Want the new G8?

[markdoc]

I just received an email from LG about a trade in deal with Verizon. It sounds too good to be true, but you decide.

 

[Hadron]

Whenever I see "up to" I think "weasel words"

 

[markdoc]

I posted it before I looked at the details. (Not too smart) But it is legit for someone opening a new account with Verizon. It obviously has some hoops to jump through but for someone interested in the G8, there are a number of ways to save less than the $1000.

 

[PitCarver]

I'm still having fun with my V40. Think I'll keep it a while.

 

[markdoc]

Me too, but the G8 has all sorts of new & cool things. The screen is a speaker, you can unlock the phone with the veins in your hand and it has Android 9.

 

[PitCarver]

My V40 has enough new and cool stuff to keep this old guy busy for a while still. Heard too many things, about pie, that I don't think I'd like..... Too much change.

Still haven't enabled fingerprint or face unlock yet .

 

[Hadron]

Android 9? I decided to wait until next month to install 10, but I've been running 9 for almost a year...

 

[markdoc]

I guess your right. I've always enjoyed getting the newest technology and figuring it out. Of course it takes me a lot longer these days. (And I have to admit, I don't enjoy it as much as I use to) I had a fingerprint scanner on my previous phone. At first I thought it was a waste of real estate, now I can't function without one. It really speeds up anything to do with passwords. The scanner on the LG V40 is much faster than the one on my HTC 10 and it is very accurate. (But the vein scanning on the G8 is still intriguing)

 

[markdoc]

Android 9? I decided to wait until next month to install 10, but I've been running 9 for almost a year...

What phone are you using? Did you get 9 from the carrier or did you update yourself? What do you think of 9?

 

[Hadron]

I'm using a Pixel 2, so I got 9 when it was still in beta (skipped the first couple because it is my daily driver, but they became stable quite early. This year it sounds like regressed battery life is the main issue with the first beta, so the omens for it being viable even earlier are good).

What's it like? Well I can't say about a particular manufacturer's implementation, but in itself it's fine. There were some visual changes, and I preferred the lower-key look of 8, but you get used to them easily and in any case that's the sort of thing that LG are likely to apply their own style to anyway. It's got more battery optimisations than I remember 8 having, and slightly improved permissions controls, though it's so long since I used 8 I have trouble remembering what changed in detail. The most obvious changes from the user's point of view are in the nav bar. There's the option to replace the 3 soft buttons with a gesture-based system: one central button (the "pill") which acts as a home button but when you swipe up on it brings the recent apps, or swipe right to swap to your last app (something I never use, but I never used the equivalent in 8 either). It's a little half-baked because there is still a back button on the left, making it inconsistent and asymmetric, and I personally hope they get rid of that and replace it with a swipe left. That is (on the Pixel) still optional, so you can have the old 3 buttons if you want, but I never felt the desire to revert. The recent apps screen is better, with larger, readable previews of recent apps (I find this handy because I can often look up some information using the preview without having to switch apps), though I believe the launcher can determine the style of this now so it would be very easy for the manufacturer to do their own thing here. If you turn auto-rotate off there's a little button appears on the nav bar for a few seconds after rotating the device, which you can use to manually rotate if you want to: I find this much better than having to constantly toggle auto-rotate on and off (because I've never found it good enough to just leave on on any device, but sometimes you want the thing to rotate). There are other little quirks: you don't get a BT icon in the status bar just because BT is on any more, which I find a bit annoying. Probably many others where I've simply forgotten what was different in 8. But as a phone OS it works fine.

 

[markdoc]

Thanks for the information. I forget that Google updates their phones way before other vendors. I'll have to do some reading about 10. I didn't know it was that close to being released.

 

[Hadron]

It's in developer preview 1 at the moment. Currently only available to Pixels, but last year later betas included devices from Essential, Nokia, Sony, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo and OnePlus (one model from each, and of course you should remember that Oppo, Vivo and OnePlus are all sub-brands of BBK so really the same company). It's rumoured that there will be more OEMs in the beta programme this year, but I'd be surprised if LG or Samsung got involved because of the extent to which they modify the software on their devices.

And once again I'll give Kudos to Essential: they not only offered the Android 9 beta early on but they released the commercial version within hours of Google releasing it for the Pixels. If they ever release another phone their commitment to updates will certainly make me consider them.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

Unfortunately I'm not with Verizon.

 

[markdoc]

Unfortunately I'm not with Verizon.

