LG is a South Korean multinational conglomerate that produces a wide range of products, including smartphones, TVs, home appliances, vehicle components, and of course mobile phones. LG stands for "Life's Good", which reflects the company's vision to create innovative products that enhance the quality of life for its customers.
LG's mobile phone division has been in the market for over two decades, and has introduced some innovative and memorable devices over the years. However, LG also faced many challenges and difficulties in the highly competitive smartphone industry, and eventually decided to exit the market in April 2021. In this blogpost, we will review the history, achievements, and challenges of LG's mobile phone business, and also look at what the future holds for LG and its loyal customers.
LG Group of Phones: A review of the Past and Present:
LG's smartphone division traces its roots back to 1958, when the company was founded as GoldStar (Hangul: 금성). GoldStar was one of the first companies to produce consumer electronics and home appliances in South Korea, after the Korean War. It also entered into a close partnership with Hitachi, a Japanese electronics giant, to learn from its technology and expertise.
In 1995, GoldStar merged with Lucky Chemical and LG Cable, and changed its name to LG Electronics. The new name reflected the company's ambition to expand its global presence and compete with other leading brands. LG Electronics also adopted a new logo, which consisted of two letters "L" and "G" in a circle, symbolizing "world, future, youth, humanity, and technology".
LG entered the mobile phone market in 1996, with its first device called the LG Starion. It was a flip phone that had a monochrome display and a built-in antenna. LG continued to produce flip phones and feature phones for the next decade, competing with other brands such as Nokia, Motorola, and Samsung. Some of the notable models from this era include the LG Chocolate, which had a sleek design and a touch-sensitive keypad, and the LG Prada, which was the first phone to have a capacitive touchscreen.
LG's smartphone era began in 2009, when it launched its first Android device, the LG GW620. It was a slider phone that had a physical keyboard and a 3-inch touchscreen. LG then joined forces with Google to produce the Nexus series of phones, which offered pure Android experience and timely updates. The Nexus 4, Nexus 5, and Nexus 5X were all made by LG, and received positive reviews from critics and users alike.
LG also developed its own flagship series of smartphones, called the G series. The first model was the LG Optimus G, which debuted in 2012. It had a quad-core processor, a 4.7-inch HD display, and a 13-megapixel camera. The G series continued to evolve and improve over the years, with features such as laser autofocus, wireless charging, modular design, quad DAC, and dual screen accessory. The last model of the G series was the LG G8 ThinQ, which was released in 2019. It had a Snapdragon 855 processor, a 6.1-inch OLED display, a triple camera setup, and a unique hand gesture control system.
Another flagship series that LG created was the V series, which focused on multimedia and productivity. The first model was the LG V10, which launched in 2015. It had a secondary display for notifications and shortcuts, a dual selfie camera, a fingerprint scanner, and a durable design. The V series also introduced features such as wide-angle cameras, quad DACs, MIL-STD-810G certification, 5G connectivity, and dual screen accessory. The last model of the V series was the LG V60 ThinQ, which was released in 2020. It had a Snapdragon 865 processor, a 6.8-inch OLED display, a 5,000mAh battery, and an optional second screen attachment.
LG's Mobile Phone Achievements:
LG's mobile phone division has achieved many milestones and innovations throughout its history. Some of them are:
- LG was the first to introduce a capacitive touchscreen phone with the LG Prada in 2006.
- LG was the first to introduce an optical joystick phone with the LG KF600 in 2008.
- LG was the first to introduce a dual-core processor phone with the LG Optimus 2X in 2010.
- LG was the first to introduce a quad-core processor phone with the LG Optimus 4X HD in 2012.
- LG was the first to introduce a curved OLED display phone with the LG G Flex in 2013.
- LG was the first to introduce a modular phone with the LG G5 in 2016.
- LG was the first to introduce a swivel phone with the LG Wing in 2020.
- LG was one of the pioneers of wide-angle cameras, quad DACs, dual screen accessories and gesture controls in smartphones.
LG's Mobile Phone Challenges:
Despite its achievements and innovations,
LG's mobile phone division also faced many challenges and difficulties in the smartphone industry. Some of them are:
- LG struggled to compete with Samsung, Apple, Huawei, and other brands that had larger market share, better marketing, and more loyal customers.
- LG failed to establish a clear brand identity and differentiate itself from other Android manufacturers.
- LG suffered from software issues, such as slow updates, bugs, bloatware, and poor optimization, that affected the performance and user experience of its phones.
- LG faced hardware issues, such as bootloops, battery drain, screen burn-in, and overheating, that damaged the reputation and reliability of its phones.
- LG lacked innovation and differentiation in its later models, such as the LG Velvet and the LG G8X ThinQ, that failed to attract customers and generate profits.
- LG was unable to cope with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted its supply chain, production, and sales.
LG's Mobile Phone Exit and Future:
After years of losses and struggles, LG announced in April 2021 that it would shut down its mobile phone business by the end of July 2021. This decision marked the end of an era for LG and its fans, who had enjoyed and supported its products for over two decades. LG said that it would focus on other areas, such as smart home, robotics, artificial intelligence, and electric vehicles. LG also promised to provide software updates and after-sales service for its existing phone customers for a certain period of time.
However, LG's mobile phone legacy may not be completely gone. There are some rumors and speculations that LG may license its brand name and technology to other manufacturers, who may produce new LG phones in the future. There are also some reports that LG may sell some of its smartphone patents to other companies, such as Volkswagen and Hyundai, who may use them for their own products. Moreover, LG may still release some of its unreleased phone models, such as the LG Rollable and the LG Rainbow, in limited markets or as collector's items.
Therefore, LG's mobile phone fans may still have some hope to see new LG phones or devices in the future, even if they are not made by LG itself. LG's mobile phone division may have closed, but its impact and influence on the smartphone industry will not be forgotten. LG's mobile phone division was a source of innovation, creativity, and diversity, that contributed to the advancement and development of mobile technology. LG's mobile phone division will be missed by many, but also remembered by many.
LG smart phones released within 2009 and 2021 are;
- 2009: LG GW620 Eve
- 2012: LG Optimus G
- 2013: LG G2 & LG G Flex
- 2015: LG G4 & LG V10.
- 2016: LG G5 & LG V20.
- 2017: LG G6 & LG V30.
- 2018: LG G7 ThinQ & LG V40 ThinQ
- 2019: LG G8 ThinQ, LG V50 ThinQ & LG G8X ThinQ.
- 2020: LG Velvet & LG Wing.
- 2021: LG Rollable.
- Innovative features: LG smartphones have always been at the forefront of innovation, introducing new features such as modular design, hand ID, air motion, dual screen, swivel design, and rollable display.
- Wide-angle cameras: LG smartphones have been praised for their wide-angle cameras, which allow users to capture more of the scene in their photos and videos.
- High-quality audio: LG smartphones have been known for their high-quality audio output, thanks to features such as quad DAC, boombox speaker, and crystal sound OLED speaker.
- Affordable prices: LG smartphones have been generally more affordable than other flagship models from competitors such as Samsung and Apple.
- Lackluster software: LG smartphones have been criticized for their lackluster software updates, which are often slow or nonexistent. LG's custom user interface has also been seen as cluttered and outdated by some users.
- Poor battery life: LG smartphones have often struggled with poor battery life, especially when using features such as dual screen or 5G connectivity.
- No customer support: LG smartphones have lost their customer support since LG decided to exit the smartphone market in April 2021. This means that users will not be able to get any warranty service or software updates for their devices.
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