LG Wing: A Hail Mary that Didn't Quite Pay Off

Props to LG for their efforts in reviving their phone business with the Wing, a device that can be seen as a long shot. Despite its uniqueness, the phone didn't quite live up to expectations. However, it's great to see that it recently received an update to Android 13, which is awesome for fans and enthusiasts who still hold on to their devices.

For those who might not know, the LG Wing was essentially a Hail Mary attempt by the company to jumpstart their phone business. It's interesting to note how dedicated some LG phone fans are, with some even modifying their devices to keep them running smoothly, such as using emulators. I personally would love to own one of these handhelds, but I think I'll stick to my current smartphone for now.

One thing that stands out about the LG Wing is its ergonomics. While it's an interesting-looking device, it can be a bit tricky to hold due to its weight distribution. The phone's center of gravity is biased upwards, making it uncomfortable to hold open by the main screen, especially during prolonged video watching sessions.

Performance was never the Wing's strong suit, even at a premium price point of $1000 in 2020. Powered by a mid-range Snapdragon 765G processor, it didn't quite compete with other high-end devices like the Galaxy S20 and iPhone 12. Although it's generally fine for media consumption and productivity tasks, it can stutter from time to time and struggle when playing modern mobile games.

Unfortunately, LG's software experience has never been my favorite. The company's take on Android has always looked a bit too bubbly and tacky, and the amount of bloatware that comes with the phone is staggering. The Universal search function, for example, has never worked well, making Android feel clunky in the process.

Despite these issues, LG did keep their word by updating the Wing to Android 13, which is a great gesture considering they only planned to support it for up to three major Android versions. While this update is certainly the final breath before we say goodbye to LG Mobile for good, props to them for sticking to their commitment.

Lastly, the cameras on the Wing are decent, but something that's easily forgotten is that the selfie camera has a tendency to pop up and malfunction. On my review unit, it broke itself midway through testing, and judging by its behavior, there might be issues with the motor moving components.

In conclusion, I had fun revisiting the LG Wing in 2023, and while it's not perfect, it's still a cool phone to play around with if you have the extra cash. That's all for this video; thanks for watching, and I'll catch you all in the next one!

