Update: September 7, 2020 (4:13 p.m. ET): A Korean news agency reported last week that LG Wing was the definitive name for the brand’s quirky phone. Now LG has confirmed the name itself. For the latest information, see the Name and Release Date section below.
Original article: July 6, 2020 (4 p.m. ET): Almost every flagship smartphone that has been released in recent years can be very succinctly referred to as a “glass sandwich”. Sure there are some cool design trends and each OEM brings their own flavor to their lines, but they are all very similar. This is definitely not the case with the LG Wing.
The LG Wing is the code name for a future smartphone with a rotating display. This rotation allows the user to optionally use a landscape-oriented smartphone display with a smaller display underneath. It sounds crazy, but it’s a real consumer product.
We expect the LG Wing to hit the market soon. Here’s everything we know about the device so far! Make sure to bookmark this page to keep up with the latest information.
LG Wing: name and release date
LG announced on September 7th that the new smartphone is called Wing. That comes after Korea Herald reported the final name on September 4th. The release added that LG had both Wing and Swing in mind as final names.
In the previous weeks, the name LG Wing was only used as a code name. It’s rare for smartphone companies to use code names as official names, but LG will buck the trend.
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With the confirmed name, when can we expect LG to introduce this device? We first heard rumors that this should be expected in October 2020. Since then, however, LG has announced that the wing will be launched on September 14 at 11:00 p.m. local time in Korea.
According to LG, this is the first in a line of phones in its “Explorer Project” showcasing innovative mobile designs. So it sounds like the company has similarly crazy designs in mind for the future.
Yes, it has a rotating display
If you can’t imagine what a modern rotating display smartphone would look like, the leaked video above may help you out. This is a real LG Wing in its “open” state. When closed, it would likely look like a typical smartphone, albeit a lot thicker.
If you want to “open” the LG Wing, turn the top display clockwise or counterclockwise. This would reveal the smaller ad underneath.
We have seen this in many other phones over the years. Take a look at three very old designs below to get an idea of what might inspire the design of the LG Wing:
According to ET newsThe secondary display, which is located below the main display on the LG Wing, could have an aspect ratio of 1: 1. The main display could be 6.8 inches which would obviously make the phone quite large. It would probably also be quite heavy due to the multiple displays and the hinge mechanism.
LG Wing: Specifications and Features
According to ET newsThe LG Wing could be outfitted with the same processor as the LG Velvet, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765. This would make the Wing a 5G capable phone, but keep it from having the speed of a flagship in the high-end Snapdragon 865 It may also be available with the Snapdragon 765G, a game-centric version of the SD765.
Other than this information, however, we don’t know much about the specifications of the LG Wing. It’s difficult to make many assumptions about it because it seems so unique. For example, how big could a battery be that would fit in a phone with this type of design? We assume that the hinge mechanism would take up a lot of space. So what would LG have to sacrifice to build it in?
The LG Wing may have a Snapdragon 765G, which makes it 5G capable.
However, the video in the previous section makes the main function of this device pretty clear. In the video, the user has a map app that navigates the large main screen and then takes a call on the smaller 1: 1 display. It is very likely that LG has many similar use cases for the LG Wing. For example, a YouTube video could play on the main display while you tweet on the secondary screen.
In another exclusive video from Android Authority (embedded above) The LG Wing’s gaming chops are fully displayed. The clip, which appears to have been recorded by the same user as the first exclusive video, gives us a good idea of how developers could implement the second ad.
Since the LG Wing’s features are likely to be incredibly unique, it’s difficult to speculate much on specs for now. Rest assured, however, that we should learn more about this front very soon.
Price and availability
Unfortunately, there is not much to be done to ensure the availability of the LG Wing. The company announced a launch date for September 14th, so it’s entirely possible that it will hit stores in time for the Christmas shopping season, as that’s the main reason so many phones and tech products hit the market in September / October .
In terms of pricing, this product is so different from other smartphones on the market that you can’t even guess it. However, we’ve heard from two sources suggesting two very different prices for the phone. A report from a South Korean publication suggests the phone could cost ~ 1.9 million Korean won (~ $ 1,600) in the LG home market. That seems like a lot, but another source has a say XDA developer suggests the US price could be closer to $ 1,000. That is a big gap!
The latest leak comes over ET news in Korea, and the outlet is reporting ~ 1.9 million Korean won (~ $ 1,600) in its home market as well. So the signs definitely suggest that the device is more expensive in Korea compared to the US.
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