LG Exiting The Mobile Phone Market

scojer

[H]F Junkie
Joined
Jun 13, 2009
Messages
9,995
SKorea’s LG to exit loss-making mobile phone business

South Korean electronics maker LG said Monday it is getting out of its loss-making mobile phone business to focus on electric vehicle components, robotics, artificial intelligence and other products and services.

LG’s board approved the shift in strategy and the company expects to fully exit the mobile phone business by the end of July, it said in a statement.

LG was once the third-largest mobile phone maker but has lost market share to Chinese and other competitors.

Man, this stinks. I have only had LG phones, used Samsung and they're too clunky/bloated, and iPhones are not my thing. Aside from their slow software updates, I've been happy with their phones.
What do you think? Is this a good opportunity for OnePlus to gain more marketshare? Or do you think moving forward it'll just be Apple & Samsung as the main options?
 
Last edited:
Same here I've used a lot of LG phones in the past but I'll be honest most people around me have pretty much only talked about Samsung, Google and OnePlus phones.
 
SKorea’s LG to exit loss-making mobile phone business



Man, this stinks. I have only had LG phones, used Samsung and they're too clunky/bloated, and iPhones are not my thing. Aside from their slow software updates, I've been happy with their phones.
What do you think? Is this a good opportunity for OnePlus to gain more marketshare? Or do you think moving forward it'll just be Apple & Samsung as the only options?
There are numerous guides and way to remove Samsung bloatwear. What's wrong with a Pixel?
 
Same here I've used a lot of LG phones in the past but I'll be honest most people around me have pretty much only talked about Samsung, Google and OnePlus phones.
There are numerous guides and way to remove Samsung bloatwear. What's wrong with a Pixel?


OnePlus are stepping up their game, based on the way they're going, they'll probably be my next phone.

I don't foresee myself going to Samsung or Apple, and Google phones are fine, but I've always liked LG's phone aesthetics.

As far as removing Samsung bloatware, yeah there are guides, but I don't want to go through the hassle. It should be good to go right out of the box with as minimal bloatware as possible.
 
LG lost most of it's uniqueness with the current batch of phones. I liked the G5 for it's removable battery and wide-angled lense. With the G7, they dropped the removable battery, aluminum body and a wide-angled lense is now something you can get from Samsung. The battery life has also never been great. No real reason to go with LG anymore. The picture quality was also worse than Samsung/iPhone.

I'm still disappointed to see them leave the market, because their prices were more reasonable and it will only serve to drive the competitions' phone prices to even higher amounts.
 
Last edited:
I hate this. I have had a lot of phones over the years. The G8x has been my favorite phone. I got one without the screen for a song... and its been the best phone I have ever had. IP68 snapdragon 855 6gb 128gb good oled. Most importantly a SD slot, and their QuadDac and a proper audio jack.
I saw the costco here last week was selling the same model for a hundred less then I bought it last year. Sucks updates are probably going to be a pita... but at the price they are selling them here right now ($400 Canadian) its the best deal on a phone by far. I'll have to keep an eye on them over there if they drop them much more then that I may just buy a second one. lol
 
SKorea’s LG to exit loss-making mobile phone business



Man, this stinks. I have only had LG phones, used Samsung and they're too clunky/bloated, and iPhones are not my thing. Aside from their slow software updates, I've been happy with their phones.
What do you think? Is this a good opportunity for OnePlus to gain more marketshare? Or do you think moving forward it'll just be Apple & Samsung as the main options?

The market outside of China and India was already down to Apple and Samsung, for all intents and purposes. LG had 2% of the global phone market in 2020, and that was down from 3% in 2019... outside of South Korea, the company was arguably a non-factor.

Worldwide, I'd expect Chinese brands like Oppo and Xiaomi to fill LG's void. In North America? OnePlus (yes, also Chinese) might carve out some space, but realistically I see this skewing more toward Apple and Samsung.
 