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthis Smartphone costs a little over two hundred dollars and while it might seem unassuming it has a unique party trick my name is Ken and you're watching danky finding variety with today's smartphones is tough yes there might be differing sensibilities between say an iPhone and a Galaxy but I think innovation in smartphones have stagnated where the look feel and overall functionality aren't evolving as much as I'd like most phones aren't wowing me in the way that makes me feel like I bought something even remotely close to an earth-shattering product yes foldables like the z-flip 5 exists which I've been daily driving and have been enjoying my time with however I have to admit that bendy screens don't have the level of durability and consistency of a traditional rectangular smartphone and for somewhat expensive for being a novelty but turns out that's not the only way to get a unique looking phone enter the LG Wing when it came out in 2020 it retailed for 1 000 US dollars but right now you can find it for around 225 a great price for one of the most unique phones you can buy today on first impression this phone is business as usual the glass and aluminum build feels premium if not a tad bit chunky in the hands which is not out of the ordinary and the 6.8 inch OLED screen looks sharp with Vivid colors but things start to get all weird when you slide up the bottom right corner to reveal this 3.9 inch secondary display transforming this phone into something unlike anything you'd find in today's market what's clear to me is that LG put a lot of effort into the hinge mechanism winging it is effortless with one hand since the action is spring-loaded but it also comes to a soft stop at the end that extra bit is important because hurling the mass of a hole has display would cause quite a bit of recoil if not for some dampening you wouldn't want to drop your fancy new toy way because of its main gimmick so Props to LG for putting in the extra effort here the first thing you'll notice sliding open the wing is its dedicated home screen here you can quickly launch whatever apps you customize it with which kind of reminds me of the old cover flow feature on the iPod but something that stood out to me is that the LG Wing really shines when it comes to multitasking not so much in the productivity sense but rather for Content consumption I can't be the only one who does this but I constantly find myself browsing Twitter or looking things up while watching YouTube or Netflix well with the wing you can have the main display in landscape to play video full screen then use the smaller display to browse the web or social media especially if you're a vtuber enjoyer just like me this phone works so well for that plus the software is surprisingly thought out in places I wasn't expecting for dual screen use for example simple if I'm searching for a YouTube video with the main display a keyboard pops up on the secondary one which feels surprisingly intuitive also the camera app does a clever thing where you can get a clean preview of what you're shooting up top with all of your controls out of the way on the bottom display stuff like this makes the quirky form factor feel more usable and practical than you'd expect even if third-party app support to fully take advantage of the setup is admittedly few and far between best of all when you don't need to wing it it just closes up no don't call 911. hello police we do have his descript can we take that let's take his description just close it up and it becomes a normal Android phone on top of that something that surprised me revisiting this device after almost three years is that it actually got an update a few months ago if you didn't know LG basically axed its mobile division in 2021 not too long after they came out with the wing it's a shame because the company genuinely felt Innovative in key areas selling phones with dual screen cases and audio grade file headphone Jacks at a time when competitors were streamlining simplifying and flat out removing features you said audio grade files I can't even blame my mild dyslexia for that one I'm just dumb I never got to own an LG V series phone but I've always wanted one mainly to listen to music because the Dax on him are great but I did have an LG velvet with the dual screen case which was awesome for multitasking especially at a time when the Galaxy fold was just coming out and that was literally in the bed but LG props to them they actually executed pretty well the LG Wing was basically a Hail Mary to jump start LG's phone business but sadly it didn't end up panning out despite that the wing recently got bumped up to Android 13 this past summer which is awesome to see especially since LG phone appreciators still exists and even go as far as modifying their devices to keep them in use on each stream and some people are straight up taking the wing apart and modifying them into tiny Android emulator machines it takes a bit of Ingenuity and crash manship to do but the results are honestly breathtaking I'd actually make myself a little handheld as well but I want to keep this particular phone around mainly for posterity and emulators aren't really my thing plus knowing me I'd probably just break it badly anyway and why ruin a perfectly working smartphone for science for science the point that I'm about to make might not necessarily come across watching it through a YouTube video but the ergonomics of the LG Wing are a bit tricky in the hand you see something we take for granted on normal rectangular smartphones is that normally the weight is pretty balanced and distributed but the LG wing for as interesting as it looks it's not the most Pleasant phone to hold let's just say that balance is not one of its strong suits I often find myself holding it opened up by the main screen especially when watching video for a few minutes since the center of gravity is biased Upstream I can literally hold it here and you can kind of see how it's balanced however it's clearly not meant for this since the touch points especially up here with the edges are a bit sharp additionally for what was a thousand dollar Flagship in 2020 performance was never the wings strong suit especially for the price powered by a mid-range Snapdragon 765g performance was solid but hardly lit a candle against competitors like the Galaxy s20 and iPhone 12. in 2023 it's generally fine for juggling media and productivity though it does Stutter from time to time and certainly chugs when playing today's slate of mobile games arguably this is within the realm of expectation for a 225 or so phone but just keep this in mind moving on something that's not really my cup of tea is the software experience for all the cool phones that LG has made over the years their take on Android was never my favorite visually it's always looked too bubbly and tacky and maybe it's just my Korean review unit but the amount of bloat you get on this phone is nuts Luke you get apps for LG's ecosystem social media apps that you're not even a part of games shopping Etc that I simply don't care about and the company's enhancements to Android like their Universal search function for example never worked well and honestly makes Android feel clunky also while the wing received its update to Android 13 the company previously stated that it was only planning to support it for up to three major Android versions considering that it launched with Android 10. in theory this is the end of the road now don't get me wrong I'll give LG props for keeping their word and bringing the wig up to date but it's kind of sad to think that this update was the final breath before we truly say goodbye to LG Mobile for good rip and pepperoni pepperoni rest in pepperoni I hope you lastly the cameras on the wing are decent but something I totally forgot about is that the selfie camera pops up it's a neat little thing that some phones did before the pandemic though on my review unit it decided to magically break itself Midway through testing it won't fully go flush with the body anymore and judging by the fact that I can kind of push down to almost flush means that there's probably something wrong with the motor moving components like this braking were a major concern by long-term critics and keyboard warriors on the internet which is probably why companies stop doing it so if that was you right I Told You So in the comments below all in all I had fun revisiting the LG Wing in 2023 and I do think it's a cool phone to play around with if you have the extra cash that's all I got for this video thanks so much for watching and I'll