Tag Archives: Novelty

“You won't find another smartphone that looks like the LG Wing, and it's a real eye-catcher. However, the swivel screen struggles to find a way to be useful. "

• Well crafted hardware

• Satisfactory screen rotation

• The gimbal camera mode works fine

• Too little use for the swivel screen

• Screen with a refresh rate of 60 Hz

If the LG Velvet LG was reasonable, then the LG Wing LG is pretty, pretty insane. The insane swivel screen hardware is fundamentally different from any other phone you can buy, and while it might be considered a quirky alternative to a folding smartphone, it really isn't.

I'm actually not exactly sure what the LG Wing is. While the hardware is fun, the software can't keep up with the innovative design. This means that I have found very few reasons to rotate the screen and that is a real shame. Let's go into more detail.

design

The LG Wing has two screens, with the large 6.8-inch P-OLED main screen swiveling to a 180-degree landscape orientation to reveal a smaller 3.9-inch secondary screen underneath. The phone will assume a T shape at this point. The result is a phone that you can naturally hold with one hand while watching videos in landscape mode.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

First, the phone is made superbly. Forget the wing feels fragile – it doesn't. Also, don't worry about the rotated screen breaking with regular use as it has been tested to 200,000 revolutions. The action is delightful, with expertly weighted damping to slow the rotation of the screen. And the hinge is set in the perfect point to take over when you move it with your thumb.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The LG Wing is not a concept phone. The hardware feels absolutely final and durable. It corresponds to the toughness standard MIL-STD-810G and is splash-proof according to IP54 (not to be confused with the usual high-end IP68). The shape and comfort in the hand when folding the phone are reminiscent of the LG Velvet. This is a seriously heavy phone at 260 grams – the Velvet weighs only 180 grams – and at 10.9mm, it's thick too. The result is a phone that pulls your pants down.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

I like the color Illusion Sky. The blue shimmers in the light and then turns into purple, silver, green and pink at different angles. When the screen is rotated, there are some ergonomic problems, mainly with the volume and power buttons. These are too close to the rotated screen and are very difficult to press in this orientation. The fingerprint sensor on the display is also difficult to reach. This isn't very helpful when the phone goes to sleep or a video is playing at a deafening volume. The main screen also takes its smooth, curved edges with it when flipped, so you can grab the far less convenient sharp edges of the lower screen.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Yes, the phone is to be kept in T mode of course, but every time I did it I wondered if it was really any different from holding any other phone in landscape mode. Well done and really out of the ordinary, the LG Wing is a flashy phone that will make people double take a picture, but you may not be using the flip screen too much.

Using the LG Wing

I love LG's ideas. Ever since we let the crazier designers back into the lab after a period of boredom, we've got the sleek new Velvet, several dual-screen phones, and now a swivel phone. It is wonderful. As cool as the design is, it's all free if the software doesn't keep up or app developers aren't on board. As with LG's dual-screen cases, the current status of the Wing's app support doesn't convince me to use the swivel screen more often.

For a new type of phone to be successful, it has to fit into our lives. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 does this very well – with the vast majority of apps working instantly on the big screen, there was no real adjustment phase. All of the Samsung folding phones make me want to open and close the phone, and as much as I want to pan the LG Wing's screen, it often doesn't make much sense to do so.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Why? An example is when you come across an embedded video on Twitter. With the phone closed. It will play as usual and when you pan the screen. It switches to landscape mode, but the Twitter app doesn't automatically appear on the bottom screen so you can keep browsing. When you open the Twitter app on the small screen, the video will be pulled from the panned screen and played there instead.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The menu on the panned screen shows YouTube as an option. However, when you open it, it shows YouTube in landscape orientation. This is a terrible mobile experience. It would have been better to toggle this to the lower portrait screen. So when you have selected a video, it will play on the panned screen. It does this using the Naver Whale browser pre-installed on the phone when accessing the mobile site.

I like it when you play a video, controls appear on the bottom screen, and how the Gallery app shows your selected photo on the rotated screen. Playing Asphalt 9 Legends shows that it was customized for the wing. A map of the trail is displayed on the lower screen. While the Naver Whale browser improves the browsing experience on both screens, you will have to be prepared to use it instead of the usual browser of your choice.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

If you're using the Wing with a properly customized app or feature, you can see what the LG Wing could look like with wider app support. Otherwise, it is often a little confusing and not very user-friendly. friendly. The result of all of this is that I just kept using the phone closed as it was often impossible to figure out what could happen if I turned the screen. Unfortunately, this tends to miss the mark.

camera

The main camera on the back has 64 megapixels and optical image stabilization, a second camera has 13 MP and records at wide angle, and a third camera also has 64 MP, but only records when the screen is panned and is mainly intended for video. This third camera is rotated to match the orientation of the panned screen for landscape photography. Very smart. This is where LG's clever digital gimbal system is activated, which stabilizes your recordings and enables a variety of movements without causing camera shake or blurring.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

This feature is probably the most successful on the LG Wing, but ease of use probably doesn't depend on the rotation of the screen. The stabilization – which is completely digital and not using hardware like a real gimbal or the Vivo X50 Pro – is very effective and keeps the image stable while walking or running, as well as tracking moving objects. However, the benefits are only seen in certain situations.

