This LG G8 release date guide will tell you everything you need to know about LG’s latest phone. Following months of leaks and rumors, LG officially announced the new LG G8 and upcoming V50. Here are all the release date and pre-order details, pricing, shipping information and more for potential buyers.
On February 24th in Spain at Mobile World Congress LG surprised everyone with an early release of both of these phones. And while the V50 isn’t coming until later, you’ll be able to buy the LG G8 very soon. It’s a phone with a sleek design and several improvements but is very similar to the G7 from last year. Here’s what you need to know.
LG G8 ThinQ Release Date
First things first, when can you buy the LG G8? Well, that depends on where you live. LG recently confirmed LG G8 pre-orders begin on March 15th in select regions, like South Korea. And it’ll officially go on sale come March 22nd.
Unfortunately, we don’t know when they’ll release the phone in the United States, or when carriers will open pre-orders. Those dates above are only for South Korea. And considering the LG G7 didn’t arrive until late May, we could be in for a wait.
Once we know more we’ll update this article and confirm all the details. As for pre-orders, most US carriers confirmed they’ll offer the phone but didn’t get into dates, pre-orders or pricing. At least not yet.
How Much is the LG G8?
Another thing LG didn’t reveal is how much they want for this phone. And considering it must compete with three new Galaxy S10 phones, including a budget model, the price will be very important for its success.
Thankfully, it looks like the LG G8 will cost around $799, making it one of LG’s cheapest flagship phones in recent memory. The LG G8 comes with a big, vibrant screen and 128GB of storage. If it’s only $50 more than the budget Galaxy S10e, it’ll be a tempting option for smartphone buyers.
LG G8 ThinQ Specs & Features
The G8 is almost identical to the LG G7 from 2018, only with a few notable changes here and there. This phone still has plenty to offer and is a great alternative to the Pixel 3 XL, expensive Galaxy S10, or even the iPhone Xs. Here’s what you’ll get from LG’s G8.
LG G8 Specs
- 6.1-inch 3120 x 1440 Quad-HD Full-Vision Display
- 8-Core Snapdragon 855 Processor with 6GB of RAM
- 128GB storage with microSD expansion
- Android 9 Pie with LG UI
- 12-Megapixel f/1.5 main camera, 16 MP f/1.9 wide-angle lens
- 8-Megapixel front selfie camera f/1.7 and ToF sensors
- Hi-Fi Quad DAC, Boombox Speaker, Google Assistant button, FM Radio
- 3,500 mAh battery with fast and wireless charging (up from 3,000 on G7)
- IP68 Water & dust resistant, USB Type-C
- Crystal Sound OLED Speaker (the entire display)
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Platinum Gray, Black, Blue, and Red color options
As you can see, the LG G8 ThinQ has everything one would want from a high-end smartphone in 2018. Well, aside from maybe getting rid of the notch in the screen or putting the fingerprint scanner inside the display.
One aspect of the specs that’s really exciting is the new Crystal OLED sound speaker. LG is using the entire screen as the earpiece for phone calls, which doubles as a forward-facing speaker during music and video playback. It’ll offer great highs, while the regular extremely loud boombox speaker does the rest.
Then, LG added a ToF sensor array of cameras inside the notch, similar to what Apple offers in the iPhone Xs. Instead of using this just for FaceID unlock, those sensors can see a 3D imprint of your hands for some truly unique new hand gestures. Basically, touch-free controls.
Where to Buy the LG G8 ThinQ (Carrier Support)
So far we’re not hearing a lot of information from carriers or stores about where and when you can buy the LG G8. That said, most carriers in the US and around the globe will offers LG’s new phone whenever they decide to release it.
For now, we’ve heard the LG G8 ThinQ is “coming soon” from Verizon, LG, Best Buy, AT&T and T-Mobile. And, it looks like Sprint might pass on it in favor of the LG V50 this summer. Furthermore, Verizon said LG G8 pre-orders will be available “very soon”. So, stay tuned for more details.
Other LG G8 Release Details
It’s worth noting that while the LG G8 doesn’t have a beautiful bezel-free screen like the Galaxy S10 or a fingerprint sensor inside the screen, it’s still a great phone that will cost less than the competition. If there’s on thing LG does pretty well, it’s they release excellent phones that fly under the radar, then price them a few hundred less than Samsung.
The LG G8 has stunning sound along with a new speaker system that uses the entire screen. Powerful new Face and Hand unlock technology. Hands-free gesture controls that look pretty futuristic. It runs the latest software and has powerful hardware and cameras.
We also really like the fact that LG improved all of these areas, added a substantially bigger battery, and managed to keep the back completely flat. There’s no bulge for the cameras.
The LG G8 ThinQ might not be the biggest nor the best, but when you see the $900 price tag for the Galaxy S10 and LG’s phone costs under $799 or less, you’ll have a tough choice to make. Stay tuned for more details.
