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The HONOR 20 Pro is considered to be one of the best budget flagships out there, while the LG G8 ThinQ is the latest flagship from LG, along with the V50 ThinQ 5G. Some of you may be torn between those two devices, trying to figure out which one to get.
Well, we’ll try to help you out with that, at least to a degree. We’ll compare the HONOR 20 Pro to the LG G8 ThinQ in this article across a number of categories, to see how the two stack up in comparison.
The HONOR 20 Pro is the more affordable option here, considerably more affordable, and it may prove to be a better option in some ways… or perhaps in most ways. Read on to find out, starting with specs from both phones.
Specifications
Design
Both of these devices are made out of metal and glass, but they do look considerably different. HONOR opted to include a display camera hole on the HONOR 20 Pro, instead of opting for a display notch or a pop-up camera, a display hole which is included in the top-left corner of the phone’s display. LG, on the other hand, included a rather unseemly notch on the LG G8 ThinQ, which does host some useful sensors, but it’s not the prettiest thing to look at.
Both phones include a thin “chin” below the display, and both of these devices feature a flat display. The HONOR 20 Pro sports three vertically-aligned camera on the back, and 2-megapixel macro camera next to those three cameras. The LG G8 ThinQ, on the other hand, comes with two horizontally-aligned cameras. Some variants of the phone have three cameras, but the US unit we reviewed comes with two, so that’s the unit we’re referring to.
The HONOR 20 Pro sports a side-facing fingerprint scanner, so its back side looks cleaner than what the LG G8 ThinQ has to offer, as a fingerprint scanner is included on the back of LG’s flagship. Both phones are quite slippery in the hand, while the G8 ThinQ is considerably shorter and narrower thanks to a smaller display. The two devices are equally thick.
In our personal opinion, HONOR did a better job here, as the HONOR 20 Pro is a more attractive device of the two, at least if you ask us. That notch on the G8 ThinQ really takes away from its overall design appeal.
Winner: HONOR 20 Pro
Display
The HONOR 20 Pro features a 6.26-inch fullHD+ IPS LCD display, while the LG G8 ThinQ comes with a 6.1-inch QHD+ P-OLED panel. Both phones offer a display aspect ratio of 19.5:9, in case you were wondering.
The LG G8 ThinQ’s panel is protected by a sheet of Gorilla Glass 5, while we do not know what sort of protection HONOR included on its flagship. Having said that, the LG G8 ThinQ is a clear winner in the display department.
The LG G8 ThinQ’s display is considerably sharper, while colors are more pronounced, not to mention that you get those deep AMOLED blacks that people seem to love so much. Viewing angles are great on both phones, and the HONOR 20 Pro’s display is not bad at all, but it does seem inferior in comparison to the LG G8 ThinQ’s panel.
Winner: LG G8 ThinQ
Performance
Needless to say, both of these phones are extremely powerful as far as hardware is concerned. The HONOR 20 Pro is fueled by the Kirin 980 SoC, and it comes with 8GB of RAM, while the LG G8 ThinQ ships with the Snapdragon 855 and 6GB of RAM.
Both devices ship with Android 9 Pie out of the box, the HONOR 20 Pro includes Magic 2.1 skin, while the G8 ThinQ sports LG’s LG UX 8.0 Android overlay. Both phones perform really, really well, though the HONOR 20 Pro has an edge.
We’ve noticed more stutters on the LG G8 ThinQ than on the HONOR 20 Pro, as the LG G8 ThinQ had a tendency to stutter while scrolling, for example. Both phones can handle whatever you throw at them, no argument there, that goes for games as well, but the HONOR 20 Pro just feels a bit smoother all around.
Winner: HONOR 20 Pro
Battery Life
Battery life is extremely important to people nowadays, as most of us use our devices intensively during the day, so it’s important to have good battery life. Both of these phones are good in that department, but the G8 ThinQ cannot cope with the HONOR 20 Pro’s longetivity.
Both devices will get you through the day if you’re not a heavy user, but if you are, the HONOR 20 Pro is a better bet. We’ve managed to get up to two extra hours of screen-on-time on the HONOR 20 Pro with our usage, though it was mostly around 1-1.5 hours more, but still, it’s quite an edge.
If you do need wireless charging, though, the LG G8 ThinQ is the only choice here, as the HONOR 20 Pro does not offer wireless charging. The LG G8 ThinQ includes 9W wireless charging, while both devices support fast wired charging, the HONOR 20 Pro comes with 22.5W wired charging, while the LG G8 ThinQ offers 21W wired charging
WInner: HONOR 20 Pro
Cameras
What about cameras? Well, HONOR put a lot of effort into its camera setup, and it even took some cues from its parent company, Huawei. The HONOR 20 Pro is capable of producing really great images in basically all scenarios, and while the LG G8 ThinQ can cope with it in most scenarios, that’s not the case in low light, for example.
The HONOR 20 Pro can take considerably brighter images in low light, and it also does a better job in balancing them, especially with a dedicated night mode. The LG G8 ThinQ’s night mode is not that impressive, pictures taken with it are often too dark, and too similar to the auto mode at the same time.
In daylight, both phones provide well-balanced images with good dynamic range, white balance, and colors, so if you don’t plan on taking a lot of pictures in low light, you’re good with either of these two phones.
Both devices also offer really good manual modes, so you don’t have to worry about that either. The LG G8 ThinQ’s front-facing camera is better than the HONOR 20 Pro’s, though, just in case you’re taking a lot of selfies. Overall, though, the HONOR 20 Pro takes the cake.
Winner: HONOR 20 Pro
Audio
What about audio? Well, the HONOR 20 Pro is good in this department, but it cannot measure up to what the LG G8 ThinQ has to offer. First and foremost, both devices have a single speaker, and both are good, but the LG G8 ThinQ’s offers fuller sound.
The LG G8 ThinQ is the only device here that comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack, while both phones can produce 32-bit/192kHz audio. The LG G8 ThinQ also supports DTS: X Surround Sound, unlike the HONOR 20 Pro. All in all, the LG G8 ThinQ provides a better, fuller sound with and without headphones.
Winner: LG G8 ThinQ
Conclusion
Both of these phones are quite compelling, and it all depends on what you’re looking for. If you want a smaller phone, which has great audio, and a great display, while you don’t mind its rather unseemly notch, go for the LG G8 ThinQ.
If you really want a great camera on your phones, plus you value great performance, great battery life, and don’t mind an IPS LCD display, the HONOR 20 Pro is a great choice. The HONOR 20 Pro is a better choice overall, though, plus it’s more affordable than the LG G8 ThinQ.
Winner: HONOR 20 Pro