LG is a big company. It's a brand that is known for a variety of products, including TVs, computer monitors, appliances like washing machines, and Blu-ray players. It is also a company that has been launching smartphones on a semi-regular basis for years, and for a lot of people it has always been seen as one of the strongest competitors out there.
But the smartphone industry is a vicious one, and any kind of slip up can cost a company any foothold they might have. For LG, some might point to the G5 as the company's missing the mark. One could even argue that, in general, 2016 wasn't a solid year for the company because the LG V20, launched months after the G5, didn't do much to wow the market, either.
It has felt like LG has been chasing Samsung for years now, but it sounds like the Life's Good crew doesn't want to wear that distinction anymore.
We've been hearing now for weeks that LG is looking to shake things up in its mobile division in big ways. The company might be considering rebranding its G series lineup of smartphones altogether. The G7, or whatever LG decides to call the G6's successor, was rumored to be "delayed" because the company had gone back to the drawing board with the handset -- but then it turns out that might not be the case.
What does seem to be pretty concrete right now is that LG is playing it pretty fast and loose with smartphone release windows. For most people, even those who might only give the smartphone market a cursory glance every once in a while, the common expectation is that a company will launch a new device every year.
Apple dug in the yearly refresh cycle and every other company felt like it needed to do the same thing.
Samsung has done the same thing, releasing the Galaxy S flagship in the beginning of the year and then following that up with the Galaxy Note phablet flagship later in the same year. We've all just grown accustomed to yearly events showing off the newest smartphone.
But LG doesn't want to chase the competition anymore, and one way to get away from that way of thinking is to just stop worrying about launching a phone just because they do. Samsung is going to announce the Galaxy S9 on February 25, and expectation was that LG would announce the G7 (its fighter against the Galaxy S9) at Mobile World Congress, too. LG doesn't want to commit to that just yet, and says the G6's successor will get announced whenever the company thinks it's the right time.
There is a lot to unpack there, to be honest. Is the G7 not ready? If it isn't, why not? One might point back to the rumors regarding the redesign, even if LG says that's not the case. It's definitely possible they're just using more time to come up with something (they believe is) great.
This is LG we're talking about here, a company that warrants plenty of review time for its newest devices, and so maybe LG just understands that they'll get the same amount of press for their newest smartphone whether they launch it at Mobile World Congress or not. Why try to compete with the noise of not only Samsung's newest smartphone, but also the plethora of other devices that are going to get announced at the trade show?
Maybe getting away from the noise will help LG, and then they don't have to restrict themselves by trying to pack a new phone launch every year.
I can't wait to see what this new strategy brings to the table. I don't think it's going to change anything from other companies, because the yearly refresh works for them. But LG seems to think it can rework its own system and find a way to be profitable as a result.
What do you think? Is LG's evolving strategy going to work out for them? Should the company just turn to launching one flagship smartphone a year, instead of two? Let me know what you think!
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