Over the past few years, smartphone design has somewhat plateaued. A glass slab can only be used for so many things, after all. LG had the brilliant idea to come out with some distinctive designs and throw them at the market to see if they stick while other OEMs are pushing foldables as the future. The LG Wing is the first of those gadgets, and it has a unique swivel design.
WHY DOES THE SWIVEL SCREEN SWIVE? Having additional screen space available is usually beneficial, but LG’s approach with the Wing is, to put it mildly, very peculiar. A smaller, nearly 4-inch panel is revealed when the conventional, 6.8-inch display is moved out of the way.
The screen rotates out with a smooth motion that includes a cushion at the end to prevent the screen from striking too hard. Although it can be a chore to do if you hold the phone in your left hand, it is a nice, rewarding movement. The screen falls back down with a satisfying clunk when it is closed. There is occasionally some unintentional movement on the screen, but the mechanism is remarkably robust and well-done.
When the Wing is closed, LG’s software has a typical homescreen; but, when it is opened, you get a conventional layout on the bottom screen and a distinctive carousel design on the top. Overall, this arrangement works well. On either display, you can swipe up to access the entire app drawer. Personally, however, I would prefer that the upper screen utilize a conventional design as opposed to the room-wasting carousel.
With this, you can hold the phone in practically any direction and utilize it in a variety of ways, but what are the practical applications?
The camera is one of the main use cases LG promotes. On the phone’s back is a super-wide-angle camera that, with the aid of the second screen, serves as a gimbal. The stability is at its greatest levels, and you may alter the point of view using a virtual joystick on the bottom panel. It’s a really brilliant concept that may be quite helpful for content producers!
There are, however, more use cases. With LG’s app pairing feature, users can group particular apps together to open them more quickly on each screen. Using YouTube and Twitter at home or Google Maps and Spotify while driving are two examples of this. On that lower, smaller panel, almost any program will function as well, although some will perform better than others. The majority of apps must be explicitly enabled, though.
On the bottom display, you also get a different quick settings menu. It offers settings for brightness and volume, which is particularly useful because when the big screen is turned out, it can be difficult to press the volume controls. Additionally, there are shortcuts for Grip Lock, which disables the bottom display, and Touchpad, which effectively converts the bottom display into a trackpad with a cursor on the top display.
I initially struggled to understand the LG Wing. I was prepared to write off this phone as a novelty item that very few people should purchase since I was unable to fathom who this phone was for. That is, until I showed a friend the device, and I literally felt the thrill in his eyes as he witnessed the benefits the Wing offers.
My friend usually always watches videos on his phone, which his wife quickly reminded him of. The Wing is actually a pretty perfect smartphone for him as a result. He may access messages and other apps on the second, smaller screen while watching his videos in full screen on the top, larger display. Many of the applications for this setup, in my opinion, are gimmicky, but in this situation, I can definitely understand how valuable it would be. That feature essentially convinced my friend to get a Wing and give up his iPhone in order to do so.
Does that imply that everyone should purchase a Wing phone? Without a doubt. The majority of people should continue using standard devices due to compromises like the decreased water resistance and the absence of protective cases. Even so, it is obvious that there is a demand for this product.
That was essentially the whole point, too. In order to understand what resonates with people, the LG Explorer Project is all about coming up with outlandish concepts. Although I’m not sure if the Wing will be successful enough to warrant a sequel, I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Having said that, we must discuss the rest of this phone because a stylish swivel screen would be useless without a strong smartphone to support it. the positive news It’s a fairly good gadget!
HARDWARE The LG Wing’s hardware is generally uninteresting once you get past the swivel screen. There are tactile buttons, a USB-C connection, a very glossy glass back that practically catches all fingerprints, and a strong metal frame. Additionally, the display has a fingerprint sensor that works but is somewhat slow.
Due to necessity, the LG Wing is a much thicker and heavier phone than the majority. Much more is going on here! I don’t really blame the phone either for this. It is still entirely appropriate. Despite this device’s larger size and thicker construction, LG either was unable to or just chose not to include a headphone jack. As a result, this is the first significant LG release to do so. An other noteworthy LG feature is a pop-up selfie camera. Although it feels slower than other devices I’ve tried with the same feature, it functions and makes sense for this physical type.
There is also a 4,000 mAh battery within the device. Although not exceptionally stunning when using both displays, it is generally good. It’s good to see that LG didn’t abandon fast charging or wireless charging for this handset.
The Wing’s hardware is typical overall. Although it isn’t as eye-catching as the LG Velvet or even the V60, it serves its purpose.
TECHNOLOGY AND PERFORMANCE Software has been LG’s Achilles heel for years, and the Wing is no exception. Android 10 is already available for viewing. Although Android 11 will eventually be available for this phone, future support is not guaranteed. Although Android’s skin is somewhat thick, most things still function as you would expect. Just a shame that LG’s skin makes bugs and sporadic slowdowns more frequent. Additionally, there are still decisions that are illogical. The app drawer is still disabled when the phone is shipped, and even when it is enabled, it won’t keep your apps organized. Madness!
However, the good news is that performance is generally respectable. I wouldn’t call the experience produced by the Snapdragon 765 with 8GB of RAM particularly fluid. Although the 60Hz screen doesn’t help, it’s not particularly rough either. Although it isn’t great, it does the job, and I am confident that most people won’t be able to distinguish the Wing from any other smartphone.
One of the greatest issues with the Wing is that in order to use this form factor successfully, you have to stick with LG’s standard keyboard. The two displays won’t be correctly recognized by any other keyboard. The issue? The LG keyboard is a giant pile of garbage. I usually get confused by the spacing, especially when entering symbols. It doesn’t have access to many symbols. The worst autocorrect I’ve ever seen is also on there. It simply won’t fix a typo most of the time. It never makes the right decision while deciding to correct someone. Additionally, if you attempt to undo an autocorrection, it simply redoes it! I really wanted to keep using the Wing, but after a couple of days I had to stop since I was so tired of the phone’s keyboard. Fix this, LG.
CAMERA The LG Wing’s camera experience has both positive and negative aspects. The positive Although I wouldn’t call the results outstanding, the super-wide-angle back camera is entertaining to use in gimbal mode and produces passable results.
The remainder of the shooting experience, though, is at best average. Despite utilizing a 64MP camera akin to the LG V60, which I found to be quite impressive, the Wings’ primary camera frequently lacks contrast and color. A excellent camera would be greatly appreciated on a form factor like this, so it’s a bummer.
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The 32MP pop-up selfie camera is noteworthy as it appears to be of good quality. Both video calls and selfies will function flawlessly on it. However, it should be noted that the majority of video calling apps don’t always want to use the swiveled primary screen. For instance, Google Duo displays an incoming call on the secondary monitor.
LAST THOUGHTS Although the LG Wing is not for everyone, it does bring a true innovation to the market. I believe that those that consume the most of their information on a smartphone will benefit from this gadget the most. This phone is a terrific method to watch gaming streaming on Twitch, Netflix, or YouTube on a regular basis.
If that describes you, every major US carrier offers the LG Wing for about $1,000. There are many other great Android phones that we recommend if that’s not you (and it probably isn’t).
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