LG officially revealed the LG G8 ThinQ on the eve of Mobile World Congress, confirming many of the rumours surrounding the device, especially in the case of design - it looks a lot like the G7 ThinQ.

How does the LG G8 ThinQ compare to its predecessor in other areas though and what has changed on the design front despite the similarities? Here is how the LG G8 ThinQ stacks up against the LG G7 ThinQ.

Best LG G7 ThinQ deals

 

Design

  • LG G7 ThinQ: 153.2 x 71.9 x 7.9mm, 162g
  • LG G8 ThinQ: 151.9 x 71.8 x 8.4mm, 167g

The LG G7 ThinQ comes with a premium metal frame, sandwiched between a Corning Gorilla Glass 5 front and rear. A notched display houses the front camera in the centre at the top, while the rear sees a vertically-aligned dual camera and a circular fingerprint sensor below.

The LG G8 ThinQ offers an almost identical design with a couple of exceptions. Firstly, the alignment of the dual camera on the rear is horizontal instead of vertical and secondly, there is no camera bump. The G8 ThinQ has a single sheet of Gorilla Glass 6 covering the rear and camera lenses instead, for a seamless finish.

Aside from those small points, on the surface, things remain very similar. There's a notched display on the front of the G8 like the G7, a circular fingerprint sensor on the rear and the same materials are used with a metal core and glass front and rear.

The LG G7 and G8 are both IP68 water and dust resistant, as well as MIL-STD 810G drop and shock resistant. They also both feature a 3.5mm headphone jack and USB Type-C.

Display

  • LG G7 ThinQ: 6.1-inch, LCD, 19.5:9, 3120 x 1440
  • LG G8 ThinQ: 6.1-inch, OLED, 19.5:9, 3120 x 1440, speaker

The LG G7 ThinQ has a 6.1-inch Super Bright LCD display that offers a resolution of 3120 x 1440 and an aspect ratio of 19.5:9.

The FullVision display has a second screen for a continuous look at the top edge of the display without the FullVision mode on, while a floating bar offers access to app shortcuts and call notifications on a moveable toolbar.

The LG G8 ThinQ comes with a notched display like its predecessor and it sticks with the same size and resolution too.

The G8 ThinQ does switch to OLED though and the display also serves as a speaker, vibrating the entire screen to offer volume when playing music aloud.

Cameras

  • LG G7 ThinQ: Dual rear (16MP+16MP) rear, 8MP front
  • LG G8 ThinQ: Dual rear (16MP+12MP) or triple rear (16MP+12MP+12MP), Dual front (8MP + ToF)

The LG G7 ThinQ has a dual rear camera, comprised of a 16-megapixel standard angle lens with a f/1.6 aperture and a 16-megapixel wide-angle lens with an f/1.9 aperture. On the front, there is an 8-megapixel sensor with an f/1.9 aperture.

The LG G8 ThinQ will be available in two models - one will have a dual rear camera, the other will have a triple rear camera. Carriers will be able to choose which model they stock. The dual camera variant has a 16-megapixel super wide sensor with an f/1.9 aperture, coupled with a 12-megapixel standard lens with an f/1.5 aperture. 

The triple camera model has the same setup as the dual camera model but it adds a third 12-megapixel telephoto lens.

Both variants come with an 8-megapixel front camera, along with a Time of Flight front camera called the Z Camera. The Z Camera is not only being used for facial recognition but a new biometric option called Hand ID. It also allows for air gestures and different camera modes.

The G7 comes with numerous features including portrait mode, manual mode and AI Cam, all of which the G8 offer too but the G8 adds a couple of extras including Spotlight, which offers control of lighting and shadows for studio lighting effects.

Hardware and software

  • LG G7 ThinQ: SD845, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, 3000mAh
  • LG G8 ThinQ: SD855, 6GB RAM, 128GB storage, 3500mAh

The LG G7 ThinQ features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, along with 4GB RAM and 64GB of storage. There is microSD support for storage expansion up to 2TB and there is also a 3000mAh battery capacity with support for Quick Charge 3.0.

The LG G8 ThinQ launches on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor, with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, offering an update to the G7 on the hardware front. It also increases the battery to 3500mAh.

The LG G7 ThinQ runs on Android with LG's UX 7.0 over the top. The LG G8 ThinQ also launches on Android Pie with LG's skin over the top, but it adds numerous features over the G7 thanks to the Z Camera. 

The biometric Hand ID option allows users to unlock their LG G8 ThinQ with a registered palm by opening their hand around 150-200mm above the G8. Air Motion gestures also allow control of specific features like taking a screenshot or music playback with a hand gesture in the air above the G8 ThinQ, with no need for touch.

Conclusion

The LG G7 ThinQ and G8 ThinQ offer a similar design, though a few improvements have been made in the new device including the single sheet of glass on the rear for a seamless finish.

The new model also offers numerous software feature updates thanks to the new ToF front camera, as well as a new biometric option in Hand ID. The G8 ThinQ also upgrades the hardware compared to the G7 ThinQ with a more advanced processor, more RAM, more storage and a larger battery. 

Pricing has yet to be announced but on paper, the LG G8 ThinQ betters the LG G7 ThinQ in almost every aspect, even if the design remains similar.