Editors' Note: Updated at 1:05 p.m. ET with information on AT&T pricing.
Forget about foldable phones with four-figure price tags. LG just announced that a dual-screen phone is coming to the U.S., and it can be yours for the price of an iPhone 11.
LG's G8X ThinQ Dual Screen goes on sale Nov. 1 for $699. That gets you a 6.4-inch smartphone that's bundled together with a matching second OLED screen that you can attach for a side-by-side view. Preorders on the phone start this Friday (Oct. 25), and it will be available through AT&T, Sprint, and Amazon.
The G8X isn't a foldable phone like the $1,980 Samsung Galaxy Fold, which features a 7.3-inch display that folds in half. Instead, LG has opted for a dual-screen approach, with the second display housed in a wrap-around cover. You're able to detach the second screen from the case when you want to travel light — the G8X weighs 6.8 ounces on its own, and the second screen adds another 4.7 ounces.
LG is betting that you're going to spend a lot of time using that second screen, though, particularly if you're a productivity maven who sees the multitask-boosting appeal of dual screens. With the G8X's two screens, you can run two different apps on each to get more done. You can also convert one of the displays into a full-screen keyboard. And LG's Game Pad feature turns one screen into a customized controller for whatever mobile game you're playing on the other display.
My colleague Sherri Smith got some hands-on time with the LG G8X ThinQ Dual Screen when LG unveiled the phone at the IFA trade show last month. And she found the two screens mesmerizing. Multitasking felt natural to her, and she appreciated how the second screen could detach for times when she didn't want to carry around a bulky device.
The LG G8X ThinQ is powered by a Snapdragon 855 processor, the same chipset found in most other leading Android flagships. The phone sports two rear cameras — a 12-MP main shooter plus a 13-MP ultra wide lens — along with a 32-MP selfie cam. A 4,000 mAh battery keeps the phone powered up.
While LG is touting the $699 price for the G8X ThinQ Dual Screen, it sounds like pricing may vary depending on where you get the phone. At AT&T for example, the phone itself costs $780 if you buy it outright, or $26 a month on a 30-month installment plan; AT&T sells the second screen for $200. However, a limited-time offer throws in the screen for free when you buy the LG G8X ThinQ on an installment plan and add a new line of data. AT&T also has an offer that lowers the monthly cost of the phone to $10 after bill credits.
LG brings its dual-screen phone to the market at a time when other phone makers are developing foldable phones, though only the Galaxy Fold is widely available. Next month, we could see Motorola's long-rumored foldable Razr phone, as the company has scheduled a press event for Nov. 13.
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