years)
2655 Points -56%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Physics (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
3242 Points
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
3121 Points -4%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
2705 Points -17%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
3255 Points 0%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
4063 Points +25%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
3005 Points -7%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
3496 Points +8%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (2705 - 4612, n=20)
3954 Points +22%
Average of class Smartphone
  (858 - 4679, n=102, last 2 years)
3119 Points -4%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
4604 Points
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
4405 Points -4%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
3969 Points -14%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
4735 Points +3%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
6270 Points +36%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
4620 Points 0%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
3707 Points -19%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (3969 - 6404, n=20)
5819 Points +26%
Average of class Smartphone
  (317 - 20131, n=175, last 2 years)
6514 Points +41%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited Graphics (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
5184 Points
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
5061 Points -2%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
5674 Points +9%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
5322 Points +3%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
7115 Points +37%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
5368 Points +4%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
4162 Points -20%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (5184 - 7148, n=20)
6793 Points +31%
Average of class Smartphone
  (267 - 33376, n=174, last 2 years)
9281 Points +79%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
3309 Points
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
3030 Points -8%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
1934 Points -42%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
3416 Points +3%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
4429 Points +34%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
3106 Points -6%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
2682 Points -19%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (1934 - 5024, n=20)
3942 Points +19%
Average of class Smartphone
  (938 - 8480, n=174, last 2 years)
4150 Points +25%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) Unlimited (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
3800 Points
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
3832 Points +1%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
4969 Points +31%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
4165 Points +10%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (3800 - 5012, n=20)
4719 Points +24%
Average of class Smartphone
  (365 - 6439, n=97, last 2 years)
2594 Points -32%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) Unlimited Graphics (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
4236 Points
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
5007 Points +18%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
5794 Points +37%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
4613 Points +9%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (4236 - 5884, n=20)
5618 Points +33%
Average of class Smartphone
  (298 - 8601, n=97, last 2 years)
2755 Points -35%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
2794 Points
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
2104 Points -25%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
3317 Points +19%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
3080 Points +10%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (2104 - 3452, n=20)
3045 Points +9%
Average of class Smartphone
  (1667 - 3525, n=97, last 2 years)
2668 Points -5%
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
60 fps
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
60 fps 0%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
60 fps 0%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
60 fps 0%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
60 fps 0%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
60 fps 0%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
59 fps -2%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (59 - 91, n=20)
63.4 fps +6%
Average of class Smartphone
  (22 - 165, n=178, last 2 years)
83 fps +38%
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
85 fps
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
232 fps +173%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
167 fps +96%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
144 fps +69%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
166 fps +95%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
141 fps +66%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
122 fps +44%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (85 - 167, n=20)
153.1 fps +80%
Average of class Smartphone
  (19 - 791, n=178, last 2 years)
244 fps +187%
GFXBench 3.0
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
51 fps
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
60 fps +18%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
60 fps +18%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
41 fps -20%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
55 fps +8%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
59 fps +16%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
59 fps +16%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (46 - 85, n=20)
59.6 fps +17%
Average of class Smartphone
  (6.8 - 165, n=179, last 2 years)
71 fps +39%
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
50 fps
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
132 fps +164%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
100 fps +100%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
63 fps +26%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
101 fps +102%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
85 fps +70%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
87 fps +74%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (50 - 102, n=20)
92.3 fps +85%
Average of class Smartphone
  (9.2 - 363, n=179, last 2 years)
138 fps +176%
GFXBench 3.1
on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
36 fps
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
60 fps +67%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
41 fps +14%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
26 fps -28%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
36 fps 0%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
53 fps +47%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
54 fps +50%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (27 - 58, n=20)
47.7 fps +33%
Average of class Smartphone
  (3.7 - 158, n=179, last 2 years)
59.9 fps +66%
1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
35 fps
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
88 fps +151%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
55 fps +57%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
51 fps +46%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
71 fps +103%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
53 fps +51%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
50 fps +43%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (35 - 71, n=20)
62 fps +77%