catch you all in the next onethis Smartphone costs a little over two hundred dollars and while it might seem unassuming it has a unique party trick my name is Ken and you're watching danky finding variety with today's smartphones is tough yes there might be differing sensibilities between say an iPhone and a Galaxy but I think innovation in smartphones have stagnated where the look feel and overall functionality aren't evolving as much as I'd like most phones aren't wowing me in the way that makes me feel like I bought something even remotely close to an earth-shattering product yes foldables like the z-flip 5 exists which I've been daily driving and have been enjoying my time with however I have to admit that bendy screens don't have the level of durability and consistency of a traditional rectangular smartphone and for somewhat expensive for being a novelty but turns out that's not the only way to get a unique looking phone enter the LG Wing when it came out in 2020 it retailed for 1 000 US dollars but right now you can find it for around 225 a great price for one of the most unique phones you can buy today on first impression this phone is business as usual the glass and aluminum build feels premium if not a tad bit chunky in the hands which is not out of the ordinary and the 6.8 inch OLED screen looks sharp with Vivid colors but things start to get all weird when you slide up the bottom right corner to reveal this 3.9 inch secondary display transforming this phone into something unlike anything you'd find in today's market what's clear to me is that LG put a lot of effort into the hinge mechanism winging it is effortless with one hand since the action is spring-loaded but it also comes to a soft stop at the end that extra bit is important because hurling the mass of a hole has display would cause quite a bit of recoil if not for some dampening you wouldn't want to drop your fancy new toy way because of its main gimmick so Props to LG for putting in the extra effort here the first thing you'll notice sliding open the wing is its dedicated home screen here you can quickly launch whatever apps you customize it with which kind of reminds me of the old cover flow feature on the iPod but something that stood out to me is that the LG Wing really shines when it comes to multitasking not so much in the productivity sense but rather for Content consumption I can't be the only one who does this but I constantly find myself browsing Twitter or looking things up while watching YouTube or Netflix well with the wing you can have the main display in landscape to play video full screen then use the smaller display to browse the web or social media especially if you're a vtuber enjoyer just like me this phone works so well for that plus the software is surprisingly thought out in places I wasn't expecting for dual screen use for example simple if I'm searching for a YouTube video with the main display a keyboard pops up on the secondary one which feels surprisingly intuitive also the camera app does a clever thing where you can get a clean preview of what you're shooting up top with all of your controls out of the way on the bottom display stuff like this makes the quirky form factor feel more usable and practical than you'd expect even if third-party app support to fully take advantage of the setup is admittedly few and far between best of all when you don't need to wing it it just closes up no don't call 911. hello police we do have his descript can we take that let's take his description just close it up and it becomes a normal Android phone on top of that something that surprised me revisiting this device after almost three years is that it actually got an update a few months ago if you didn't know LG basically axed its mobile division in 2021 not too long after they came out with the wing it's a shame because the company genuinely felt Innovative in key areas selling phones with dual screen cases and audio grade file headphone Jacks at a time when competitors were streamlining simplifying and flat out removing features you said audio grade files I can't even blame my mild dyslexia for that one I'm just dumb I never got to own an LG V series phone but I've always wanted one mainly to listen to music because the Dax on him are great but I did have an LG velvet with the dual screen case which was awesome for multitasking especially at a time when the Galaxy fold was just coming out and that was literally in the bed but LG props to them they actually executed pretty well the LG Wing was basically a Hail Mary to jump start LG's phone business but sadly it didn't end up panning out despite that the wing recently got bumped up to Android 13 this past summer which is awesome to see especially since LG phone appreciators still exists and even go as far as modifying their devices to keep them in use on each stream and some people are straight up taking the wing apart and modifying them into tiny Android emulator machines it takes a bit of Ingenuity and crash manship to do but the results are honestly breathtaking I'd actually make myself a little handheld as well but I want to keep this particular phone around mainly for posterity and emulators aren't really my thing plus knowing me I'd probably just break it badly anyway and why ruin a perfectly working smartphone for science for science the point that I'm about to make might not necessarily come across watching it through a YouTube video but the ergonomics of the LG Wing are a bit tricky in the hand you see something we take for granted on normal rectangular smartphones is that normally the weight is pretty balanced and distributed but the LG wing for as interesting as it looks it's not the most Pleasant phone to hold let's just say that balance is not one of its strong suits I often find myself holding it opened up by the main screen especially when watching video for a few minutes since the center of gravity is biased Upstream I can literally hold it here and you can kind of see how it's balanced however it's clearly not meant for this since the touch points especially up here with the edges are a bit sharp additionally for what was a thousand dollar Flagship in 2020 performance was never the wings strong suit especially for the price powered by a mid-range Snapdragon 765g performance was solid but hardly lit a candle against competitors like the Galaxy s20 and iPhone 12. in 2023 it's generally fine for juggling media and productivity though it does Stutter from time to time and certainly chugs when playing today's slate of mobile games arguably this is within the realm of expectation for a 225 or so phone but just keep this in mind moving on something that's not really my cup of tea is the software experience for all the cool phones that LG has made over the years their take on Android was never my favorite visually it's always looked too bubbly and tacky and maybe it's just my Korean review unit but the amount of bloat you get on this phone is nuts Luke you get apps for LG's ecosystem social media apps that you're not even a part of games shopping Etc that I simply don't care about and the company's enhancements to Android like their Universal search function for example never worked well and honestly makes Android feel clunky also while the wing received its update to Android 13 the company previously stated that it was only planning to support it for up to three major Android versions considering that it launched with Android 10. in theory this is the end of the road now don't get me wrong I'll give LG props for keeping their word and bringing the wig up to date but it's kind of sad to think that this update was the final breath before we truly say goodbye to LG Mobile for good rip and pepperoni pepperoni rest in pepperoni I hope you lastly the cameras on the wing are decent but something I totally forgot about is that the selfie camera pops up it's a neat little thing that some phones did before the pandemic though on my review unit it decided to magically break itself Midway through testing it won't fully go flush with the body anymore and judging by the fact that I can kind of push down to almost flush means that there's probably something wrong with the motor moving components like this braking were a major concern by long-term critics and keyboard warriors on the internet which is probably why companies stop doing it so if that was you right I Told You So in the comments below all in all I had fun revisiting the LG Wing in 2023 and I do think it's a cool phone to play around with if you have the extra cash that's all I got for this video thanks so much for watching and I'll catch you all in the next one