Tech News code
[ad_1]
2018 was a busy year for LG. In addition to the LG G7 ThinQ, we’ve also seen the LG V30S ThinQ, the LG V35 ThinQ, and even the LG V40 ThinQ. Despite this release roster, it still had time to think about the LG G8 ThinQ, and rumors about its existence and release have started to spread. Here’s everything we know about the upcoming LG G8 ThinQ.
Design and screen
What will the LG G8 look like? We may finally have a pretty good idea. Noted Twitter leaker Evan Blass has posted a picture of the G8 ThinQ, showing off an edge-to-edge display with a relatively small notch, a dual rear-facing camera, and more.
LG may also be working on new display technology which incorporates a speaker. This would mean the elimination of a traditional speaker in favor of an on-screen speaker system. Other reports claimed this may not be ready for 2019, but a recent tweet from leaker Steve H. makes claims to the contrary, citing a source who says we’ll see this “Sound on Display” technology in the G8. After the G7 introduced the impressive Boombox speaker, this could be the natural next step.
The LG G8 ThinQ’s screen may also have an impressive resolution. LG may use a 4K LCD screen on the G8, according to an unsubstantiated rumor from phone leaker Ice Universe.
Name, release date, and price
It’s official: LG is revealing something at MWC 2019, and the LG G8 ThinQ is the most likely candidate. LG has sent out invites to a February 24 event at the Barcelona International Convention Centre in Barcelona, as well as a video that asks us to say “Goodbye Touch.” Considering the hand in the video uses swipes to interact with the paper on-screen, this hints at air gestures being a big part of the LG G8 ThinQ. Digital Trends will be on the ground at MWC 2019, and we’ll be sure to keep you up-to-date on the latest news and developments.
According to sources speaking to ETNews, the LG G8 will be released in South Korea and internationally at the end of March. Old rumors said the G8 was more likely come in May — which would match previous phones. The LG G7 was revealed in May 2018, making it less than a year old if LG does return to MWC for its flagship phone launch. However, this could be down to an accelerated release schedule.
Unlike some smartphone manufacturers, LG tends to stay true to its naming conventions. Rumors so far seem to agree the phone will be called the LG G8, either with or without the ThinQ suffix.
LG does not usually reveal how much a phone costs at all, often leaving that job to carriers, but we have seen some leaks about the pricing of the LG G8 ThinQ. According to a post on Reddit, the 128GB model of the LG G8 ThinQ will be priced at 1,199 Canadian dollars — which equates to just over $900 in the U.S. If there’s a 64GB model, you can expect it to be cheaper.
Camera
Rumors on the G8’s camera suite have been extremely thin on the ground. However, we do know the LG G8 ThinQ will include an unusual and revolutionary new inclusion to its camera suite.
According to an official email from LG received by Digital Trends, the LG G8 ThinQ will include a Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensor from Infineon Technologies AG. We’ve seen ToF sensors on other phones before, and this specialized camera lens uses infrared light to “see” the world around it. By using infrared light in a similar way to sonar, a ToF sensor can accurately see the world in 3D. Since its also not reliant on ambient light, it can be used in the dark as easily as the light. So if we’ve seen these before, what’s so special about the one on the G8 ThinQ? It’s around the front of the phone, instead of around the back.
While the email doesn’t go into specifics on the uses of the front-facing ToF sensor, it seems extremely likely it will be used for more accurate and secure facial recognition — the tech is similar to the infrared tech that powers Apple’s Face ID. However, it’s also possible this tech is linked to LG’s “Goodbye Touch” promo video. By leaning heavily into facial detection, LG will be reducing the need for users to actually touch their device — and if the rumors about an air gesture-based control system are true, this ToF sensor could be used to accurately detect gestures.
Specs
Since the LG G8 ThinQ will be one of LG’s 2019 flagships, we’re fairly confident the phone will have top-of-the-line specs, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor. However, we should not expect the LG G8 to have 5G connectivity, as LG is rumored to be introducing a new range for this purpose.
There are no leaks around RAM and storage options for the LG G8 ThinQ yet. If we had to venture a guess based off the LG G7 ThinQ and smartphone trends, we would say at the base model of the LG G8 ThinQ will have 6GB of RAM and a 128GB of onboard storage.
Updated on February 13, 2019: Added design leak from Evan Blass.
Source link
