LG G8x | Is it worth a buy? Read this before you buy

For the first time in history, a non- Chinese smartphone brand is providing a premium phone for a reasonably good price. BUT IS ...

For the first time in history, a non- Chinese smartphone brand is providing a premium phone for a reasonably good price. BUT IS IT WORTH A BUY?

Introduction

LG has recently discounted the price of one of its premium smartphones LG G8x. The aggressive pricing has made the company to make 3 crores out of it. So let's dig deep into the details of the phone. We will make you run through all the features of the phone and provide you the pros and cons of them one by one.

Pricing

The first sale of this smartphone has gone at Rs 19990. This dynamic pricing is a surprise to all the buyers as everyone thought there would be some twist when Flipkart opens the product for sale.

In simple words, everyone thought this price is after some discount on credit or debit cards / after an exchange of another premium phone. But to everyone's surprise, the original cost of the phone was reduced to a surprising level of 19990 rupees.

Looking at such a discounted price, the phone sold out within seconds. I was one of the luckiest people to get this phone on the first flash sale.

Now LG is coming for another flash sale with a price of 24990 rupees. I know you are waiting for an opportunity to buy this phone.

My verdict

Thinking of its hardware configuration and dual-screen the pricing is awesome. I mean to say that no NON-CHINESE brand has ever tried to sell its flagship mobiles at this price.

This can be considered as a good and STRONG re-entry of LG into the smartphone market. People might have almost forgotten the name of LG when it comes to smartphones and I think that this Korean company is trying to re-enter the Indian smartphone industry with a big THUG.

So in terms of pricing, it is a GOOD DEAL. You are getting a Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 855 Octa-core processor with 6GB RAM and 128 GB hard-disk at a competitive price.

In terms of pricing, it is a BUY. 

Software 

The mobile comes with Android 10 out of the box which is really a good deal. But the real problem starts now.

The user interface of the mobile is really good and smooth. We get an immediate security update after booting the phone which is a recent security update released by LG.

But, Is the company ready to send all the security updates in the future? As this mobile is a year-old model (Released in 2019), will the company show the same interest in updating its Operating system regularly?

 This is something the Company has to answer or should stress on. Making good sales on a single mobile also brings responsibility (to the company) to send regular security updates to its buyers.

In the present day, running mobiles without security updates is risky. Being an android, there is every chance that your phone can be easily hacked if it is not updated regularly. 

Verdict

I have to take a backstep in this regard. Does LG provide updates regularly?

The mobile has a serious issue with running background apps. When we try to clear the notification BOX, the mobile gets struck for a few seconds. This is horrible for a flagship phone.

LG has to focus on this. The company has created history by selling a mind-wobbling number of mobiles in a single day. But now the responsibility has increased. It has exponentially increased its customer base. 

So it is the company's responsibility to send regular security updates for at least up to the next year. 

Unfortunately, LG has not done this for its previous mobiles. We have to see whether the same thing happens to this mobile or the company provides regular updates.

Battery

As per the official confirmation, NO CHARGER IS PROVIDED WITH THE MOBILE. It is a major drawback for those who are upgrading from a NON-FAST CHARGING MOBILE, as they do not have any fast charger.

The mobile is equipped with a 4000 MAh battery. Being a dual-screen I think the battery would be a major drawback. But to my surprise, the battery is decent (BUT NOT EXCELLENT) in proving good screen time, even when both the screens are kept to work.

The company should think about increasing the capacity of the battery when they provide 2 screens. It's like 2 mobiles running on one battery. 

Verdict

Battery performance is not excellent. At the same time, it is not pathetic also. For an optimal user with a single screen, one charge can last up to 16 to 18 hours. Again LG has to bring an update exclusively on draining apps.

The mobile fails to provide a decent screen time on a dual-screen. The dual-screen run time is way below average when compared to single screen usage.

Some apps are draining the battery more. The next update should focus on improving the battery performance of this mobile. 

Battery performance is optimal.  But if you are a gamer, I am afraid you should carry a power bank ALL THE TIME. 

