LG G8s ThinQ Vs OnePlus 7T: Which Is A Better Smartphone In Sub 40K?

Design- OnePlus 7T Looks Premium, LG G8s ThinQ Is More Practical And Durable

OnePlus has done a wonderful job in designing the OnePlus 7T. The smartphone feels extremely premium in hands and comes across as a better-looking handset than the LG G8s ThinQ. However, LG G8s ThinQ takes care of basics and offers a more durable and practical design. It feels more comfortable to operate with one hand and also features a microSD card slot and the conventional 3.5mm headphone jack, which you will not find in the OnePlus 7T.

The LG G8s ThinQ is also IP68 certified for water and dust resistivity, whereas the OnePlus 7T lacks an official IP-rating for protection against water and dust. Moreover, the G8s ThinQ's body is also MIL-STD-810 compliant making it much more durable to withstand damages.

Having said that, if your preference is a premium design over durability, OnePlus 7T is the handset you should go for. However, if you want a device that can survive longer and offers support for microSD card and 3.5mm headphone jack, LG G8s ThinQ is the phone you should consider.

Display- OnePlus 90Hz OLED vs LG G8s ThinQ’s 60Hz OLED

Both the smartphones boast OLED panels; however, the OnePlus 7T has an edge in the display department. OnePlus 7T features a 90Hz OLED screen which feels much more responsive than the LG G8s ThinQ's conventional 60Hz OLED panel. Once you start using the 90Hz panel, there's no going back. The OLED panels on both the handsets are HDR10 certified.

In real-life usage, LG G8s ThinQ's OLED panel offers slightly better colour reproduction and contrast levels. The videos and games look somewhat punchier and livelier on LG's handset. The OnePlus 7T's 6.55-inch FHD+ OLED screen offers comes in 20:9 aspect ratio and offers 402ppi. On the other hand, the G8s ThinQ flaunts a 6.21-inch OLED screen with 19.5:9 aspect ratio with similar 402ppi.

Overall, OnePlus 7T wins the display game due to its superfluid 90Hz OLED display.

Camera- Fight Of The Triple-Lens Camera Setups

Both the smartphones offer triple-lens rear camera setups. The LG G8s ThinQ's camera array comprises of a 12 MP primary sensor + 13 MP wide-angle sensor + 12 MP telephoto lens. The OnePlus 7T offers a 48MP main camera + 16MP wide-angle lens + 12MP telephoto lens.

The primary lens on both the handsets is OIS stabilized. The 16MP wide-angle lens on the OnePlus 7T covers 117-degree FOV, whereas the 13MP sensor on the LG phone captures the industry-leading 137-degree field-of-view.

For daylight photography, the LG G8s ThinQ beats the OnePlus 7T by a fair margin. The images and videos shot on LG's phone look much sharper and brighter. The G8s ThinQ is also a better handset for wide-angle photography. The OnePlus 7T has a slight edge over portrait photography as the bokeh created by the OnePlus handset looks slightly more realistic.

Moreover, OnePlus' handset also wins in low-light photography as the LG G8s ThinQ's low-light mode is not very impressive and fails to match the results delivered by the OnePlus 7T.

Both the handsets can record 4K at 60fps; however, the video output looks crisper on the LG device. Moreover, the LG G8s ThinQ's camera setup has a slightly faster autofocus system than the OnePlus 7T's camera system.

LG also offers better control over the camera hardware. The smartphone features a manual video mode which allows you to control the ISO, exposure, white balance, etc. while shooting the videos. We are still testing both the handsets side-by-side but with the initial impressions, we can say that the LG G8s ThinQ offers a better camera performance than the OnePlus 7T.

Privacy- OnePlus 7T’s In-screen Fingerprint Scanner vs LG G8s ThinQ’s 3D Face Unlock

The LG G8s ThinQ offers a conventional rear-mounted fingerprint scanner whereas the OnePlus 7T boasts an in-screen fingerprint scanner. While the in-screen fingerprint scanner on the OnePlus handset is very snappy, the conventional fingerprint scanner on the LG handset is slightly faster and more accurate.