Average of class Smartphone
  (6.2 - 279, n=179, last 2 years)
96.7 fps +176%
GFXBench
on screen Car Chase Onscreen (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
21 fps
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
58 fps +176%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
33 fps +57%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
17 fps -19%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
21 fps 0%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
40 fps +90%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
27 fps +29%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (16 - 41, n=20)
31.7 fps +51%
Average of class Smartphone
  (5 - 117, n=179, last 2 years)
42.9 fps +104%
1920x1080 Car Chase Offscreen (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
22 fps
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
54 fps +145%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
42 fps +91%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
33 fps +50%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
42 fps +91%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
43 fps +95%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
30 fps +36%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (22 - 43, n=20)
39.2 fps +78%
Average of class Smartphone
  (2.9 - 166, n=179, last 2 years)
58.6 fps +166%
on screen Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
22 fps
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
59 fps +168%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
34 fps +55%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
20 fps -9%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
23 fps +5%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
16 fps -27%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
31 fps +41%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (17 - 38, n=20)
32.5 fps +48%
Average of class Smartphone
  (3.6 - 123, n=219, last 2 years)
43.2 fps +96%
1920x1080 Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
22 fps
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
63 fps +186%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
42 fps +91%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
37 fps +68%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
42 fps +91%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
41 fps +86%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
31 fps +41%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (22 - 43, n=21)
39.9 fps +81%
Average of class Smartphone
  (2.3 - 229, n=219, last 2 years)
63 fps +186%
on screen Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
14 fps
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
59 fps +321%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
17 fps +21%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
13 fps -7%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
15 fps +7%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
28 fps +100%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
20 fps +43%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (11 - 26, n=20)
20.9 fps +49%
Average of class Smartphone
  (2.8 - 105, n=219, last 2 years)
32.2 fps +130%
2560x1440 Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
8.5 fps
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
20 fps +135%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
22 fps +159%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
14 fps +65%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
16 fps +88%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
16 fps +88%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
14 fps +65%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (8.5 - 24, n=21)
16.2 fps +91%
Average of class Smartphone
  (0.85 - 94, n=219, last 2 years)
25.1 fps +195%
AnTuTu v7 - Total Score (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
321145 Points
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
334123 Points +4%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
256276 Points -20%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
369294 Points +15%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
329444 Points +3%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
290650 Points -9%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (217967 - 398720, n=16)
354450 Points +10%
BaseMark OS II
Overall (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
4389 Points
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
5721 Points +30%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
4112 Points -6%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
4257 Points -3%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
4982 Points +14%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
4548 Points +4%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
4327 Points -1%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (3847 - 5397, n=19)
4796 Points +9%
Average of class Smartphone
  (411 - 11438, n=158, last 2 years)
5704 Points +30%
System (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
8718 Points
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
11946 Points +37%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
8870 Points +2%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
8070 Points -7%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
9143 Points +5%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
7831 Points -10%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
7684 Points -12%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (5993 - 9143, n=19)
8539 Points -2%
Average of class Smartphone
  (2376 - 16475, n=158, last 2 years)
9621 Points +10%
Memory (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
4324 Points
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
3263 Points -25%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
2661 Points -38%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
3744 Points -13%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
5243 Points +21%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
4474 Points +3%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
5425 Points +25%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (2661 - 7500, n=19)
5097 Points +18%
Average of class Smartphone
  (670 - 12306, n=158, last 2 years)
6230 Points +44%
Graphics (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
8414 Points
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
15969 Points +90%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
9318 Points +11%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
7906 Points -6%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
9421 Points +12%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
8484 Points +1%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
6751 Points -20%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (8125 - 9510, n=19)
9174 Points +9%
Average of class Smartphone
  (697 - 58651, n=158, last 2 years)
13900 Points +65%
Web (sort by value)
LG G8s ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
1171 Points
Apple iPhone XR
Apple A12 Bionic, A12 Bionic GPU, 3072
1722 Points +47%
Sony Xperia 1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 6144
1300 Points +11%
LG G7 ThinQ
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630, 4096
1374 Points +17%
OnePlus 7 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, Adreno 640, 12288
1364 Points +16%
Samsung Galaxy S10e
Samsung Exynos 9820, Mali-G76 MP12, 6144
1439 Points +23%
Huawei P30
HiSilicon Kirin 980, Mali-G76 MP10, 6144
1246 Points +6%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
  (1076 - 1601, n=19)
1356 Points +16%
Average of class Smartphone
  (10 - 2145, n=158, last 2 years)
1487 Points +27%