There are few options in the mobile where we can reduce the battery discharge or drain. But it's a techie part. A common man finds it difficult to make those adjustments.

On the other hand, The CHARGING SPEEDS ARE PATHETIC. Even a 10000 rupees mobile is equipped with a fast-charging capability. The fast charging speeds of this mobile are par below average. 

Using a 15W fast charger, the mobile takes nearly 1 hour 40 minutes to complete. This is pathetic.

Camera

The mobile comes with a 12MP +13MP primary camera and a 32MP front camera. The primary camera is excellent to some extent. Let me explain.

You get an excellent manual option in the camera where you can change the Shutter speed and ISO. This PRO mode is excellent.

But the camera fails in providing basic options like Focus. Yes! you heard it right, the focus of this camera is not good. At times you get some blurry images in spite of proper focus.

I think this issue is related to software and the company has to work on this.

Verdict

Coming to the camera, I would say that the functioning is optimal, BUT NOT TO THE RANGE OF A FLAGSHIP MOBILE. 

The color reproduction is decent and the manual options are excellent for a PRO photographer. But it fails to provide a decent output to a novice user.

Dual-screen apps

Let me be straight regarding this. There are only a handful of apps that support dual-screen. Except for gamers, the dual-screen is of no use except draining the battery.

I am a normal user. To my surprise, I bought this phone for dual screens but never used them together due to a battery issue.

Verdict

If you are a gamer, you may find it beneficial in using dual screens. But for a common man, dual-screen is of no use as there are no good apps that support dual screens. 

LG has to work on this. At least if they could tie-up with some good apps and bring dual screen support, there would be no major advantage of running dual screens.

Mobility of the mobile

This is a major issue. The Single screen main mobile is bulky enough to handle. The company would have provided a much slimmer mobile.

Keeping dual screens in pockets is a tough thing. The weight of the dual screens is seemingly more to handle with a single hand. 

The dual-screen setup is difficult to take calls and to carry in a pocket. Sometimes I get confused to press which key to cut off the call or to take the call, as dedicated keys are lacking on the side mount. 

Verdict

Carrying dual screens is not as practical as we see in the ads. This is due to the bulky outfit of the dual screens and also its weight. 

We are more connected to slimmer and lightweight mobiles. A shift to dual-screen mobile may provide you with more problems in handling & mobility.

Accessories

Coming to accessories, I will keep it short. YOU WILL FIND DIFFICULTY IN BUYING THE RIGHT ACCESSORIES TO THIS MOBILE.

You will not get the right accessories in your local market. The screen guard problem is really pathetic. 

Let me explain. I searched for the screen guard in almost all the shops in my local area. Finally, i got a screen guard which nearly fits my screen.

But after installing the screen guard, my fingerprint sensor stopped working properly. I reattempted registering my fingerprints, but still, the problem persists, until I removed the screen guard completely.

Verdict

LG has to focus on providing accessories for this mobile. We as buyers are facing a lot of problems with the accessories. Even online stores are not good at providing the right accessory.

After-sale service

I am a bit skeptical regarding the after-sales service. So I called my local LG dealer and service center regarding the same. 

The answer I got was surprising. They told me that presently we are not providing service to mobiles.

My local LG guy provides service to all LG products except mobiles. This is disgusting. 

Conclusion

Finally, I would like to conclude by saying that "YOU MAY NOT GET ALL THE LUXURIES AT THIS PRICE".

The LG G8x is loaded with features that are lacking in the same price range mobiles. But on the other hand, they are lacking few features which a normal 10000 rupees phone would carry.

Hence buying this phone is purely a personal choice. If you ask me I would rather say that if you are a gamer or a techie guy interested in trying new things, JUST GO FOR IT!

On the other hand, if you are a common user, I would say that you WILL NOT FIND ANY VALUE IN BUYING THIS MOBILE. 

Because I would strongly say that 99% of the time YOU WILL NOT USE DUAL SCREENS. You will find solace in using only a single screen.

Finally, I would like to hear from you. What are your comments? Kindly post them in the comment section. In my next post, I will update the common problems and their solutions for this mobile.