Got my Nexus 5X (built by LG) on BlackFriday 2015 for $299.
Probably my 2nd favorite phone ever (behind HTC TouchPro 2)...and made before 'courage' took over the marketplace making everything $1000+
Sad to see them go.
 
I have mixed feelings. I haven't loved any of the LG's I've used (my wife has had two), but they were one more option in the cluttered world of Android. I've grown to despise Samsung in spite of currently using one as my main device. I'd rather have an LG than another Sammy. Google's Pixel series is great...but overpriced for what's actually inside them. That really only leaves OnePlus and Motorola as other players in the Android space. At least in the US.
 
Loved my LG G3 - still one of my favorite phones I've ever had.

Once LG canned the removable battery, it didn't make sense for me to pay $600+ for an unlocked newer G series phone, so my next one was an ZTE Axon 7 ($370 back in May '17), which started out great, but there was quite a fiasco with very slow Android updates, and then no a stalled Oreo update (unless one went through the trouble of manually side-loading it), since ZTE couldn't even figure out how to bypass their own friggin boot security in order to get their Oreo update installed as an OTA package.

Moved on to a Pixel 3a XL, and still going strong today with the latest v11.
 
Mobile phones in general are a complete joke and total junk. A super expensive device, that should not be, that can be broken super easy for just a few feet drop? Oh, and the constant tracking of the device that, although you paid for, you cannot choose how you want to use it? Nah, I will either pick up a phone that can use an OS with all that garbage removed or pick up a Linux Phone when it can be used as a daily driver. :)
 
Dang, one less option for the next time my phone dies. I had a Samsung S4, it was ok but never had good battery life and eventually died because the power button stopped working & wouldn't charge. My LG G4 was great (and I got paid to take it after that crazy new Verizon account for just one month + $300 trade in credit for AY smart phone + $300 LG rebate promotion,) though later in its life it started having weird wifi issues even after getting the motherboard replaced under warranty. My LG V40 which I got used has been excellent thus far, has good battery life and can actually gain battery while using GPS (which was never possible for my Galaxy S4 and LG G4.) I apparently have an affinity for phones with 4 in their models so I will have to keep that in mind as well, though I hope to get some more years out of my current phone.
 
Mobile phones in general are a complete joke and total junk. A super expensive device, that should not be, that can be broken super easy for just a few feet drop? Oh, and the constant tracking of the device that, although you paid for, you cannot choose how you want to use it? Nah, I will either pick up a phone that can use an OS with all that garbage removed or pick up a Linux Phone when it can be used as a daily driver. :)

Just curious, what kind of phone are you using? I don't know of any where you can keep it from tracking you in ways you don't want.
 
Loved all of my LG phones I have had. I have the G8 currently. They have the best DAC for headphones compared to the rest.
 
Mobile phones in general are a complete joke and total junk. A super expensive device, that should not be, that can be broken super easy for just a few feet drop? Oh, and the constant tracking of the device that, although you paid for, you cannot choose how you want to use it? Nah, I will either pick up a phone that can use an OS with all that garbage removed or pick up a Linux Phone when it can be used as a daily driver. :)
The "no way am I ever buying a smartphone" argument died about five or six years ago. They're extremely handy, you can keep a lid on most tracking (get an iPhone if you're particularly privacy-conscious), and the restrictions don't matter much in the real world. Also, don't count on Linux phones taking off... even the best recent ones are rather mediocre.

Reminds me once more of how Richard Stallman uses an ancient laptop because he wants his system to be all FOSS. Theoretically free, but effectively captive as he's defined more by what he can't do than what he can. A Chinese iPhone user has more practical freedom than Stallman does.
 