Moreover, the LG handset features a 3D ToF sensor at the front that offers a much secure face unlock than the OnePlus 7T's software-driven face unlock. However, it is a millisecond slower than the OnePlus 7T's face unlock system.

Importantly, the additional ToF sensor on the LG G8s ThinQ allows for better portrait shots with comparatively better bokeh effect than the OnePlus 7T's single-lens selfie camera. The ToF sensor also offers several other functionalities. You can read about them in the 'Additional Features' section in the end of this story.

Hardware- Snapdragon 855 Plus vs Snapdragon 855

While the LG G8s ThinQ wins the camera game, the OnePlus 7T comes across as a more powerful and responsive smartphone. The 90Hz display combined with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus chipset makes the OnePlus 7T a force to be reckoned with.

The smartphone feels more fluid and unbelievably responsive than the LG G8s ThinQ while playing games, opening/closing apps, web-browsing or performing other day-to-day operations.

This doesn't mean the LG G8s ThinQ is a slow performer. It is also backed by the powerful Snapdragon 855 (standard version) chipset which makes it almost equally powerful to handle everything without breaking up a sweat. Overall, we would recommend the OnePlus 7T if you are looking for best-in-class raw performance.

Software Experience- Oxygen OS Vs LG’s Custom UI

In addition to the underlying chipset, the OnePlus 7T also offers better software performance. For starters, it runs on the Android 10, whereas the LG handset is still stuck with the Android 9. Moreover, the LG's custom skin does not match the fluidity and ease-of-use of the OnePlus' Oxygen OS. The LG's UI is very colourful and feature-rich but it cannot match the Oxygen OS in terms of user-response and software update cycle.

Audio- LG G8s ThinQ Offers Dedicated DAC

Both the handsets feature stereo speakers. The dual-stereo speakers on the OnePlus 7T are much louder than the LG G8s ThinQ's speakers; however, the sound produced by LG's device is more balanced at maximum volume. But what makes the LG G8s ThinQ a pure gold for audiophiles is the built-in DAC.

Thanks to the 3.5mm headphone jack and the Digital-to-Analog Converter, the sound produced by the G8s ThinQ (with headphones) is best-in-class.

You can also enable DTS:X 3D Surround for a 3D sound balanced in a direction, normalize the volume and choose from a myriad of equalizer settings to make audio sound the way you prefer. If you are a true audiophile, the LG G8s ThinQ is the handset we would recommend.

Battery- OnePlus7T’s 3,800mAh vs LG G8s ThinQ’s 3,550mAh Battery

The OnePlus 7T ships with a 3,800mAh battery cell, whereas the LG G8s ThinQ is backed by a smaller 3,550 battery unit. Despite the difference in the battery cell's capacity, both the devices deliver a similar battery life. These two handsets can only last one day and that too with the moderate usage.

However, OnePlus 7T has an advantage. The Warp Charge 30 charger included in the package recharges the OnePlus 7T's battery at a much faster rate than the LG G8s ThinQ's QC 3.0 fast charger. It is any day a faster charging technology as compared to the Quick Charge 3.0 that powers the LG G8s ThinQ.

Additional Features

Last but not least, the LG G8s ThinQ also supports Google-Pixel like Air motion features. The ToF camera placed at the front allows you to control the device with just hand movements. You can control the music volume, swipe left for music and right to open YouTube. The trick is quite neat but doesn't always work as advertised.

Verdict

It's not very difficult to choose one between the aforementioned two handsets if you know what you want from your smartphone. The LG G8s ThinQ offers a durable and more practical design, better camera performance and much better audio delivery.

The handset also allows you to expand the internal memory and use any conventional 3.5mm jack audio devices. Moreover, the LG G8s ThinQ's ToF camera does a far better job of securing your device with the hardware-backed face-unlock.

On the other hand, the OnePlus 7T offers a less durable yet more premium-looking design. It features a modern and fluid 90Hz display, slightly faster CPU and much better software performance. If your priority is the raw performance, go for the OnePlus 7T.