LG Electronics launches V30 smartphone in US
LG Electronics rolled out its premium smartphone V30 in the North American market, Thursday.
Launched on the back of favorable reviews overseas, the V30’s success in the U.S. market will be essential for the electronics company as its mobile business has been in a severe slump with its 10th consecutive quarterly operating loss.
“The V30 will capture the North American premium smartphone market with its slim and light design as well as advanced camera features,” said Cho Juno, president of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company.
The V30 has been released in all five major mobile carriers — Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and US Cellular.
LG Electronics has prepared for hands-on demonstration sessions at the five mobile carriers’ stores and major electronics outlets in the United States to strengthen marketing activities.
Since its first global showcase during the IFA 2017 in Germany earlier in August, the V30 has drawn favorable reviews from around the world. U.S. smartphone news outlet Phone Arena praised the V30’s camera as one of the most impressive features of smartphones launched this year.
Another U.S. outlet Android Authority also acclaimed the V30’s design and wide-angle camera, LG Electronics said.
Besides North America, LG Electronics plans to launch the V30 in European countries such as Britain and Germany in the fourth quarter. It will be the first model in LG Electronics’ V series smartphones to be released in the European market. After Europe, the handset will also be released in South America and Asia, the company said.
LG Electronics rolled out the V30 in Korea last month. It has a 6-inch screen with 7.3mm of thickness and 158g in weight. Its wide-angle camera unit is capable of capturing images even in dark environments.
Its audio unit has been tuned by premium Danish audio equipment brand B&O Play to provide high-quality sound, according to the company.
Meanwhile, LG Electronics’ mobile business is expected to record quarterly operating loss for the 10th consecutive quarter in the third quarter. According to analysis by 10 securities firms here, LG Electronics is projected to post a 29.28 billion won operating loss in the third quarter.
“LG Electronics’ smartphone business is worse than expected,” said Dongbu Securities analyst Kwon Seong-ryul.
“The loss can be larger than expectations as the increase in smartphone shipments is not significant and the average sales price went down.”
Market prospect is also negative for LG Electronics mobile business in the fourth quarter with more premium smartphones scheduled to compete with the V30.
“With Samsung Electronics Galaxy Note 8 already in the market, Apple is also rolling out new iPhones in the fourth quarter. It will be a tough challenge for LG Electronics,” an industry source said.