Our review unit performed well in browser benchmarks too, only falling short of the OnePlus 7 Pro and iPhone XR. Subjectively, web browsing on the preinstalled Chrome 75 browser feels snappy, with media content and websites loading quickly.

Jetstream 2 - Total Score
Average of class Smartphone (13.8 - 351, n=167, last 2 years)
104.5 Points +94%
OnePlus 7 Pro (Chrome 74)
62.5 Points +16%
Sony Xperia 1 (Chrome 75)
59.5 Points +11%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 (45.5 - 67, n=16)
58.8 Points +9%
LG G8s ThinQ (Chrome 75)
53.8 Points
Huawei P30 (Chrome 73)
48.63 Points -10%
Speedometer 2.0 - Result
Average of class Smartphone (14.9 - 445, n=151, last 2 years)
105.7 runs/min +65%
Sony Xperia 1 (Chrome 75)
64.2 runs/min 0%
LG G8s ThinQ (Chome 75)
64.1 runs/min
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 (42.5 - 67.9, n=15)
62 runs/min -3%
OnePlus 7 Pro (Chome 74)
61.5 runs/min -4%
Huawei P30 (Chrome 73)
58.7 runs/min -8%
WebXPRT 3 - Overall
Apple iPhone XR (Safari Mobile 12.0)
161 Points +50%
Average of class Smartphone (37 - 304, n=119, last 2 years)
131.8 Points +23%
OnePlus 7 Pro (Chrome 74)
111 Points +4%
LG G8s ThinQ (Chrome 75)
107 Points
Sony Xperia 1 (Chrome 75)
106 Points -1%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 (90 - 129, n=20)
105.2 Points -2%
LG G7 ThinQ (Chrome 66)
97 Points -9%
Huawei P30 (Chrome 73)
90 Points -16%
Octane V2 - Total Score
Apple iPhone XR (Safari Mobile 12.0)
42897 Points +80%
Average of class Smartphone (4633 - 89112, n=202, last 2 years)
33525 Points +41%
OnePlus 7 Pro (Chrome 74)
24730 Points +4%
LG G8s ThinQ (Chrome 75)
23830 Points
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 (17011 - 33918, n=21)
23749 Points 0%
Sony Xperia 1 (Chrome 75)
23318 Points -2%
Huawei P30 (Chrome 73)
20714 Points -13%
Samsung Galaxy S10e (Chrome 73)
18697 Points -22%
LG G7 ThinQ (Chrome 66)
16720 Points -30%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
LG G7 ThinQ (Chrome 66)
2484 ms * -22%
Samsung Galaxy S10e (Chrome 73)
2240 ms * -10%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 (1852 - 2611, n=19)
2147 ms * -5%
Huawei P30 (Chrome 73)
2095 ms * -3%
Sony Xperia 1 (Chrome 75)
2040 ms * -0%
LG G8s ThinQ (Chrome 75)
2036 ms *
OnePlus 7 Pro (Chrome 74)
1965 ms * +3%
Average of class Smartphone (388 - 9999, n=165, last 2 years)
1653 ms * +19%
Apple iPhone XR (Safari Mobile 12.0)
610 ms * +70%

* ... smaller is better

LG equips the G8S ThinQ with UFS 2.1 flash storage, another staple of modern flagships. Some OEMs like OnePlus have moved onto the faster UFS 3.0 standard, but you will probably only notice the difference in synthetic benchmarks. Our review unit boots and loads apps quickly, with there being no obvious delays or lags in daily use.

The G8S ThinQ has a comparatively slow microSD card reader though, with our Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 reference card only able to average 67.53 MB/s read speeds and 46.7 MB/s write speeds. Only the Xperia 1 has a slower card reader of our comparison devices, with the others averaging at least 60 MB/s in read and write benchmarks.

