The "Wing" that can't fly.

"I'm fed up, this is too boring."

Believe it or not, but this is the heartfelt exclamation from my colleague after enduring the wave of new phones released in the middle of the year.

"What's the difference with all these things, aren't they all the same? It's like they're all carved from the same mold." Looking at several new phones on the table, my colleague complained helplessly, "Remember before, every time a new phone was released, at least people could have some fun with it. Now? It's all big screens, multiple cameras, even the colors are similar, and these few are exactly the same!"

(Image source: iQOO)

Looking at the iQOO Neo9 Pro/iQOO Neo9s Pro, iQOO Z9/vivo Y200GT/vivo S19 he held in his hand, even the ever-eloquent Xiao Lei lost the urge to tease him.

After all, the truth, like a sharp knife, is the most effective in creating a program.

Indeed, looking back, it's not hard to find that before the "optimal solution" for straight-plate smartphones was formed, those years of phone design were full of imagination and creativity.

However, even in such a boring "end of the era," there are still some manufacturers who launch unprecedented products, bringing a breath of fresh air. They are unwilling to be mere followers in the market, even if it means taking a lonely path, even if it may not be well-received, even if this product may become the last straw that breaks the camel's back for the manufacturer.

At least, they really did something different.

(Image source: LG official website)

In September 2020, LG Mobile held a new product launch event in South Korea, officially releasing its first rotating dual-screen smartphone—the LG Wing 5G.

This phone was the first product under LG's newly launched Explorer Project product line, focusing on innovation and experimentation, which can be considered LG Mobile's last gamble.

Due to time constraints, most digital enthusiasts should already know the outcome of the Explorer Project, but because of insufficient production, the price of the "last work" LG Wing has remained high on the second-hand market, making me reluctant to buy it.

So I waited patiently, and now the LG Wing, this foreign "trash," has finally dropped below 900 yuan on the second-hand market. As the only rotating dual-screen phone on the market and LG's last publicly released smartphone, it is indeed necessary to experience (collect) it.

Therefore, in this nostalgic review, we will delve into every corner of the LG Wing, experiencing the surprises and fun that this device can bring us.

And this is the story of the LG Wing.

A Freak, But Not Freaky Enough

Interestingly, at the time, not many digital enthusiasts were surprised by the birth of the LG Wing.

After all, in LG's history of developing phones, there are countless examples of unconventional designs.

As early as 2011, LG pioneered the Optimus 3D/Thrill 4G, which boasted 3D as its selling point. This phone could not only display 3D content without glasses, but its two rear cameras could even allow consumers to create their own 3D content. However, due to immature technology and high prices, its lifespan was extremely short.

(Image source: LG official website)

In 2016, LG inherited the design concept of Google Project Ara and pioneered the mass-produced modular phone LG G5. This phone had a unique aluminum chassis and modular design, originally planned to provide many functional modules for users to replace. Unfortunately, due to poor sales, only two modules were released during its lifecycle, and the concept died out.

In addition, we can also see from LG's product line the first LG G Flex with a flexible screen, the first LG V10 with a stainless steel frame, and the LG G8 series that uses a secondary screen accessory to achieve a folding screen experience.

Placed in the mobile phone market of the same period, these products can indeed be considered true outliers.

But the LG Wing is different. Compared to unconventional innovations, it is more like a continuation of retro sentiment.

Because this product has a prototype.

(Image source: LG official website)

Remember the rotating screen phone used by Robert Downey Jr. in the sci-fi movie "Iron Man"? This phone also came from LG, model LG KD876, released in 2008. In the movie, Tony even used this phone to make a video call with the villain, creating a highly technological scene that sparked a small buying frenzy.

In the following years, rotating screen phones once became a标志性feature of Japanese and Korean phones, and Japanese phones like the Sharp 9110C also achieved good results in China.

This wave came to an abrupt end with the full arrival of the smartphone era.

Until 2020, LG Digital launched the Explorer Project to save itself. This product design of rotating screen phones was finally brought back into consumers' view.

What Can Two Screens Do?

Now, it's time to take a look at the LG Wing.

Unlike many alternative phones introduced in the past, in its unfolded state, the LG Wing's product design is actually very modern and common.

I bought the version called Aurora Gray. Although it's called gray, it's actually closer to black glossy glass. It looks good but is very prone to fingerprints.