Mobile phones in general are a complete joke and total junk. A super expensive device, that should not be, that can be broken super easy for just a few feet drop? Oh, and the constant tracking of the device that, although you paid for, you cannot choose how you want to use it? Nah, I will either pick up a phone that can use an OS with all that garbage removed or pick up a Linux Phone when it can be used as a daily driver. :)
I have never broken a mobile phone, investing in a good case goes a long way. ie Defender Case. Still have an iPhone4s that works just fine, just too slow. Now on an 8plus (last gen at the time, so price cut). NOT an Apple "fan" but their phones just work. The apple account crap sux but everyone does it nowadays if you want updates. Look how MS learned.
 
Last edited:
Between my wife and I, we've only broken one phone over the course of 11 years. It was an older Samsung that she bought before they actually had cases available. A drop shattered it a week after buying it.
Just a normal 'ol bumper case with a raised lip and rubber grip has been fine for all of the drops I've ever had. Functionality-wise, I simply can't do without a smartphone these days. My calendar, camera, means of communication, music, etc. are all in my pocket at all times. Are they as good as a laptop? In many cases, absolutely. Maybe better. In a few, no. Yet there are some things (like rideshares and such) that can only be done via a mobile devices. I'm of the opinion that your privacy is mostly an illusion anyway. At the very least it's the price you pay for convenience and there aren't many ways around it.
 
That sucks.. I bought my son a dual screen g8x a while back for $399 out the door and l liked it so much that I thought of selling my note 20 ultra and swapping to a g9 dual screen.
 
I used to want the best and the greatest. Given the escalating prices, I am now okay with midrange/low end. I no longer spend anything more than 250USD for a handset and usually shoot for less than 200. Currently on Moto G7 Power. Processor/ram/storage is getting long in the tooth, but battery life is still really good. Sad to see competitor exit. I don't want to see price creep in low to mid range devices.
 
Got my Nexus 5X (built by LG) on BlackFriday 2015 for $299.
Probably my 2nd favorite phone ever (behind HTC TouchPro 2)...and made before 'courage' took over the marketplace making everything $1000+
Sad to see them go.
Funny enough I had such an absolutely horrible experience with my Nexus 5X... It was so bad that I swore I'd never purchase LG made phones ever again.

It was all hardware too, eventually I got the inevitable bootloop and was super happy that it was covered in the class action lawsuit.

https://www.androidpolice.com/2018/...uit-members-get-425-cash-700-lg-phone-rebate/
(I did not get the $425 cash, but I did get a rebate towards my Pixel 2, and I choose the Pixel 2 over the XL because I knew the XL was developed by LG and I didn't want to deal with that shit again.)
 
SKorea’s LG to exit loss-making mobile phone business



Man, this stinks. I have only had LG phones, used Samsung and they're too clunky/bloated, and iPhones are not my thing. Aside from their slow software updates, I've been happy with their phones.
What do you think? Is this a good opportunity for OnePlus to gain more marketshare? Or do you think moving forward it'll just be Apple & Samsung as the main options?

I've enjoyed LG phones in the past too. It's a shame to see them drop out, especially since a good competitive market required 3-5 roughly equal players. 2 just doesn't cut it.

I would never get one of those "designed in china" phones, regardless of how much people seem to like them. I just don't trust them.

My Pixel 3 has been really good to me thus far, as was my Pixel 1 before it, so I will probably get another pixel next time as well. Probably the next "a" variant, as I don't like what they are doing with their top of the Line phones now.
 
Just curious, what kind of phone are you using? I don't know of any where you can keep it from tracking you in ways you don't want.

Right now, a Galaxy S8 with everything stripped out that I could do. I cannot root the model I have because otherwise, I already would have. I do not use Google on it nor Android Auto nor any email.

I leave it at home unless I must have it. I use no cloud storage at all, either. Basically, all objective privacy points as far as I can take it.
 
Right now, a Galaxy S8 with everything stripped out that I could do. I cannot root the model I have because otherwise, I already would have. I do not use Google on it nor Android Auto nor any email.

I leave it at home unless I must have it. I use no cloud storage at all, either. Basically, all objective privacy points as far as I can take it.
Why leave it at home? Part of the whole point of a cellphone is to have a way of getting in touch when you're out. If you're in a crash or otherwise get in trouble, it might well save your life. I get not wanting even the faintest possibility of being tracked, but it's not worth jeopardizing your safety just to be sure Google didn't know you went to the grocery store.
 
