LG's mobile division has been struggling for a while now, posting ten straight quarters of operating losses and recording a $331 million loss in the third quarter of 2017. Phones like the LG G6 didn't bolster the company's bottom line, and there are signs that a change in strategy is underway.
LG Electronics CEO Jo Seong-Jin said at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show last week that the company would no longer launch smartphones on a yearly basis, and would instead unveil them "as needed" and consider rebranding its G series smartphone lineup. A subsequent report suggested that LG had ordered its mobile team to can development of the upcoming LG G7 and start from scratch, pushing back the smartphone's launch date.
Now, a report in The Korea Herald states LG might introduce an upgraded LG V30 with improved artificial intelligence (AI) features at Mobile World Congress 2018. Instead of unveiling a new model in its flagship G series, LG will reportedly announce an improved LG V30, which debuted on August 31, 2017.
The upgraded LG V30 will be called the "V30+'α'", according to the report, and it's "likely" to feature Google Assistant-based AI functions.
Announcing a beefed-up V30 instead of the G7 appears to be part of LG's new strategy to keep around high-end smartphones for a longer period of time. Mr. Seong-Jin at CES said at CES 2018 that the company needed a way to "[maintain] the existing platforms" longer.
If a new version of the V30 is announced at MWC 2018 next month, the launch of the G7 could come months after, the report noted.
A PR official at LG confirmed to The Korea Herald that some the company had announcements planned for MWC 2018, said didn't elaborate. We expect to learn more about LG's strategy in the coming weeks.
Source: The Korea Herald
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