(Image source: Lei Technology)

In addition to Aurora Gray, there is also the more expensive Illusion Sky color, which is also a common color seen on the OPPO Reno and vivo S series in the past two years. It will present different colors from different angles, and the matte gradient process on the back cover should also feel better.

(Image source: LG)

On the front, there is a 6.8-inch 20.5:9 POLED curved screen, which has exactly the same screen specifications as the LG Velvet and LG V60 ThinQ. This means that the large bezels, FHD+ resolution, and 60Hz refresh rate are outdated specifications even in 2021.

(Image source: Lei Technology)

The difference is that due to the use of a pop-up camera design, this screen is flawless, which is extremely satisfying to look at. The relatively slender screen ratio aligns well with my preference, allowing me to see more content on the screen.

Due to the special structure of the phone, the body thickness reaches a staggering 10.9mm, and the weight also comes in at around 260g.

Yes, it's even more exaggerated than current large folding screens.

In fact, holding it like this is fine, but it really feels heavy after holding it for a long time.

Holding it with your right hand and gently pushing the screen from right to left will reveal the secondary screen hidden under the main screen.

(Image source: Lei Technology)

The size of this secondary screen is 3.9 inches, with a resolution of 1240×1080, and a refresh rate of 60Hz, which is consistent with the main screen. The 1:1.15 ratio means that this OLED secondary screen is visually close to a square, forming a T-shaped structure with the main screen.

At this point, the LG Wing looks like it has unfolded its wings, perhaps this is where the name comes from.

In actual testing, using your right hand, the action of flipping out the LG Wing's secondary screen is very smooth. Just push it gently to the side, and the assisted structure will rotate the screen to the new position, while your main screen will automatically switch to landscape mode. Users can operate to open and close the dual screens with one hand.

(Image source: LG)

But if you're used to using your left hand... it's not too late to give up now.

Since LG Wing boasts a dual-screen design, its core selling point naturally lies in the user experience of "dual screens".

In the basic rotation mode, the phone will have two screens, and the applications on the two screens will not interfere with each other and can run simultaneously.

To give a simple example, you can watch a video on the top and play a game on the bottom, or run two games separately, top and bottom, left and right, basically anything you can think of can be achieved.

According to the official statement, this is "evolved multitasking capability".

The problem is, in this mode, it's best if the main screen's apps run in landscape mode, but the landscape app ecosystem on Android...

My personal recommendation is to use it with a forced rotation software.

Then there's the independent mode, where apps can use both screens in their entirety.

When it works, the experience of independent mode is actually quite interesting. You can watch videos on Youtube while scrolling through comments, adjust the volume, fast-forward, pause, etc., on the secondary screen. After opening the video, it will automatically play on the main screen.

(Image source: Lei Technology)

Considering that this phone only has a single speaker, this mode is suitable for watching videos.

The problem is, apart from the officially pre-installed Youtube, X, and Naver Whale browsers, not many apps can adapt to this "T"-shaped dual-screen display feature.

The same goes for games. Only the adapted "Asphalt" can use the secondary screen to display maps, game tools, take screenshots, adjust resolution, etc. Other games do not have this feature.

So what about most apps?

They can run in compatibility mode, where the secondary screen without a running app can display the control center or open a touchpad. The secondary screen becomes a touch area, where clicking on the secondary screen corresponds to a mouse click, sliding with two fingers on the secondary screen corresponds to mouse dragging, and zooming in or out with two fingers on the secondary screen corresponds to zooming in or out on the main screen.

(Image source: Lei Technology)

Such adaptation can only be described as better than nothing.

In terms of specifications, the LG Wing uses the Snapdragon 765G, a mid-range chip released in 2019. With a CPU architecture of 1*2.4GHz A76 big core + 1*2.2GHz A76 medium core + 6*1.8GHz A55 small cores, it doesn't quite match the positioning of this phone.

With a benchmark score of 44W, it has a performance gap of 33%-40% compared to the Snapdragon 778G.

(Image source: Lei Technology)

In daily use, the animation of LG's near-stock system is a bit sluggish. Adjusting it to 0.5x speed after enabling developer options will make it feel more responsive.

When using split-screen apps, testing shows that there is no obvious lag while scrolling through Coolapk and watching videos simultaneously. Apps that lag in split-screen mode also won't be smooth when opened alone.

As for gaming performance, the Snapdragon 765G is indeed nothing to look forward to.

