LG has said that it is exiting the smartphone business, in an announcement that would come as a surprise to few, and disappoint meant to many. LG was known for some of the most iconic phones over the past few decades and was one of the top flagship smartphone manufacturers at one time.
LG gives up on smartphones
As per the company’s press release, it will continue to focus on electric vehicles, smart home devices, robotics, and appliances:
LG’s strategic decision to exit the incredibly competitive mobile phone sector will enable the company to focus resources in growth areas such as electric vehicle components, connected devices, smart homes, robotics, artificial intelligence and business-to-business solutions, as well as platforms and services.
For customers who had recently purchased an LG smartphone, the company intends to provide support for some time, however, it has only provided vague information in the press release. The company will likely have to sort this out with its regional partners to see how it can provide software and service support to existing customers.
LG will provide service support and software updates for customers of existing mobile products for a period of time which will vary by region. LG will work collaboratively with suppliers and business partners throughout the closure of the mobile phone business. Details related to employment will be determined at the local level.
LG’s G-series for flagship smartphones were its most successful ones back in the day, followed closely by the V-series smartphones. Even though the latter G-series smartphones were plagued by hardware issues, and unexplainable design choices, the company had a following and it was able to compete with flagship offerings from other companies. LG was also slapped with a lawsuit in the U.S. for a bootloop issue for G4, V10, G5, V20, or Nexus 5X smartphones, and had to pay $425 per device. The bootloop issue would usually render devices useless because of a manufacturing flaw.
Recently, the company had switched focus on smartphones with odd form-factors, like dual-screened devices. While these devices were eye-catching and garnered interest from enthusiasts, their practicality was questionable.
As an enthusiast, it is disappointing to see yet another smartphone manufacturer become a footnote in history books. However, when you look into it, there are lessons to be learned from where LG smartphones went wrong and how they could have avoided their impending doom.
