LG was one of the first to offer a dual screen smartphone experience with its V50 and V60 phones combined with the Dual Screen cover. The LG Velvet is the most current phone offering two full large displays for enhanced productivity.
Last week, LG sent along a new take on a dual screen smartphone with the LG Wing 5G and it is quite a departure from its Dual Screen cover devices, the Surface Duo, and the Galaxy Z Fold 2. It is less expensive than most dual screen devices and may appeal to more people because it is also less bulky than these other designs.
The new LG Wing 5G has internals similar to the LG Velvet, but is clearly focused on offering a unique small secondary display to help enhance productivity. At first it looks and feels like a slightly thicker black slab, but with a simple push to the left on the lower right corner the main display flips up to reveal the T-shaped device in all of its glory.
Also: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 review: Foldable perfection nearly achieved
The LG Wing is currently available for $999.99 on Verizon. LG announced it will also be coming to AT&T and T-Mobile this full, but hasn’t yet revealed pricing or availability for these carriers. We have a Verizon LG Wing 5G in hand and will be figuring out which use cases are optimized for the swivel dual screen setup.
LG Wing 5G specifications
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 765GMain display: 6.8 inches, 2460 x 1080 pixels resolution (395ppi), P-OLED, 20.5:9 aspect rationSecond display: 3.9 inches, 1240 x 1080 pixels resolution (419ppi), OLED, 1.15:1 aspect ratioOperating system: Android 10RAM: 8GBStorage: 256GB internal storage with microSDCameras: 64MP f/1.8 with OIS main rear camera. 13MP ultrawide with 117-degree FOV and second 12MP ultrawide with 120-degree FOV (one is used when in T-Mode). 32MP f/1.9 selfie camera that extends up from the top of the phone.Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, NFCBattery: 4,000mAh non-removable with Qualcomm Quick Charge 4.0+Dimensions (Smartphone mode): 169.5 x 74.5 x 10.9 mmWeight: 260 gramsColors: Aurora Gray
LG’s dual screen smartphones, when you count the cover as the second screen, have been available for reasonable prices and this true dual screen device is priced less than competing devices with two integrated displays. It doesn’t have the high end processor seen in the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2, but it does offer more than the Surface Duo when you compare specifications. 5G is a significant bonus over the Surface Duo, along with much better cameras and other specs.
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Also: Microsoft Surface Duo review: Buy it for dual screen use, not for its old specs
Hardware
When you first open up the retail package, the LG Wing 5G looks like a slightly thicker black slab phone. The back is very glossy and is a major fingerprint magnet. There are three cameras on the rear, but one is rotated 90 degrees and becomes active when you flip the main display up and into position.
Looking at the front we see a massive 6.8 inch display with minimal top and bottom bezels. There are no side bezels as the display transitions down and over the edges.
One thing to note is that there is no hold punch or notch for a front-facing camera. Like the OnePlus 7 Pro, the front-facing shooter, a 32-megapixel camera, extends out from the top when needed. Similarly, if you drop the phone with the front-facing camera extended then accelerometers will sense the drop and retract the camera to keep it from breaking.
The SIM card/microSD card tray is on the left. The power and volume buttons are on the right. The USB-C port is on the bottom. Unlike many LG phones, there is no 3.5mm audio port on the LG Wing, but a USB-C to 3.5mm port dongle is included in the box.
Slide the bottom of the main display from right to left and it will swivel up and into landscape orientation. The small, nearly square, 3.9 inch display will appear below and function as a small Android phone.
The swivel hinge mechanism seems sturdy, but will clearly be something to evaluate over time. The front headset speaker is revealed when you swivel the display too.
Also: AT&T LG Velvet hands-on: Affordable 5G phone with dual display option and compelling design features
Software
The LG Wing 5G is currently running Android 10 with the September 1, 2020, Android security patch. Hopefully, Android 11 will launch soon on this new phone, but we’ll have to see if LG improves its track record for major software updates.
Usability of the two displays is highly dependent on the software provided by LG. Out of the box, a swivel launcher appears when you rotate the display to show Asphalt 5, image gallery, camera, YouTube, and Google Maps. Simply swipe up on the upper display to launch other apps too, but there are clearly some that have been optimized for the two display layout.
If you swipe up on the smaller, lower display then you will see there is a subset of apps available to launch just on that small display. We will continue to explore these limitations and if developers progress to supporting the LG Wing.
Like other dual display smartphones, shortcuts can be setup to open two apps with a single tap. Touch and hold on the lower small display to access multi-app settings. Tap this and then you can choose the two apps you want to be launched with a tap. Again, there are limitations on which apps can appear on the two displays so spend some time customizing this setup.
You cannot setup multiple app launch icons on the larger upper display, but you can customize Swivel Home settings.
I pulled out my Bamboo stylus that is used on the LG V60 and LG Velvet so was very pleasantly surprised to see the LG Wing 5G fully supports LG’s enhanced pen support. This is one area where Microsoft dropped the ball with the Surface Duo and I plan to explore stylus enhancements and use cases with the LG Wing.
LG has provided a reviewer’s guide with a host of apps that can be used on the two displays and we will cover many more in our full review. The camera experience, especially for video creation, is enhanced with the LG Wing and we may find that the LG Wing is designed for content creators.
Please let me know below if you have specific use cases or questions you want to be answered as we continue to explore the LG Wing 5G.