- Android Authority received an exclusive video showing the LG Wing in action.
- The upcoming phone from LG has a secondary display that flips out with a twist.
- The video gives us ideas of possible use cases for a phone with this design and they are pretty compelling.
We have heard rumors of a secret phone project at LG, codenamed Wing, over the past few months. The LG Wing appears to be a new version of dual display phones as it has a secondary display that can be opened with a twist.
Android Authority received an exclusive video showing an almost definitive version of the phone, which leads us to believe that the release date can't be too far off. The video gives us a better idea of how the phone works, while also giving us some pointers as to why the secondary display might be useful.
Connected: The LG "Wing": Everything We Know So Far About The Wild Rotating Phone
The orientation of the wing in the video shows that it can be used in both regular portrait format - with the second screen on the side - and in a T-formation. The video shows full screen navigation on the main screen with controls for music playback and an incoming call on the second screen. It is interesting to see that none of the displays have a notch or hole cutout.
LG Wing: Two screens when you need them
LG has been exploring the idea of second screens since the original LG V10 in 2015. This focus shifted to dual displays last year, initially with the LG V50 ThinQ and the LG G8X in 2019. The LG V60 and the LG Velvet from this year also have the option of connecting to a second display that supports the the same size as the phone itself.
The downside with current offerings, however, is that you'll have to carry that second display around with you even if you don't currently need it. If you only want one ad, the second ad has to live in your pocket, or at worst in your pocket. However, the LG Wing builds the secondary display right into the phone itself, which addresses this issue.
Connected: What is the LG Dual Screen Case?
Of course, the secondary display is not as large as the main display due to technical limitations. Instead, the secondary display flips out from the bottom of the main display and sits perpendicular to it. This makes it look like a conventional phone display with a smaller 1: 1 display right next to it.
The rumored technical data of the LG Wing include a 6.8-inch main screen and a 4-inch second screen with Snapdragon 765 or 765G - our tipster has unfortunately not confirmed any technical data.
Although the video doesn't show the screen being "flipped", we understand the phone to function very much like the T-Mobile Sidekick from the years before Android. With this early version of a smartphone, the display would flip outward, revealing the physical keyboard underneath.
This design could be incredibly useful
The video shows a cool use case that can apply to many different scenarios. When you're in the car with the LG Wing mounted on your dash and viewing the directions in full screen, the secondary display can show incoming calls without interrupting your navigation. It's a novel take on the multi-window or split-screen features we've seen on many phones over the years.
The fact that there are two different apps displayed on each screen means that we can probably assume that the same is true for other apps too. Perhaps you can watch YouTube videos full screen on the main screen while composing a tweet on the second screen. Or record full screen videos while taking selfie videos at the same time. Or stream games using your Discord server comments shown on the second screen. The list goes on.
LG is betting that two screens will multitask.
The big question is: will the second screen only work with LG apps (music player, dialer, etc.) or can any two apps be displayed at the same time? The latest versions of Android have dual display functionality built in. Could LG even give us the option, for example, to remove the notifications drop-down menu and have all warnings transferred to the secondary screen? Depending on whether or not LG can get developers to support this, this could be a pretty good idea.
Perhaps the most obvious application is in gaming. Gamers have already taken advantage of the dual displays offered by LG, using the secondary display for on-screen controls while the game is being rendered on the main display. This creates a similar feel to a Nintendo 3DS, and in theory the LG Wing could do the same. The rumor mill suggests the Wing could use the Snapdragon 765G instead of the 765. So could the wing be geared towards players?
When will the LG Wing be available?
Unfortunately, the video doesn't let us know when we're going to see the phone, how much it will cost, or other details. For now, all we know is that the phone exists and an official launch may not be too far away. IFA seems too early to get a first glimpse of a working device, but the phone should be off long before Christmas so we'd place our bets on a September-November release.
Given how novel and untested this type of design is, it is not unreasonable to assume that it will have a limited launch and come at a steep price. However, LG has been taking a lot of big risks lately with devices like the inexpensive LG Velvet so we could be wrong there. If the LG Wing makes it out of South Korea, we'll definitely be happy to get our hands on it.
Connected: Can someone please incorporate the style back into the smartphone design?
Whatever happens, it's incredibly refreshing to see a smartphone company try some new things. Sure, we all love classic smartphone design, but the industry as a whole is pretty stagnant. It will take some big risk takers to change the status quo and LG is positioning itself as a leader in that regard. Even if the LG Wing does not take off, we look forward to it spreading its wings!