LG G8X ThinQ dual-screen hybrid gives you a taste of the foldable phone future

The LG G8X ThinQ has been announced at IFA 2019 in Berlin, Germany, and the South Korean firm's latest flagship smartphone offers up a foldable phone form factor which boasts two displays rather than one large flexible screen.

While we wait for the Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X to finally go on sale, LG is continuing to push forward with its own take on the new form factor.

As a standalone handset, the LG G8X ThinQ has many of the expected specs for a high-end phone. There's a 6.4-inch, 19.5:9 OLED display, Snapdragon 855 chipset, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, multiple cameras including a 32MP selfie snapper, under-screen fingerprint scanner, and a sizable 4,000mAh battery. 

There's fast and wireless charging, stereo speakers, an IP68 dust and water resistance rating (which means it can survive being submerged briefly) and a headphone jack.

However, the screen resolution is 'only' Full HD+ - many top-end handsets have QHD as standard these days. Plus, you get just two rear cameras with a 12MP main sensor joined by a 13MP ultra-wide offering (but if the Pixel 3 has taught us anything, you can do a lot with just a single lens), and the design is premium without being game-changing.

Things get far more interesting when you pair the LG G8X ThinQ with the LG Dual Screen cover. This isn't the first time we've seen this clip-on second screen, but LG has refined the solution for the G8X, making it a more attractive proposition.

• Read our hands on LG G8X ThinQ review

One screen, two screen, three screen

Connect the Dual Screen case to the G8X ThinQ (via the USB-C port on the base of the phone) and you'll instantly double screen real estate. The case houses a second, identical display - a 6.4-inch OLED with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio, Full HD+ resolution and even the same sized notch cut-out (minus the 32MP selfie camera).

You can run different apps on each screen simultaneously, while some apps and games are able to take advantage of both displays. There's a wide variety of use cases, which you can read about in our hands-on review.

The case also adds a third display to the setup. Close the case (so the two main displays face each other) and you'll spot a small black and white screen on the front of the case. It's big enough to display the time, date, notification icons and caller ID.

We currently don't know the LG G8X ThinQ release date or price, but LG says the handset will be available before the end of 2019. Where exactly it will be available from still remains to be seen, and we'll be sure to update you with this important information as soon as we find out.

IFA 2019 is Europe's biggest tech show, and the TechRadar team is in Berlin to bring you all the breaking news and hands-on first impressions of new TVs, wearables and other devices as they're announced.

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