Shapeshifting wizards

LG wants you to swivel with its wacky Wing, while Samsung claims to have perfected the foldable – but which new-era 5G mobile delivers?

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LG Wing

What’s the story?

Alright, the LG Wing is weird, but that doesn’t stop you from admiring LG’s cojones in trying to make a T-shaped phone with two screens actually work. The Wing is the first handset in LG’s new Explorer Project, and it looks likely to be the first of several out-there models. We spent some time getting to grips with its so-called swivel mode, activated with a flick of a thumb to reveal an almost-square display behind the main one.

It looks like a gimmick, LG knows that, and it’s owning it. Though, we expect, this one will be a little hard to locate in South Africa. Not seriously, but a little.

Is it any good?

There are several ways to take advantage of that extra display – you can watch a video while using another app below, or even play Asphalt 9 with the second screen up top displaying a map – but none of this stuff turns out to be all that useful in the real world.

On the plus side, it’s a zippy enough 5G phone, looks lovely and takes better than expected photos. But it’s impossible for that swivel feature to hide, even when using the phone normally, thanks to its added weight and thickness.

Price R20 000 / lg.com/za

• 6.8in 2460x1080 + 3.9in 1240x1080 OLED