Controlling the camera in gimbal mode is easy with a precise and responsive virtual joystick and other controls on the lower screen. The LG Wing's T mode also helps you hold the phone more naturally when shooting, and gives you more control over position, just like a real gimbal – but there's no reason why the technology isn't on a regular phone too can be used.

Taking still images with the standard camera shows some great HDR effects and lots of pop, but the wide-angle camera tends to look washed out and drab. A digital 2x zoom is highlighted in the camera app and the photos taken have a reasonable level of detail, although it is not an optical zoom.

The camera also has various gimmicks. For example, you can record videos simultaneously with the rear and selfie cameras, record audio for ASMR videos, and choose from various bokeh effects in portrait mode. Video editing tools are displayed on the second screen in T mode. Oddly, however, there are no tools at all for editing still images. The Gallery app will open either Google Photos or Snapseed if it's installed.

Performance, screen and battery

The LG Wing has a Snapdragon 765G 5G processor and 8 GB of RAM as well as Android 10 with LG's own customizations of the user interface. It's quick and reliable. While technically not a flagship, you probably won't notice much of a difference between this one and a Snapdragon if you normally use your phone for typical apps and communication rather than constantly playing high-end games on your 865.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Here are some benchmark results:

3DMark Sling Shot Extreme: 2992 (volcano)

Geekbench 5: 1888 multi core / 602 single core

This corresponds to the OnePlus Nord and is a moderate improvement over the results of the Velvet and Motorola Edge, but not as high as the OnePlus 8 or OnePlus 8 Pro equipped with Snapdragon 865. I didn't notice any drastic performance issues, although the animations and switching between screens when opening and closing the screen tend to stutter and introduce a little lag.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

It's a shame the Wing's screen, like the Velvet, doesn't have a high refresh rate and stays at 60Hz rather than a clearer, more eye-friendly 90Hz or higher. However, in the positive column, the 4,000 mAh battery lasts a full day and is typically around 30% including a few hours of video calls. Without this it would easily take two days. It supports both Quick Charge 4.0 and wireless charging.

Price and availability

All details on the availability of the LG Wing will be confirmed after release. We do know, however, that Verizon will be selling the phone for $ 999 and that pre-orders are already live and will be released on October 15th.

Our opinion

The smartphone world would be less interesting if it weren't for the LG Wing, but this unusual take on the multiscreen phone trend doesn't impress like the Galaxy Z Fold 2 or the Motorola Razr, as the software struggles to ensure everyday use is innovative Hardware. It's technically very impressive, but when you use it like any other bar-shaped smartphone, it's hard to justify spending $ 1,000 on it.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes. The high price of the LG Wing hurts it, especially since there are many excellent mid-range phones with the Snapdragon 765G processor this year, including the new Google Pixel 5 for $ 699, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE for $ 699, the OnePlus Nord and the Nokia 8.3 5G. If you're looking to spend $ 1,000 on a phone, the OnePlus 8 Pro is far higher spec for the money, and the upcoming list of iPhone 12 models is always available if you want something completely different.

If you want something different, the Asus Zenfone 7 Pro's rotating camera probably offers more versatility and everyday functionality than the LG Wing's swivel screen, and offers higher spec at a lower price.

How long it will take?

The LG Wing is surprisingly tough on paper for such a complex piece of hardware. The MIL-STD-810G standard does not make it insensitive to damage, but it definitely contributes to safety and has a splash-proof coating for protection class IP54. There's even a custom case in the box.

LG's software updates aren't as fast as we'd like them to be, and the Wing launches with Android 10 on board. Since no Android 11 update has been announced for the Velvet yet, the Wing will probably wait until the beginning of 2021 see the new software. The phone has 5G on board which adds to its longevity, although it's not a big selling point today.

There's no reason the LG Wing won't keep you on a two-year funding plan. With luck, LG will make the swiveling screen and associated apps more useful during this time.

Should you buy one?

No. I like the hardware finish, but if I only use the phone when it is closed it is not worth paying extra for the swivel screen.

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