An Ode To LG Mobile

In April 2016 the cover story for the month's issue of HWM was Samsung vs LG. It was an indepth look at the two Korean electronics giants. Samsung had just launched the Galaxy S7 and LG, the modular G5. In just a few months after that story was published, Samsung's follow up Note 7 devices would suffer battery failures and meltdowns. The entire line had to be recalled. It was undoubtedly a PR disaster and Samsung's reputation took a major hit that many thought would take years to rebuild.

ON THE 5TH OF APRIL, 2021, FIVE YEARS TO THE MONTH OF THAT HWM ISSUE, LG WOULD ANNOUNCED THEIR EXIT FROM THE MOBILE MARKET FOR GOOD, WITH THE CLOSURE OF THEIR MOBILE DIVISION COMPLETE BY 31ST JULY 2021.

At that point, the LG G5 was a strong and innovative flagship device, and it looked like LG could capitalise from its rival's misfortunes. However, many cautioned that LG's approach over the years had become too polarising. They were either launching bold, extreme designs that remained very niche in the mainstream market, or standard phones that some considered to be too safe.

The LG G5's subsequent successors, from the G6 all the way to the V60 ThinQ— while all sensible and flagship worthy in their time—were just not innovative enough. They were not able to stand out among the growing crowd of Chinese smartphones that were fast gaining influence in all market segments for their affordability and performance.

And given a few more years, Chinese brands like Huawei,

OnePlus, Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi would become the main innovators, leading the market with design and technological advancements such as in-screen fingerprint sensors, ultrasonic vibration speakers, multi-camera setups and fast-charging technologies, among others.

In this time, Samsung had already regained their lost footing. In fact, it took Samsung less than a year to do so. With an all-out marketing push to highlight more rigorous battery testing procedures that were put into place following the Note 7 fiasco, Samsung's Galaxy S8 and Note 8 launches in 2017 were considered successes.

According to IDC's global quarterly mobile tracker report, in Q4 2016, Samsung's market share dropped below 20% to come in second behind Apple. However, by Q1 2017, they were already back in top spot with 22.8% market share and Apple was back in second place with 14.9%. Huawei, Oppo and Vivo were the usual suspects that rounded up the top five. In the next few years, Huawei would rise in prominence to contend with Samsung and Apple. In fact, the same IDC report for Q2 2020 puts Huawei in the top spot, with Samsung second and Apple third. What happened to Huawei next is another story for another time.

LG on the other hand, was once among top five in the same quarterly IDC report up till around Q1 2015. That was around the time the G Flex 2 was announced. Since then, they've been eclipsed by the Chinese brands and have been playing a costly catch-up game. It has been reported that the LG Mobile division has racked up about US$4.4 billion in losses over the past six years.

On the 5th of April, 2021, five years to the month of that HWM issue, LG would announced their exit from the mobile market for good, with the closure of their mobile division complete by 31st July 2021.

This marks an end of an era, so here is a look back at what we think are LG's most innovative and boldest phones of all time.

LG KG920

One of the earliest phones with a 5MP camera is none other than the LG KG920. Launched in 2006, the phone's focus and selling point was its camera module - uncommon and powerful for its time. It was nearly excellent if not for the lack of 3G network connectivity.

LG GD900 CRYSTAL

In 2009 at CommunicAsia, LG launched the "world's first phone with a transparent touchpad". That's the LG GD900 Crystal, and it wasn't just special-looking for its time. It came with an 8MP camera, had 3G connectivity, Wi-Fi support, and fully customisable Gestures to have shortcuts of your choosing.

LG GD910

Before smartwatches were smartwatches, LG had something called a "watch phone". 2009 also saw

IN 2009, LG LAUNCHED THE "WORLD'S FIRST PHONE WITH A TRANSPARENT TOUCHPAD, THAT'S THE LG GD900 CRYSTAL, AND IT WASN'T JUST SPECIAL-LOOKING FOR ITS TIME.

the LG GD910, a device that offered core functionalities of simpler phones of its time, but in a wristwatch form factor. If anything, it was a pain to create text messages on this dialer, but it worked exactly as advertised.

LG OPTIMUS 3D

Remember when 3D television sets were all the rage in the 2010s? Fast forward to 2011 and the Korean electronics giant launched the LG Optimus 3D - a smartphone that packed a 3D-capable display that did not require 3D glasses (a technological miracle for its time). It was rivalled by an HTC equivalent too.

LG G2

Back when Android was at version 4.4.2 (Jelly Bean), LG offered the LG G2, a full touchscreen Android phone that also packed rear buttons for volume control. The buttons also doubled as shortcuts. Most phones from 2013 had volume rockers on the sides

THERE WAS ALSO A TIME WHERE PEOPLE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE FUTURE OF SMARTPHONES BEING HIGHLY MODULAR, WHERE YOU ONLY SWAPPED OUT COMPONENTS OUT OF NECESSITY.

(even until today), so the G2's rear buttons was largely welcomed for improved phone handling.

LG G Flex

In the same year that birthed the LG G2 was the LG G Flex, a smartphone with a curved display. It had "self-healing" properties too, which was a special protective film on the display that erased scratches. This was also a time when 6-inch displays on phones were considered almost too large for use.

LG G5

There was also a time where people were talking about the future of smartphones being highly modular, where you only swapped out components out of necessity. Enter the LG G5, a 2016 smartphone that was the first to truly have modular parts.

LG G7+ THINQ

The 2018 LG G7+ ThinQ gets a special men

THE LATE2020 LG WING, WHICH HAD A SECONDARY DISPLAY SWIVEL OUT TO PROVIDE EXTRA GRIP AND SCREEN SPACE. THE UNIQUE SWIVELLING MECHANISM ISN'T THE ONLY INNOVATIVE COMPONENT!

tion in the history of LG's smartphones, because it was able to achieve something its Korean equal could only manage two years later - a collaboration with K-Pop boyband BTS. The phone also had an innovative Boombox Speaker feature that used the handset's internal chambers to produce louder audio.

LG V40 THINQ

The LG V40 ThinQ was an early penta-camera phone (2018/2019) with features that covered nearly all types of photography. This isn't forgetting that the LG V series phones also packed high-end audio components like Quad DACs since the V20.

LG Velvet

The LG Velvet, launched in 2020, had 5G connectivity and a design language ahead of its time. LG at this point stopped chasing after highend chipsets for their phones, instead opting for a premium

mid-range processor for its 2020 flagship. The phone also had a separately sold Dual Screen for added functionality.

LG WING

Summing up the march of smartphones is the late2020 LG Wing, which had a secondary display swivel out to provide extra grip and screen space. The unique swivelling mechanism isn't the only innovative component, as the phone also had a pop-up front camera and yet remained water repellent. The LG Wing never made it into Singapore.