LG's latest flagship phone is a solid alternative to Samsung's Galaxy S10e, but only if you can get it at a discount

LG hasn't innovated much at all on design with the G8. It looks like a generic Android smartphone, with its notch and thick bezels — at least by new standard that has been set by Samsung and its Galaxy S10 smartphones.

It's good to keep in mind that Samsung's Galaxy S10 phones are going to be incredibly hard to beat on the design front — still, there's no sign of effort from LG. I can't imagine anyone walking into a store and picking the LG G8 if any of Samsung's Galaxy S10 phones, including the Galaxy S10e, are displayed next to it.

The Galaxy S10e has thicker bezels than its more expensive siblings, but it still looks like a more premium device compared to the LG G8.

LG's "Hand ID," which recognizes the veins in the palm your hand to unlock the phone, is incredibly slow and hard to use. I set it up, tried it a few times without success, and was frustratingly and constantly told by the phone to hover my hand closer to the top of the screen or further away, which never worked anyway.

I haven't used it since for my day-to-day usage, opting instead to use the fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone or the 3D facial recognition. Thankfully, you can totally ignore that Hand ID exists, and it doesn't affect anything on the LG G8.

LG's Air Motion gestures, which you can use to control music and volume, or activate shortcuts, can be useful if your hands are dirty from, say, cooking. It actually works decently well.

Samsung apparently has an obsession with brightening up areas that are darkened by shade or shadows. That's good to reveal detail in those darker areas, but it also makes photos look flat.

Thankfully, the LG G8 takes more dynamic photos with more depth, and the photos are better as a result.

The LG G8 is seemingly overthinking things and making sure to focus on people's faces rather than anything else that might not be human. I'd rather it keep everything at the forefront of the selfie in focus instead of deciding what should be in focus and what shouldn't be.

• The Galaxy S10e's design is better than the LG G8.
• The Galaxy S10e's selfie camera punch-hole cutout takes up less screen space than the LG G8's already antiquated notch. You could say that Samsung's punch-hole cutout design made the notch look out-of-date.
• While using the LG G8, I greatly missed the ability to pull down the Android notification shade from anywhere on the display, which is an option you have on the Galaxy S10 phones. With the LG G8, you have to pull down the shade from the top of the phone, which is less comfortable.
• The Galaxy S10 phones, including the Galaxy S10e, let you pick a black color theme for the entire operating system, which not only helps with battery life, but is more comfortable on the eyes, especially in dark environments.
• The Galaxy S10e's fingerprint sensor is on the right side of the phone, where the power button is, compared to the back of the phone on the LG G8. Having the fingerprint sensor on the edge of the Galaxy S10e makes it easier to unlock the phone while it's resting flat against a surface.
• The Galaxy S10e has reverse wireless charging. It's up to you to decide if reverse wireless charging is a feature you want. It can be used to charge a friend's smartphone with low battery, or charge wireless-charging accessories like Samsung's wireless Galaxy Buds. For what it's worth, I've only ever used reverse wireless charging just to see if it works. Maybe, one day, I'll actually come across a use for it. Or maybe I won't.

• The LG G8's power button is in a better place than on the Galaxy S10e. It's lower down on the G8's right side than the power button on the Galaxy S10e, which is almost at the very top-right corner of the phone. It can be a bit of a reach compared to the power button on the G8.
• It has more secure facial recognition that uses 3D scanning — much like Apple's Face ID — compared to the more basic facial recognition on the Galaxy S10e.
• The LG G8 delivers better quality audio to wired headphones with its Hi-Fi DAC (digital to analog converter).
• The LG G8 doesn't crowd you with different voice assistants, like Samsung's Bixby. You get Google Assistant on the LG G8, which is all you need.
• The LG G8's side button, under the volume buttons, summons Google Assistant, which the Galaxy S10e doesn't let you do. At the same time, the LG G8's side button can't be set to do anything else, like open an often-used app. The Galaxy S10e lets you set its button to act as a shortcut for apps.

1. If you think the Galaxy S10e's 5.8-inch display is slightly too small, the LG G8's 6.1-inch display will better suit your preference.

2. If you can get the LG G8 for $700 — $50 cheaper than the Galaxy S10e. Any more than $700 and the pendulum swings right back to the Galaxy S10e. If your only option is to buy the LG G8 at its official $820 price tag, you should consider the Galaxy S10e instead.

3. If you actively appreciate high-quality audio with wired headphones on your mobile device.

If none of those circumstances describe you, you should get the Galaxy S10e. It's that simple.