Why leave it at home? Part of the whole point of a cellphone is to have a way of getting in touch when you're out. If you're in a crash or otherwise get in trouble, it might well save your life. I get not wanting even the faintest possibility of being tracked, but it's not worth jeopardizing your safety just to be sure Google didn't know you went to the grocery store.

Because for me, unless I have a long trip or a specific event, I do not need to have it on me. I lived the first 35 years of my life with no cell phone at all and I lived just fine without it. I know how to read a map, I am good with directions, I just focus on my driving, I do not use the phone for anything but text, calls, reddit, browsing, Garmin connect and Strava.
 
"these autonomous machines [robots] learn as they go so they get more intelligent by the day, and they learn about their users and their habits and specific requirements." ~ TechTalk Season 1 Ep. 2
 
Id pick up a V60 thinQ if Tmobile offered me a ridiculous discount like they did on the OP7 Pro.
 
Funny enough I had such an absolutely horrible experience with my Nexus 5X... It was so bad that I swore I'd never purchase LG made phones ever again.

It was all hardware too, eventually I got the inevitable bootloop and was super happy that it was covered in the class action lawsuit.

https://www.androidpolice.com/2018/...uit-members-get-425-cash-700-lg-phone-rebate/
(I did not get the $425 cash, but I did get a rebate towards my Pixel 2, and I choose the Pixel 2 over the XL because I knew the XL was developed by LG and I didn't want to deal with that shit again.)
My GF cooked her 5X also. We 'narrowed' her failure (and my lackthereof) down to her use of the Facebook app of that era. I don't have FB, she does...and whenever she was using ithe app, seemingly faithfully her 5X felt like a mini nuclear reactor.

Perhaps also ironically I moved onto a Pixel 1 XL and then a Pixel 2 XL after my 5X. I used the Pixel 2 XL (as you say...made by LG) until last month when I moved to the Pixel 4a 5g. That aid, my Pixel 2 XL was working flawlessly and sits in my nightstand drawer a my current emergency backup.
 
I liked my G6 but the reception was terrible for me, switched for a note 9 and had good reception besides that it was a nice phone.
 
Never used an LG phone, but they generally make good products. Was a big HTC fan, but I've been using Pixel phones the last few years.

Never ran Samsung, I don't like their butchering of Android. Plus, I had 2 Samsung phone, I like an S7 or S8 (for mobile dev testing) and both had bulging batteries. I could have burned to death, never buying Samsung again.

Also, never broke a phone either. My Pixel 5 has a military spec case. I've drop tested myself just to be sure, and it's solid. No damage.
 
Got my Nexus 5X (built by LG) on BlackFriday 2015 for $299.
Probably my 2nd favorite phone ever (behind HTC TouchPro 2)...and made before 'courage' took over the marketplace making everything $1000+
Sad to see them go.

I had a 5x for a while.

I thought it was one hell of a phone for the money.

I wish they still made phones like that. Basic in everything that doesn't matter, and great in everything that does matter, at a very reasonable price.
 
They just never did anything interesting enough that people would actually want in the market.
Their "T" phone was absurd, overpriced, and totally not what people in the market wanted or needed. While I think it's a shame to have someone exit the market, sad to say they won't really be missed. As long as they weren't learning the lessons, they just weren't relevant.

They didn't compete enough at the bottom end, they seemed uneasy in the middle value-for-money space, and the top end was too crowded. I think LG just never had a good phone identity. It's hard to say off the top of your head, "who was LG targeting?" And that's a bad place to be if you want to attract customers that aren't currently buying your product and you also want repeat customers.
 
