LG is all done with phones...

[rootabaga]

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-...-sales-its-loss-making-smartphone-2021-04-05/

 

[mikedt]

I never actually saw an LG phone, ever. I know LG does some products in China, I've seen their washing machines fridge-freezers, and microwaves, but not phones.

 

[rootabaga]

Not to put too fine a point on it, but they’ve been done with phones for a long time.

This just makes it official.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

Back when headphonejacks were a thing they had the best DACs. I had to rip my CDs again when I got one.

 

[Hadron]

Yeah, they tried making audio quality a selling point. As did HTC. The lesson, sadly, seems to be that not enough people care.

Perhaps the other lesson, given LG's many attempts to innovate, is that it's hard to find innovation in the smartphone that people find genuinely compelling. It's cheaper to do what the market leaders do: just call whatever phoned-in iterative update you release "innovation" and be done with it.

 

[rootabaga]

From the article: "LG's smartphone division has logged nearly six years of losses totalling some $4.5 billion. Dropping out of the fiercely competitive sector would allow LG to focus on growth areas such as electric vehicle components, connected devices and smart homes, it said in a statement."

Four and a half billion dollars. Is that a lot?

 

[Hadron]

Four and a half billion dollars. Is that a lot?

Depends on who you are and what your priorities are. $4.5 billion over 6 years is about 0.5% of LG's revenue (assuming Wikipedia is accurate there - I don't know how easy it is to get reliable numbers for these huge, sprawling family-controlled conglomerates, though LG do seem to be more honest in their dealings than Samsung have often been),

 

[codezer0]

Well, shit.

Meanwhile I'm here with a G4 I can't seem to root because none of the supposed files I'd need for it are available to download anymore, and my v20. Mercifully my V20 has been so much happier since rooting and putting a custom ROM, short of being thirstier on battery life. but at least I can get an extended battery for it. And... that's the problem.

In all the years I've been alive and had the privilege to even have a wireless phone of any kind, a number of truths always held:

• No phone bought on contract ever lasted more than one year
• No factory battery ever lasts even a third of its advertised figures
• Sealed battery phones? I'd be lucky to even get six months out of one before its life is degraded

Not even joking. And while I'm aware the xcover pro exists, well... I'm not touching another Samsung, whose battery I can't replace. And while its design shouldn't impede the ability to design/make an extended battery for it, I can't find any replacement batteries for the stupid thing, anywhere.

 

[mikedt]

Well, shit.

Meanwhile I'm here with a G4 I can't seem to root because none of the supposed files I'd need for it are available to download anymore, and my v20. Mercifully my V20 has been so much happier since rooting and putting a custom ROM, short of being thirstier on battery life. but at least I can get an extended battery for it. And... that's the problem.

In all the years I've been alive and had the privilege to even have a wireless phone of any kind, a number of truths always held:

• No phone bought on contract ever lasted more than one year

I've only ever bought one phone on contract, an NEC 9A in 1992, 29 years ago.

Of course I can't really comment about LG phones, if they're good or bad, having never seen one.

 

[startac4]

URL link above doesn't work. Found this one:https://www.phonearena.com/news/lg-announces-its-departure-from-the-mobile-phone-industry_id131214

 

[Milo Williamson]

I have an LG computer, that has been in excellent condition forever, had this since the wee days of where, I just walked away from a massive drama chat. Into a finer state of groups of people.

 

[dontpanicbobby]

Us?

 

[Milo Williamson]

Hahahaa.... Well you guys where a bit later on in my life, was thinking of my wethinker's crew

 

[joe71]

It seems LG is keeping there word about updating systems, I seen that various LG phones have received Android 12. Not sure about the longevity of the updates how long LG will roll them out. I can some devices getting Android 13 and maybe LG V60 and whatever the very last device release getting Android 14.
.

 

[nickdalzell]

I don't think LG's innovations and experiments are what flopped. I think everyone started to get a sour taste in their mouths with the lack of quality control. The LG G4 bootloop issue, the screen retention issues on the V10/V20, and so on. People think they experimented too much, but the truth is their later phones were kinda crap for reliability.

Their earlier models were almost dead-ringers for Samsungs. The Lucid for example had a UI design that almost copied literally Samsung TouchWiz from the SII. They had tablets as well but they're ultra-rare. Anyone remember the LG G Pad? They even had an S-Voice clone called 'Voice Mate'. They were competing head-for-head against Samsung for years but Samsung, love them or hate them won out.

 

[codezer0]

And right now, I find myself wishing that at least someone (anyone!) would make something like my v20, but with a 5G radio. Eff these sealed battery phones with -20 minutes of battery.

 

[nickdalzell]

I liked the second screen idea, and I liked the UI of the Wing (it had a Cover-Flow style icon grid) but I didn't want to risk another reliability issue. I had a Stylo 5 for a short time before the Bluetooth ultimately died. Now I'm kinda done with modern phones and don't like the direction Google is taking Android (lock it down! hard! Be like Apple! Make the UI even flatter and whiter!) so I'm using an older 2011 phone and am perfectly happy with it--even it feels more like an 'upgrade' than a modern 'downgrade'. Pay more today for less features than you got in 2011? no thanks. At least I can replace the battery without doing surgery.

 

[joe71]

On my list of top ten favorite phones, LG holds the 2nd and 5th spots
2) LG Nexus 4
5) LG L 90.
The LG L 90 was a big deciding factor in eventually getting the LG G 6. Of course it turned out to be a dud in my opinion. Too many issues. The area I give it credit was the camera if I had to rank phone cameras the G6 would without a doubt hold the number #1 spot.
The LG L 90 while a cheap $180 mid range budget phone was probably the last good LG phone I owned.

 

[nickdalzell]

My first Android was a garbage-tier Coby Kyros tablet that ran 2.1. Then an LG Optimus V that ran 2.2. I learned to root/ROM at least.

I do wish I had the funds then to enjoy real good phones like the Xperia Play, Kyocera Echo, O.G. Droids, and so on. Didn't get my first flagship until the Galaxy SIII was already a year old. At least I can enjoy the Thunderbolt and SII today however.