The LG G8X ThinQ Dual Screen Gives You Double the Productivity

When we got our first foldable phones, after years of carrying the iconic Nokia 3310 in our pockets and hoping that we remembered to lock the keys, it was a life-changing experience. Suddenly, you could hang up on someone with a satisfying snap and not have to worry about butt-dialing anyone while your phone was stashed away in your bag. 

We’ve
since moved away from these foldable models in favor of touch-screen
smartphones, but 2019 has brought us full circle, back to the era of the
folding phone. This time, though, they’re smarter and more capable than ever
before. 

LG
hasn’t quite made the leap to phones with folding screens, but the G8X ThinQ
might be the perfect middle ground. 

Hurdles to Overcome

Coming up with the perfect folding
screen for a smartphone hasn’t been easy. Samsung’s Galaxy Fold, a $2,000
phone, turned out to be a total disaster. They were cracking and breaking
within the first few days of use — some during normal
applications, and some because the screen protector was removed. The sticking
point with that screen protector is that while it was essential to the proper
functioning of the Galaxy Fold, there was nothing that told consumers not to
remove it. 

The
kinks were eventually ironed out. Now, if you want a folding smartphone, you’ve
got two choices: the Galaxy Fold or the Motorola Razr, the reincarnation of the
brand’s iconic flip phone from the early 2000s.  

The G8X ThinQ

The
G8X ThinQ by LG isn’t a folding smartphone. LG knows its product well enough to
understand it’s not ready for that kind of leap yet. It may be learning from
Samsung’s mistake with the Galaxy Fold and perfecting its product before
advertising it. 

Instead,
the ThinQ case offers something different — a second screen that plugs directly
into your phone, giving you twice the space to work. It comes with some
software tweaks as well, allowing you to run two apps at the same time, side by
side, which helps to increase productivity. It’s similar to the split-screen
function that is already available on Android phones. However, you’ve got more
screen to work with, so you’re not trying to navigate two different apps in 3
inches of space each. 

It’s
not the perfect solution. For one thing, the case with the secondary screen can
be bulky and awkward, making it one of the heaviest phones on the market. Of
course, some people had the same complaint
about the Galaxy Fold. On the other side of the coin, it’s more affordable
than any of
the folding phones currently on the market. The G8X ThinQ will set you back
around $800, while the Motorola Razr is $1,500 and the Galaxy Fold, as we
mentioned before, costs $2,000. 

Looking Forward

People
are very particular when choosing their phones. They want something that’s
functional, small enough to carry in their pocket but large enough to watch
videos on, and durable enough to last until their next upgrade. They also want
novelty, and while folding phones might lack in some areas, they excel in being
unique. They are the new toy that everyone wants to get their hands on just so
they can say they have it in their pocket. The idea of a foldable phone is an
awesome one, but we feel like the technology isn’t there yet.  

If
you have the money to spare, feel free to bring home one of these novel new
phones. However, if you prefer to have something in your pocket that you don’t
need to worry about, it might be a good idea to wait until the technology has
improved a little bit more. In the meantime, the LG G8X ThinQ is a great
middle-ground device that gives you the benefit of two screens without the
hassle of a folding one.