"Peak Speed" and "Honkai: Star Rail" can barely run at low graphics settings, with considerable heat generation. "League of Legends: Wild Rift" can achieve around 60 frames per second at high graphics settings, which should handle light gaming loads without much issue.

Finally, let's talk about the camera.

The camera module design of the LG Wing is not out of the ordinary, somewhat similar to the early designs of the OPPO Reno series. The entire module cover is mirror-finished, enhancing the integration of the phone's rear cover, and paired with neatly arranged rear triple cameras, the texture is quite good.

(Image source: Lei Technology)

In terms of specific parameters, it has a 64MP Samsung GW1 main camera with a 1/1.72-inch sensor, paired with a 13 MP ultra-wide-angle lens and a 12 MP ultra-wide-angle lens...

Well, it's quite ordinary indeed.

In actual testing, daytime photos have slightly dull colors, decent details, and a relatively realistic look. It's fine for capturing some daytime human and natural landscapes.

Looking at the night view again, the light intake of the Samsung GW1 is indeed not ideal. Although LG's night mode helps alleviate this situation, it will lose extra details in exchange for brighter photos, resulting in the commonly seen "day night reversal" effect in 2020.

Pop up front camera, personal evaluation is acceptable.

Of course, the most prominent camera function of this product is the pan tilt mode, which allows you to slide and flip the phone to enter pan tilt mode for shooting.

However, although it does look like a real gimbal mount, and you can also achieve similar image operations through the electronic pivot button, the implementation of this function is almost entirely software based, and the camera will not rotate on different axes to stay in place like the actual gimbal mount. It only uses digital cropping in a broad field of vision.

In addition, in this mode, LG Wing can only shoot videos and can only shoot through that 12MP 1/2.55-inch ultra wide angle lens (LG states that it has a special "Hexa Motion Stabilizer" sensor for stability), and the highest video quality is only 1080P.

The actual anti shake effect is good, but the picture quality is very subtle, and the content captured in slightly dim light cannot be used at all.

Compared to the "real" gimbal of the Vivo X50 Pro of the same year, LG Wing's gimbal mode appears somewhat overshadowed.

In terms of battery life, thanks to the energy-saving characteristics of Snapdragon 765G, as long as you don't use the dual screen mode for a long time, a 4000mAh battery can also achieve good battery life.

As for the original factory included PD 3.0 18W wired fast charging, it supports up to PD3.0 25W fast charging and 13W QI protocol wireless charging.

Well, the fast charging capability of the same level of iPhone is already available.

The Price of Being Independent

LG Wing is undoubtedly a failed product.

At the time of its release, the price of the device was as high as 1.09 million Korean won, equivalent to approximately 6360 yuan, which is completely comparable to the price of the iPhone 13 and more than three times the price of Android products with the same configuration.

The expensive prices, mediocre configurations, and a software ecosystem that needs improvement, coupled with the precarious situation of LG Mobile, seem to be the end of the story.

Thus, on April 5, 2021, LG announced that it would close its mobile phone division and cease production of all remaining devices, making this product LG Mobile's last mobile phone.

Although it cannot be said that it is the responsibility of this product, LG Wing is the last straw that overwhelms LG's mobile phone business.

In my opinion, the failure of LG Wing has multiple reasons, among which the most fundamental problem is the difficulty brought by the product form of Qiqi for software adaptation.

Although users hope to see more products with innovative and significantly differentiated designs, these designs are actually unfriendly to developers and supply chains. This means that applications need to be adapted separately rather than distributed according to a single standard. Once the product is too niche and lacks developer application adaptation, it cannot guarantee the basic experience of users in daily software, making it difficult to attract users to purchase it.

As foreign media Digitaltrends said:

"I'm not entirely sure what LG Wing is, it's indeed a unique and eye-catching phone, and you won't find another smartphone on the market that looks like LG Wing, but it's hard to find a useful way to rotate this screen."

Exquisite yet useless, becoming the best synonym for this product.

In my opinion, the emergence of LG Wing is a proof of LG's courage to innovate in the field of smartphones.

It may not be a perfect device, but its unique design is enough to make it stand out in the long history of smartphones.

Nowadays, after removing the lead oxide, LG Wing has become a very popular "foreign trash" product in the second-hand market due to its high playability and low price.

The transformation industry based on LG Wing, including square handheld phones and small screen smartphones, has become a unique ecosystem.

For it, which is independent and independent, perhaps this is also a good ending.