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Samsung Galaxy Note 10 vs LG G8 ThinQ: Which is right for you?
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus are the latest members of the high-end Galaxy Note smartphone family. The LG G8 ThinQ, announced back in April, is the current flagship phone from the G family of LG phones. But how do these phones compare with each other, both in price points and in specs, and which would we pick in the end? That’s what we are going to find out as we compare the Galaxy Note 10 series with the LG G8.
In terms of design, the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus use more glass, and much smaller bezels up front, compared to 2018’s Galaxy Note 9. Both also have a small punch-hole selfie camera at the top of the display, right in the middle. Finally, the Note 10 phones have an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint reader.
The front of the LG G8 looks nearly the same as the 2018 LG G7 phone. Both have glass surfaces on the front and back and have a noticeable notch on top of the screen for their front-facing cameras. There’s also a standard rear fingerprint sensor on the back, which some people prefer over the newer in-display fingerprint sensors.
The LG G8 also has a number of other security measures not found on the Note 10. They include what LG calls a “Z camera” on the front of the phone. It’s a time-of-flight (ToF) camera that can be used with the phone’s machine learning software to create a true 3D model of your face. In addition, the LG G8 uses another security method called Hand ID that sounds like something out of a James Bond movie. It actually reads your hands’ vein patterns as another form of biometric authentication.
Finally, the phone’s display also doubles as its onboard speaker for phone calls. LG’s new Crystal Sound OLED will act like a speaker diaphragm when you place the phone next to your ear.
The Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus have some unique features of their own, including the signature S Pen stylus, which is, of course, a staple of the Note series since it launched. The Note 10 phones also include the improved support for the Dex desktop so owners can do some serious work on the phone by connecting it to a Windows PC with just a USB cable. Both of the Note 10 phones, and the LG G8 have an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance and all three ship with Android 9 Pie out of the box. One notable feature the LG G8 has that the Note 10 phones do not is the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Read more: Samsung Galaxy Note 10: Let’s talk about headphone jacks
The Galaxy Note 10 has a Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O 6.3-inch panel with a 2,280 x 1,080 resolution (401ppi), while the Note 10 Plus has a bigger 6.8-inch display with a 3,040 x 1,440 resolution (498ppi). The LG G8 has a smaller OLED 6.1-inch screen with a 3,120 x 1,440 resolution.
In the U.S., the Note 10 phones and the LG G8 have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor running things inside, with the Note 10 phones also getting the in-house Samsung Exynos 9825 chip in certain international markets. The standard Note 10 has 8GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage, but no microSD card slot for adding more storage. The Note 10 Plus has 12GB of RAM, and storage options of 256GB and 512GB, with a microSD card slot for adding more storage. The LG G8 has only 6GB of memory and 128GB of onboard storage, but it does have a microSD card slot to add up to 2TB of additional storage if you need it.
Both the standard Galaxy Note 10 and the LG G8 have a 3,500mAh battery, while the Note 10 Plus has a 4,300mAh battery. All three support wireless charging for their batteries. However, the Note 10 and Note 10 Plus also support Wireless PowerShare, so you can charge other Qi-based wireless power devices on the back of the phone. The Note 10 also comes with a 25W wired charger for even faster charging of that battery and you can buy a 45w charger for the Note 10 Plus to get even faster charging speeds. The LG G8 supports only 21W wired charging.
The Galaxy Note 10 has three cameras in the back: an ultra-wide 16MP sensor (f/2.2) with a 123-degree field-of-view, a wide-angle 12MP camera (f/1.5-f/2.4, OIS), a 12MP telephoto lens (f/2.1, OIS), and a VGA “DepthVision” camera (f/1.4). It also has a 10MP front-facing camera. The Note 10 Plus adds a fourth rear camera which is a VGA depth sensor.
The LG G8 has two rear cameras, a 2MP sensor with an f/1.5 aperture and a 78-degree field-of-view along with a wide-angle lens with a 16MP sensor and an f/1.9 aperture and a 107-degree field-of-view. There’s an 8MP front-facing camera with an f/1.9 aperture and an 80-degree field-of-view and the addition of LG G8’s ToF “Z camera” lets the phone combine 10 pictures into one for even better selfie pictures.
