And that’s a wrap, as the rumours of the shutting of LG’s mobile division have come to fruition. The company was recently rumoured to looking for a buyer for their mobile division, but obviously that never landed. The only other recourse for the mobile side of the business was simply shutting it down and thats exactly what LG have just announced.
LG had recently released the LG Wing and other phones to the market but like other devices they have launched in the last few years, they never seemed to get the traction. LG’s biggest issue as of late was gaining any real market share in any of the series of devices they released. Their latest hits (sort of) were the LG G5 with module hardware design. We also had the LG V20 around the same time. Since then LG have never really pushed a flagship contender.
The latest effort was the Explorer Project with a single focus on trying to bring more innovative designs and features to the market. This is where the LG Wing was born and it certainly was an interesting device that offered a unique and possibly useful for some feature set. That overall sets the tone for LG’s biggest attempts, they had some very niche and sometimes gimmicky feature sets that would just not last. Ultimately LG never settled for making a really good and solid smartphone with all the bells and whistles you would expect. An upcoming device that had a sneak peak during CES was their future rollable display smartphone, of course that is now no longer happening.
None the less the ultimate shutdown of LG mobile division will me less innovation in the smartphone world. The really out there thinking designs and features sets that may not have be in everyone’s pocket still had a large impact in the smartphone world, as simply put – the features that did work, made it to other smartphones companies. LG were the first to bring Double Tap to wake, Ultra Wide Camera, multiple camera, and more. Features we pretty much take for standard on smartphones now.
Below is the press release from LG detailing the shut down of their mobile division.
LG Press Release
“LG Electronics Inc. (LG) announced that it is closing its mobile business unit. The decision was approved by its board of directors earlier today.
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.
Current LG phone inventory will continue to be available for sale. 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.
Moving forward, LG will continue to leverage its mobile expertise and develop mobility-related technologies such as 6G to help further strengthen competitiveness in other business areas. Core technologies developed during the two decades of LG’s mobile business operations will also be retained and applied to existing and future products.
The wind down of the mobile phone business is expected to be completed by July 31, although inventory of some existing models may still be available after that.”