LG G8s ThinQSony Xperia 1LG G7 ThinQOnePlus 7 ProSamsung Galaxy S10eHuawei P30Average 128 GB UFS 2.1 FlashAverage of class Smartphone
AndroBench 3-5
-16%
1%
52%
4%
109%
75%
361%
Sequential Read 256KB
791
750
-5%
695
-12%
1468
86%
792
0%
909
15%
765 ?(427 - 1011, n=111)
-3%
1467 ?(215 - 4512, n=210, last 2 years)
85%
Sequential Write 256KB
182.4
206.9
13%
176.4
-3%
387
112%
194.1
6%
186
2%
293 ?(13.6 - 719, n=111)
61%
1077 ?(57.5 - 3678, n=210, last 2 years)
490%
Random Read 4KB
138
147.3
7%
110.5
-20%
174.1
26%
136.9
-1%
138.8
1%
152 ?(92.6 - 239, n=111)
10%
241 ?(22.2 - 543, n=210, last 2 years)
75%
Random Write 4KB
29.6
24.16
-18%
23.26
-21%
24.8
-16%
24.1
-19%
195.3
560%
130.2 ?(18.2 - 290, n=111)
340%
265 ?(13 - 709, n=210, last 2 years)
795%
Sequential Read 256KB SDCard
67.5 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
31.34 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
-54%
84.7 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
25%
73.2 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
8%
82.8 ?(Huawei NanoSD 128 GB)
23%
76 ?(13.4 - 88.3, n=43)
13%
Sequential Write 256KB SDCard
46.7 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
27.84 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
-40%
62.7 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
34%
60.7 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
30%
71.3 ?(Huawei NanoSD 128 GB)
53%
59.6 ?(8.4 - 72.4, n=43)
28%

Games

The Adreno 640 is a capable gaming GPU, as we have covered in our OnePlus 7 Pro, Xiaomi Mi 9 and Xperia 1 reviews. The G8S ThinQ can play most modern games at 60 FPS on high graphics, with Arena of Valor fluctuating between 53 FPS and 61 FPS during our gaming tests. Asphalt 9: Legends only runs at 30 FPS, with our review unit averaging 27.9 FPS on graphics. In short, the Adreno 640 should be sufficiently future-proof for the next few years, especially as it supports a slew of modern APIs.

We also encountered no issues with the touch screen or accelerometer during our gaming tests. Fast-paced games like Temple Run 2 ran smoothly, with there being no input delays even during challenging sections.

Asphalt 9: Legends
Asphalt 9: Legends
Arena of Valor
Arena of Valor
Temple Run 2
Temple Run 2
051015202530354045505560Tooltip
LG G8s ThinQ; Asphalt 9: Legends; Standard / low; 1.6.3a: Ø28.1 (26-30)
LG G8s ThinQ; Asphalt 9: Legends; High Quality; 1.6.3a: Ø27.9 (24-30)
LG G8s ThinQ; Arena of Valor; min; 1.29.1.2: Ø60.1 (59-61)
LG G8s ThinQ; Arena of Valor; high HD; 1.29.1.2: Ø60.1 (53-61)

Emissions

Temperature

GFXBench battery test
GFXBench battery test

The G8S ThinQ will never feel cool to the touch, with surface temperature on our review unit averaging around 32 °C at idle. However, the device only heats up to 35 °C under load, with only two areas reaching 38 °C.

In short, the G8S ThinQ should not feel uncomfortable in your pocket after a prolonged gaming session.

The low surface temperatures come with their costs though, namely SoC throttling. Frame rates quickly dropped by almost a third during a GFXBench 3.1 battery benchmark, which is extreme throttling by Snapdragon 855 standards.

Max. Load
 37.6 °C
100 F
36 °C
97 F
33.6 °C
92 F
 
 37.6 °C
100 F
36.7 °C
98 F
34.4 °C
94 F
 
 38 °C
100 F
36.7 °C
98 F
33.5 °C
92 F
 
Maximum: 38 °C = 100 F
Average: 36 °C = 97 F
31.2 °C
88 F
35.7 °C
96 F
37.1 °C
99 F
32.2 °C
90 F
36.4 °C
98 F
37.6 °C
100 F
32.4 °C
90 F
36 °C
97 F
38.4 °C
101 F
Maximum: 38.4 °C = 101 F
Average: 35.2 °C = 95 F
Power Supply (max.)  39.5 °C = 103 F | Room Temperature 22 °C = 72 F | Voltcraft IR-260
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 36 °C / 97 F, compared to the average of 32.7 °C / 91 F for the devices in the class Smartphone.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 38 °C / 100 F, compared to the average of 35 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 56 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 38.4 °C / 101 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(±) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 32.6 °C / 91 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.
Heat map of the back of the device under load
Heat map of the back of the device under load
Heat map of the front of the device under load
Heat map of the front of the device under load

Speakers

Pink Noise speaker test
Pink Noise speaker test

LG equips the G8S ThinQ with true stereo speakers, with the device using its earpiece as a secondary speaker. The speakers reached a maximum of 83.6 dB(A) during our tests, although trebles sound over-emphasised at this volume. Audio sounded noticeably more balanced when we lowered the volume slightly. The G8S ThinQ manages to reproduce a wider range of deep mid tones than its predecessor and even some bass frequencies, which make audio sound pleasantly warm.

