Our hands-on review of the LG Wing earlier this month gave us a close look at its T-shaped, swiveling display, the likes of which we haven't seen before. That kind of innovation usually translates into an exorbitant flagship price, which made today's US pricing news a pleasant surprise.
The Verizon version of LG Wing will be available for pre-order for US buyers on October 1st for $999 (around £770, $AU1400), and will arrive in homes on October 15th.
That thousand-dollar price tag leaked in August, but had previously been estimated in the $1,600 range, making today's confirmation a relief for our collective bank accounts. As of now, we don't know when the Wing will become available in non-US markets.
There's also no word as of yet on when the AT&T and T-Mobile versions of the phone will ship, though they are expected later this fall (Q3 2020). The Verizon version runs on the company's mmWave tech; it's unclear if this required any special augmentation, or if the alternate variants could be cheaper as a result. For now, we're assuming an identical price across the board.
The LG Wing 5G sports a primary 6.8-inch OLED panel and a second 3.9-inch mini-display that remains covered until you swivel the main screen off of it into its perpendicular landscape mode. It runs off of a Snapdragon 765G processor with 8GB of RAM and a 4,000mAh battery, and sports three rear cameras: a main 64MP f/1.8 camera with a second 12MP ultra-wide cam, plus a 13MP ultra-wide camera just for the unique Gimbal mode (more on that below).
LG also sells a more "traditional" multi-screen phone with the LG V60 ThinQ and its Dual Screen accessory, if the Wing seems too bizarre. But having spent some time with the Wing, we're intrigued at some of its unique features.
LG Winging it
The most obvious purpose of the mini-screen design is to let you respond to texts or Google search information without interrupting whatever you're watching on the main screen. But the possibilities don't stop there.
LG included a unique Gimbal mode in the camera app that lets you grip the smaller screen and use simulated gimbal controls to pan the main screen in different directions while you shoot video. It also features a Dual Recording feature that lets you livestream both in front of you and behind you simultaneously, which we imagine could spawn a new wave of unique selfie videos for social media.
With a hinge built to withstand 200,000 swivels, according to LG, the LG Wing is built to be on the move. But we also found that it works perfectly well as a one-screen device, if you end up feeling bored with the gimmick. Our tester found that the main screen feels thin and a bit difficult to hold when swiveled out, making the closed form of the LG Wing more ideal for activities like gaming or casual browsing when swiveling just isn't in the cards.
Via The Verge