That's actually good. You get the biggest discount if you switch to Verizon. But definitely read the fine print on Verizon before doing anything. (I've been known to rush into "great" deals then read the fine print)

 

[PitCarver]

I guess your right. I've always enjoyed getting the newest technology and figuring it out.

The V40 is my newest, new phone. I've usually just gotten the last year's flagship phone. When my wife got the S6, I got the S5. When she upgraded to her Pixel2, I got another S5. When it gave up the ghost I landed on the LG. I figure that it'll do me for a while.

It does aggravate me that Verizon makes the good deals only for new customers though. We basically threatened to take our business somewhere else, to get our deal. I figure that a 50% credit on the phone was worth it, for me.

 

[markdoc]

The V40 is my newest, new phone. I've usually just gotten the last year's flagship phone. When my wife got the S6, I got the S5. When she upgraded to her Pixel2, I got another S5. When it gave up the ghost I landed on the LG. I figure that it'll do me for a while.

It does aggravate me that Verizon makes the good deals only for new customers though. We basically threatened to take our business somewhere else, to get our deal. I figure that a 50% credit on the phone was worth it, for me.

In reality, I couldn't agree with you more. When I first read the email I thought, "Hmm, a G8 for free, can't be." But I posted it in case someone might be interested. Some people have to have the latest and greatest. (I used to be that way when Verizon had their "New every Two" deals) This might be their opportunity. When I was deciding what phone will replace my HTC 10, I was considering another HTC 10. But when I read about the LG V40's earphone jack, the 50% discount and the 2 year warranty ,they made my decision. And I had to do some fast talking too, to get the discount. I didn't directly threaten, I just said it would be a shame if after 15 years of being a Verizon customer that I would leave to get a deal that you're giving to new customers. They acquiesced pretty quickly.

 

[PitCarver]

Mine didn't come out, quite so easily.
We were "Supposed" to get the same deal that my wife got on her Pixel2, a monthly credit. After a couple of months of the credit not showing and us having to call customer service and getting it applied, they finally just applied a 50% credit for the full price.

It looks like we got one of the first deals that we're approved, before it was applied company wide. It all works out, in the end.

 

[markdoc]

They tried to give me a monthly credit but it wouldn't go through their computer. So they gave me the same 50% one time credit and charging me the $48 monthly. It all comes out in the wash but making it easy isn't part of Verizon's M.O.

 

[tube517]

Just looked at the comparison and it's not an upgrade for me and my LG V40. Not that I was looking to upgrade but just curious

 

[dontpanicbobby]

@tube517 I'm not looking for an upgrade either (For once)

@markdoc As you might know I use both the G6 and the G7 everyday. They are both really, really good for what I use them for. The G8 is more of the same . I crave "Innovation!"

 

[markdoc]

@dontpanicbobby I used to be the same way. (and I still am to a lessor degree) I love the new technologies, but I'm not as sharp as I used to be. It was more of a chore, then a thrill changing from HTC phones to the LG V40. I'm still fumbling some with it. But that's why I made the post. In case someone didn't realize that the G8 was close to being released, this was a chance to get it without loosing their shirt.

 

[Napalm]

I'm about to complain because I didn't get my 50% credit for my V40 - I was giving them till the next bill cycle.

Otherwise even if I got it straight up even trade I don't know I would want the G8. Maybe - I might look into it. Still won't be a 5G modem device - I don't think, and unless it too has removable memory I have no real reason to trade.

I don't want to have the first mobile where the screen is also a speaker - I actually like the resonance chamber device of the V40.

Also I don't think the G devices have the greater capacity DAC like the V devices do - so that's something that would keep me away. I could be wrong and I'll check it out. But I can't imagine me swapping.

 

[joe71]

Pass. after my horrible experience with the LG G6 I am done with lg

 

[markdoc]

@Napalm Good luck getting your discount. If the first person you talk to gives you a hard time, try not to blow a gasket. Don't give them the satisfaction of labeling you a problem. Just hang up and calm down. Then call back and you'll talk to a different person that hopefully will be more helpful. That has worked for me in the past. (And I only had to make three calls once)

 

[Napalm]

@Napalm Good luck getting your discount. If the first person you talk to gives you a hard time, try not to blow a gasket. Don't give them the satisfaction of labeling you a problem. Just hang up and calm down. Then call back and you'll talk to a different person that hopefully will be more helpful. That has worked for me in the past. (And I only had to make three calls once)

but I love a good screaming match. No I have e-mail proof that it was agreed to with the order so if they don't I'm just going to cancel my service and move to deutsche telecom or AT&T.