LG’s releasing the G8 (again) in the form of the G8X in SA this November

We’ve been expecting LG’s G8X ThinQ to turn up for a few months and, true to form, the company has not disappointed. The G8X will land in South Africa from next month and we’ve got pricing and other details for you.

Got some specs

At this point, you’re asking yourself: Why the heck do we want to buy the LG G8 again? Hasn’t that happened already? Technically… yes. We’ve reviewed it and everything. The LG G8S isn’t the G8X, however. Even if it shares a whole bunch of the older device’s specs.

The G8S and G8X both share a processor and some of the storage/RAM specs. Both feature a Snapdragon 855 and there’s 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage in both. The G8S also has a lower-spec version with 64GB of storage. The major differences come in with the display (6.4in for the G8X — more on that in a sec) and the camera. LG’s latest rocks up with a dual rear camera (12MP f/1.8 + 13MP f/2.4) and a simply enormous 32MP front-facer. It loses one of the G8S’ 12MP sensors (that one has a triple rear shooter) and the rather teeny 8MP front-facing camera.

Seeing double

But what really sets the G8X ThinQ apart is LG’s Dual Screen tech. Basically a cheap(er) way of getting a second display on a handset (without any of that faffing over complex hinges and flimsy screens), Dual Screen is a cover that augments the G8X’s 6.4in screen with a second 6.4in display that lives inside the handsets cover. There’s also a 2.1in exterior screen on that same cover, called the Cover Display. Of course it is.

LG’s Dual Screen has an interesting feature for gamers. Called LG Gamepad (seriously, how do they come up with these?), it allows players to set up “…a customisable game controller on the second screen to take your gaming to the next level.”

Also included? Fingerprint sensors, LG’s 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC, software-driven camera upgrades like 4K Time Lapse and a mic designed “…for the most captivating ASMR recordings.” Well, okay then.

Those of you keen on LG’s double-take on the G8 will find the handset in SA from November. It’ll set you back R16,000 and will be available from Vodacom, MTN or Cell C. Hopefully you like Aurora Black, because that’s the option that’ll be launching here. We’ll keep you posted on a more specific availability date when it turns up.