Last edited:
the V20 was the best phone I've ever used... I have a oneplus 7 pro and it's OK, had various samsungs for a bit and hated all of them past the note 3 or 4?... tried a couple chinese phones and the only one I kept with the blackview 9900 pro which I use as my daily driver work phone... the thermal camera in it is just too useful to not carry it
 
Despite never owning an LG phone (besides technically my Pixel 2 XL - but that doesn't count IMO) and avoiding them in general because of their lack of software support, this is very sad since they're a major competitor in the phone arena and we still need as much competition as possible to keep Samsung and Apple on their toes. LG pioneered a lot of tech put into other phones either for a generation or two and up to today, like high-quality DACs, wide-angle cameras, IR blasters (I still really miss this from my One M8), etc. I hope Sony or HTC can step back up at some point so that I have more choices outside of Samsung, Google (my past few phones), and Apple. They all make good hardware and software, while excelling in software support as well, but more options are always welcome. Too bad Essential didn't last long either; I would have definitely picked one of those up if they lasted more than one generation.
 
Their LG V line is pretty good and cheap, I've used some of them and they're great phones.
 
If the dual screen case on the v60 was standard, I think it would have done way better, even with a price bump. I think its the most practical of the gimmicks phones.
 
A shame. I've owned multiple LGs over the years e.g. G5, G7, V30, V40 -- probably more than any other phone brand. They're generally solid all-arounders with a few stand-out features. The G series I found to have the most ergonomic design and best goldilocks-size phone models; the V series was the best "audiophile" option out there with the retention of the 3.5mm jack and 32-bit DAC.

The V60 is supposedly "the" phone to have right now. I might need to look if they're are discounts...
 
They just never did anything interesting enough that people would actually want in the market.
Their "T" phone was absurd, overpriced, and totally not what people in the market wanted or needed. While I think it's a shame to have someone exit the market, sad to say they won't really be missed. As long as they weren't learning the lessons, they just weren't relevant.

They didn't compete enough at the bottom end, they seemed uneasy in the middle value-for-money space, and the top end was too crowded. I think LG just never had a good phone identity. It's hard to say off the top of your head, "who was LG targeting?" And that's a bad place to be if you want to attract customers that aren't currently buying your product and you also want repeat customers.

I don't know. I haven't had a LG Phone in a while, but I thought they had interesting models.

Last one I had was a G2, and it was a great phone, especially after I put Cyanogenmod on it.

I also heard great things about the V series phones really being the ones to have if you cared about audio quality.

If you ask me, their products were more interesting than anything Samsung has ever made.
 
Sad to see LG go. I had the LG G3, LG G4 and the LG V10 before moving to the Pixel series.

LG always had some great features per generation but they'd never stick with anything. Those great features would then be gone in the next series, thus alienating their userbase that enjoyed the functionality. I've disliked Samsung phones since the Galaxy SIII due to some regular issues we had with them, and them loading Knox onto the phone without any sort of consent. After that loading of Knox, it would cut off my wireless saying it was a security risk and you couldn't remove or disable it. Every time you'd enable wireless again, Knox would cut it back off.

The Pixel series has been great. We had the Pixel XL and then the Pixel 3 XL. After that, things started to change and their phones were lacking in wow specs and geared more towards software (Which don't get me wrong, can be great in it's own way), but you're paying more for just ANDROID than actual hardware at that point.

I'm now on a OnePlus 8 Pro and it's a great phone, aside from a few things that are annoying (Like setting up CDMA-Less with Verizon, and the fact that when I try to listen to a voicemail, the screen cuts off and the playback of the message stops.)
 
Sorry to hear - I had the LG Optimus G-Pro back years ago and it lasted almost five years, which is really good. I only upgraded because I wanted a newer version of Android at the time. I currently have a LG G7+ Thinq that has been a great phone for over three years. It came with Android 8.0 and I received OTA updates to both 9.0 and 10.0.

I'll be sad to see LG ditch their mobile phones. I thought the LG Wing phone crap was too weird btw.

Guess my next one will likely be a Google Pixel or OnePlus.
 
Back
Top