LG G8S ThinQ launched: One more rear camera, but how many cutbacks?

The LG G8S ThinQ was announced alongside the standard G8 at MWC 2019 earlier this year. We’ve already seen the vanilla G8 land in several countries, but LG has finally launched the G8S model this week.

LG G8S ThinQ: What’s the difference?

This LG variant stands out from the standard model by offering a triple rear camera trio instead of a dual rear camera setup. You’ve got a 12MP standard shooter, a 13MP ultra wide camera (137 degree FOV), and a 12MP 2x telephoto snapper. The standard LG G8 ThinQ only offers a 12MP standard and 16MP ultra wide combo, so you’ll have to make do with digital zoom.

The other major difference is in the display, with the LG G8S ThinQ offering a 2,248 x 1080 OLED screen (compared to the G8’s 3,120 x 1,440 display). Furthermore, LG’s promotional materials fail to mention the G8’s Crystal Sound OLED technology here, which delivers sound through the screen. The LG G8S ThinQ website and press release also specifically mentions a “32-bit HiFi DAC” or “DAC” rather than the G8’s quad DAC audio hardware.

The two devices share the same core internals though, namely a Snapdragon 855 processor, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of expandable storage, and a virtually identical battery (3,550mAh on the G8S vs 3,500mAh). Other common features include an 8MP selfie camera, 3.5mm port, and IP68 dust/water resistance.

LG has also brought a front-facing 3D ToF camera to the new model, giving you more secure face unlock, the company’s “Hand ID” feature, and touchless gesture controls (dubbed Air Motion). Our own Eric Zeman was left disappointed with the last two features in his LG G8 ThinQ review, saying they were “too slow and unreliable.” We hope LG has spent time polishing these capabilities since then.

LG says the new phone will be available in Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. Pricing and release details are set to be announced in each market in the next few weeks. We’ve contacted LG to find out more, including the possibility of a North American release, and will update the article accordingly. Keen to check out the LG G8S ThinQ? Then you can do so via the button below.