One other thing is that the Note 10 Plus is also being sold in a 5G version, as an exclusive with Verizon Wireless. Aside from the 5G cellular support, which is currently very spotty in the U.S., there are no other differences in hardware specs compared to the normal Note 10 Plus.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 is currently priced at $949 without a contract, while the Note 10 Plus has a starting price of $1,099. Normally, the LG G8 is priced $100 lower than the Samsung phone at $849 without a contract, but as of this writing, it’s available on Amazon as an unlocked phone for a mere $499.99.
| Samsung Galaxy Note 10/Note 10 Plus | LG G8 ThinQ | |
|---|---|---|
Display | Samsung Galaxy Note 10/Note 10 Plus 6.3-inch Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O 2,280 x 1,080 resolution 401ppi HDR10+ (Note 10) 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O 3,040 x 1,440 resolution 498ppi HDR10+ (Note 10 Plus) | LG G8 ThinQ 6.1-inch OLED panel 3,120 x 1,440 resolution 564ppi 19.5:9 aspect ratio |
SoC | Samsung Galaxy Note 10/Note 10 Plus Global: Samsung Exynos 9825 U.S.: Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 | LG G8 ThinQ Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 |
RAM | Samsung Galaxy Note 10/Note 10 Plus 8GB (Note 10) 12GB (Note 10 Plus) | LG G8 ThinQ 6GB |
Storage | Samsung Galaxy Note 10/Note 10 Plus 256GB No microSD card slot UFS 3.0 (Note 10) 256GB/512GB microSD card slot UFS 3.0 (Note 10 Plus) | LG G8 ThinQ 128GB microSD card slot |
Cameras | Samsung Galaxy Note 10/Note 10 Plus Rear Ultra-wide: 16MP sensor, ƒ/2.2 aperture, 123-degree field-of-view Wide-angle: 12MP sensor, Dual Pixel autofocus, ƒ/1.5+ƒ/2.4 apertures, OIS, 77-degree field-of-view Telephoto: 12MP sensor, ƒ/2.1 aperture, OIS, 45-degree field-of-view Depth Vision camera: VGA, ƒ/1.4 aperture, 72-degree field-of-view (Note 10 Plus only) Front 10MP sensor, Dual Pixel autofocus, ƒ/2.2 aperture, 80-degree field-of-view | LG G8 ThinQ Rear: 16MP f/1.9 ultrawide+ 12MP f/1.5 standard Front: 8MP f/1.7 standard + Z Camera (ToF) |
Battery | Samsung Galaxy Note 10/Note 10 Plus 3,500mAh (Note 10) 4,300mAh (Note 10 Plus) | LG G8 ThinQ 3,500mAh |
IP rating | Samsung Galaxy Note 10/Note 10 Plus IP68 | LG G8 ThinQ IP68 |
Software | Samsung Galaxy Note 10/Note 10 Plus Android 9 Pie Samsung One UI | LG G8 ThinQ Android 9 Pie |
Dimensions and weight | Samsung Galaxy Note 10/Note 10 Plus 151 x 71.8 x 7.9mm 168g (Note 10) 151.9 x 71.8 x 8.4mm 167g (Note 10 Plus) | LG G8 ThinQ 151.9 x 71.8 x 8.4mm 167g |
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 vs LG G8 ThinQ: And the winner is…
Since the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Plus were only just announced, you will have to pay a premium to get your hands on either device The LG G8 was already a more affordable smartphone out of the gate, but some of its hardware specs, particularly in the RAM, onboard storage and display departments, do fall below that of the Note 10 phones, especially the Note 10 Plus.
The LG G8 does have a few advantages over the Note 10, especially for consumers looking for old-fashioned features.
However, comparing the standard Note 10 with the LG G8, the LG phone has a few advantages, especially for consumers looking for old-fashioned features. It still has a microSD slot to add more storage, and a headphone jack as well. It also has some interesting security features that the Note 10 lacks, including its ToF camera.
Finally, the price of the LG G8, at least at the moment, is well below that of the Note 10. Yes, the Note 10 Plus has a microSD card slot as well, but you are also paying a lot more for that privilege. As for the Note 10 Plus 5G, its $1,299.99 price tag on Verizon makes it one of the more expensive phones you can purchase.
If you are a fan of the Note series from Samsung, particularity the S Pen, the latest Note 10 is for you. If you have to have 5G support, and have a lot of money, the Note 10 Plus 5G is perfect for your needs. However, if you want to save a lot of money on your phone, use some features that other new flagship phones lack, and can live with a smaller display, memory and storage options, we would pick the LG G8 over the Note 10.
Which of these phones will you be buying?