LG G8 Flagship, Foldable Smartphone With Add-On Display to Be Launched at MWC 2019: Report

It appears that Samsung and Huawei are not the only big names in the smartphone industry trying to make a splash by launching foldable smartphones. LG is also in the line and the company might announce its take on the foldable form factor as early as next month. A person familiar with the new developments at LG has revealed that the company plans to launch the flagship G8 at MWC 2019 in February, alongside another smartphone which can attain the foldable form factor by attaching a secondary display. 

As per information published by South Korean publication Naver, LG's upcoming smartphone will bring a unique take on the foldable form factor. Unlike the upcoming breed of foldable smartphones like Samsung's Galaxy F which has a large flexible display that can be folded in half and used as a phone, LG's offering will employ an add-on display to increase the screen real estate. LG's upcoming smartphone can be used as a regular phone and when users need a larger screen for scenarios like watching videos, they can attach the secondary display - one of which is said to be either 3-inch or 7-inch in size. However, this last detail about screen sizes is not very clear from the Korean translation, and should be taken with a pinch of salt.

The report, which cited a person familiar with the matter, added that LG will announce multiple smartphones at MWC 2019 that include the flagship LG G8 or the G8 ThinQ. Coming back to the company's foldable smartphone, the bezels on the main add-on screen will be quite thin to make sure that the connection point is not thick, something which is vital when it comes to providing a better viewing experience. Reports of LG's foldable phone emerged for the first time back in November last year, claiming that the company will launch the smartphone at CES 2019. But since that never materialized, we are now pinning our hopes on MWC 2019.

Additionally, LG will price the foldable smartphone in the ballpark of KRW 1 million (roughly Rs. 63,500). The report added that LG's foldable smartphone will be a competitively-priced alternative to other such smartphones in the segment. LG is reportedly developing a new user interface called ‘Touchless Input' that will rely on the front sensors to recognise gestures even when the user's hands are 20cm to 30cm away from the display. This new interface will debut on the company's foldable smartphone as well as the upcoming G-series and V-series flagships. 

Additional details about LG's foldable smartphone are still under the wraps. But with companies like Samsung, Huawei, Oppo, Motorola and Xiaomi reportedly throwing their hat in the foldable smartphone arena, we might see an entirely new form factor gain mass acceptance in the foreseeable future.