The G8S ThinQ also has a 3.5 mm headphone jack, something which sets the device apart from other modern flagships. You could connect external audio equipment via Bluetooth too, with the G8S ThinQ supporting the modern 5.0 standard. Both worked perfectly during our tests and delivered clean-sounding audio.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2043.944.52543.644.33138.335.24038.337.55041.2406334.134.4802733.410028.638.412527.942.416026.146.620025.148.92502252.831520.557.540020.563.450020.66563018.667.780018.171.5100018.574.4125017.972.6160018.676.4200017.874.9250017.572.6315016.971.2400016.868.450001764.263001764.2800017.264.81000017.168.41250017.164.51600017.352.6SPL59.868.578.865.174.766.430.383.6N13.222.142.119.134.418.71.455.5median 18.1median 64.8median 60.5median 42.1median 54.5median 42.6median 15.9median 69.5Delta3.88.418.42320.123.814.414.135.239.832.941.837.237.531.735.839.638.728.329.827.330.126.924.926.729.12429.620.934.320.94019.540.118.547.217.559.717.561.215.765.515.864.716.66815.869.115.471.115.569.4167315.876.81668.816.37116.375.916.261.916.455.716.449.628.683.21.153.2median 16.4median 61.92.211.4hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseLG G8s ThinQLG G7 ThinQ
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
LG G8s ThinQ audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 69.5% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (0% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(-) | nearly no mids - on average 69.5% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (0% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(-) | nearly no highs - on average 69.5% lower than median
(+) | highs are linear (0% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(-) | overall sound is not linear (121.3% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 88% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 2% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 96% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 1% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

LG G7 ThinQ audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.2 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 28.9% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (7.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 5.8% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 9.1% higher than median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (12% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (29.1% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 72% of all tested devices in this class were better, 4% similar, 24% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 85% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 13% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Power Management

Power Consumption

There are more economical devices than the G8S ThinQ, but our review unit does not embarrass itself compared to its peers. The device consumes between 1.2 W and 2 W at idle, which is not especially concerning. However, we measured the G8S ThinQ consuming between 5 W and 10 W under load, which is about 10% more than we would have expected from a Snapdragon 855-powered device. Only the Galaxy S10e consumes more of our comparison devices, with the G8S ThinQ consuming between 15% and 43% more than its contemporaries.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0 / 0.1 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 1.2 / 1.6 / 2 Watt
Load midlight 5 / 10 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
LG G8s ThinQ
3550 mAh
Apple iPhone XR
2942 mAh
Sony Xperia 1
3330 mAh
LG G7 ThinQ
3000 mAh
OnePlus 7 Pro
4000 mAh
Samsung Galaxy S10e
3100 mAh
Huawei P30
3650 mAh
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
 
Average of class Smartphone
 
Power Consumption
1%
17%
0%
-5%
19%
4%
11%
12%
Idle Minimum *
1.2
0.61
49%
1
17%
1.16
3%
0.9
25%
0.6
50%
0.69
42%
0.939 ?(0.58 - 1.96, n=19)
22%
0.891 ?(0.42 - 2.37, n=157, last 2 years)
26%
Idle Average *
1.6
2.67
-67%
1.48
7%
1.98
-24%
1.8
-13%
1.2
25%
2.41
-51%
1.506 ?(0.85 - 2.8, n=19)
6%
1.448 ?(0.69 - 4.26, n=157, last 2 years)
9%
Idle Maximum *
2
2.69
-35%
1.56
22%
2.07
-4%
2.9
-45%
1.5
25%
2.51
-26%
1.799 ?(1 - 2.9, n=19)
10%
1.63 ?(0.79 - 4.45, n=157, last 2 years)
18%
Load Average *
5
4.34
13%
3.76
25%
4.51
10%
5.5
-10%
5.2
-4%
3.86
23%
4.61 ?(3.64 - 5.8, n=19)
8%
5.57 ?(2.4 - 16.5, n=157, last 2 years)
-11%
Load Maximum *
10
5.66
43%
8.48
15%
8.3
17%
8.2
18%
10.2
-2%
6.96
30%
9.04 ?(7.49 - 11.9, n=19)
10%
8.27 ?(4.32 - 20.8, n=157, last 2 years)
17%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

One saving grace of the G8S ThinQ here may be its battery capacity, which is larger than all but that of the OnePlus 7 Pro and Huawei P30 of our comparison devices. Its 3,550 mAh battery does not last long under sustained load, with the iPhone XR and G7 ThinQ offering over an hour longer between charges if you are pushing the devices hard.

The G8S ThinQ still managed a respectable 11:33 hours in our practical Wi-Fi tests, which suggests that it should easily survive a workday of intensive use and perhaps even two if you use it sparingly. Its quick-charging functionality means that you should need less than 2 hours before having 100% charge again too.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
28h 9min
WiFi Websurfing
11h 33min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
12h 33min
Load (maximum brightness)
3h 23min
LG G8s ThinQ
3550 mAh
Apple iPhone XR
2942 mAh
Sony Xperia 1
3330 mAh
LG G7 ThinQ
3000 mAh
OnePlus 7 Pro
4000 mAh
Samsung Galaxy S10e
3100 mAh
Huawei P30
3650 mAh
Battery Runtime
44%
-14%
8%
9%
-21%
14%
Reader / Idle
1689
2969
76%
1067
-37%
1662
-2%
1745
3%
1185
-30%
1914
13%
H.264
753
1011
34%
712
-5%
908
21%
802
7%
795
6%
1050
39%
WiFi v1.3
693
910
31%
441
-36%
591
-15%
768
11%
416
-40%
715
3%
Load
203
270
33%
246
21%
260
28%
236
16%
164
-19%
208
2%

Pros

+ accurate GPS
+ fast fingerprint sensor
+ accurate touchscreen
+ decent battery life
+ good stereo speakers

Cons

- bulky notch
- poor low-light camera performance
- high power consumption under load
- CPU throttling

Verdict

The LG G8S ThinQ smartphone review. Test device courtesy of LG Germany.
The LG G8S ThinQ smartphone review. Test device courtesy of LG Germany.

The LG G8 ThinQ is an intriguing smartphone. Its air-motion gestures offer a glimpse into the future and could provide innovative alternative ways to control the device as the software matures. Likewise, its air-motion gestures could make it easier to take photos. However, it is currently more of a nice gimmick that you could show off to your friends and family. With that said, a magician must study their magic tricks well, as air-motion gestures are often tricky to get right.

The LG G8S ThinQ is not a one-trick pony, though. It has excellent and precise navigation, while it makes good use of its Snapdragon 855 SoC too. We like that the device remains cool under sustained load, although power consumption is higher than we would have liked. Moreover, the G8S ThinQ has decent cameras, an impressive screen and solid battery life. Additionally, the stereo speakers deliver good sound, while the Wi-Fi and fingerprint sensor are fast. The inclusion of a headphone jack and expandable storage is something of a rarity for 2019 flagships too.

The downsides? Well, the rear-facing camera has underwhelming low-light performance, the SoC throttles under sustained load, and we already mentioned the high power consumption under load. However, those are our only major gripes with the G8S ThinQ. You can also buy smartphones with faster storage and Wi-Fi, but the real-world difference is minimal.

The innovative ToF features are currently rather gimmicky, but the LG G8S ThinQ does the basics right and is an excellent flagship smartphone.

The big notch could scare off some buyers too, but this a plague that currently afflicts many modern flagships. In short, the LG G8S ThinQ is a decent alternative to the established order, especially as prices have already started dropping.

LG G8s ThinQ - 08/31/2022 v7
Florian Schmitt

Chassis
85%
Keyboard
67 / 75 → 90%
Pointing Device
97%
Connectivity
53 / 70 → 76%
Weight
90%
Battery
89%
Display
89%
Games Performance
44 / 64 → 68%
Application Performance
74 / 86 → 86%
Temperature
90%
Noise
100%
Audio
78 / 90 → 86%
Camera
79%
Average
79%
86%
Smartphone - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > LG G8S ThinQ Smartphone Review: Innovative or outdated?
Florian Schmitt, 2019-07-15 (Update: 2019-07-15)