In memoriam: LG's great smartphone inventions
- Kingslayer
- IbE
- 05 Apr 2021
At least LG left the industry on their terms. It wasn't like Palm 10 years ago. They weren't bought out by Google or Microsoft. They didn't go bankrupt.
Because 2011 was the year of Steve Jobs' death but a lot of things happened around that time like the death of Palm and their webOS, Motorola being bought by Google which they were eventually sold to Lenovo 2 years later, and the Microsoft-Nokia merger which eventually led to Microsoft buying out Nokia thanks to Trojan horse, Stephen Elop.
All of that was 10 years ago. Now we have LG exiting the industry a decade later. Perhaps more to come from other OEMs like Sony. I wouldn't be shocked if Google ends their Pixel line by this year and just stick to software. Google pulling off a Sega. Forget hardware. Sticking to only software and services.
- J
- John
- YTx
- 05 Apr 2021
LG and Sony have been the innovators, but they don't advertise, leading to their downfalls. I've used LG, Sony and Samsung phones, LG and Sony are great in their own ways, and Samsung, well I don't know why people still keep buying them after getting screwed over so many times.
- ?
- Anonymous
- dM0
- 05 Apr 2021
Anonymous, 05 Apr 2021Goodbye and good riddance LG! Samsung has always been the k... moreLess option less competition is bad
- W
- WhySooSerious
- uZa
- 05 Apr 2021
LG has indeed been the innovative; but their marketing team wasn't doing any good. The price fall was much awkward like the phone comes for 800$ and 3 months later it goes 440$. Which alot android users hate.
The naming always was bad even they were top Innovative.
They couldn't reach to alot of audience and specially their fans so they can know what LG has invented. Like a normal Samsung fan or apple fan will tell you.
In terms of innovation they were a great company which alot of companies lack including apple on topping the list. Another thing they didn't hesitate to experiment alot which isn't good either
- Kingslayer
- IbE
- 05 Apr 2021
LG G2 gave us KnockOn which is basically double tap to wake. I know they copied Nokia which they were doing on their Symbian and Windows Phones. It was also on the N9. But double tap to wake was new to Android in 2013.
The V20 was the last to have removable battery on a flagship but LG's last great phone was the V30. The V30 was like the 10 was to HTC. That last good phone before the major decline. Then HTC succeeded their 10 with the U11 like LG succeeded their V30 with the V40 ThinQ. Made the names more complicated than it should be.
- L
- LifesGood
- 3pt
- 05 Apr 2021
LG G3, my first android phone and still rocking it after more than 6 years. It's a sad day.
- p
- pan dv
- I@H
- 05 Apr 2021
i would put extra care on my g4 and v50s then...
if we think lg loses here... well it is not, since they can now concentrate on other divisions, and they are doing good on those...
we are the losers here... at least "we" who appreciate technology, innovation... if we continue patronizing phones just because of specsheets, "we" will lose more... "bigtime"...
so we will get 1 terabyte of storage? 512gb of memory? 10000mah of battery capacity? charges in a minute?
while there is nothing wrong with these...
having "only these improvements" are not really and improvement, rather a monotonous continuation of what has been...
are we okay with the options we have?
are audio enthusiasts happy about this?
is video creation equally good among brands?
are "we" fine with form factors that are not well thought off?
the future of mobile devices is always in the hands of the users... if we let makers get away with removing important stuff and providing generic products then "we" are doomed...
i think i will continue taking care of my collections and actually get back to them when "we" are left of "no options"...
- A
- Anonymous
- TRG
- 05 Apr 2021
RIP LG. We will miss you
- ?
- Anonymous
- 0p}
- 05 Apr 2021
LG G6 wasn't the first with 18:9 display ?
- Kingslayer
- IbE
- 05 Apr 2021
I'm used to rooting for the underdog. I'm an LA Clippers fan since 1992. I loved the Sega Dreamcast and Sony PS Vita. So naturally loving the LG G5 was second nature to me. I put it right up there next to the Vita as one of the most underrated devices I've ever owned. Just so misunderstood. Get a bigger battery online for it and it will still run great.
I still haven't completely dismissed buying an LG V20 again and equipping it with one of those large batteries that also acts as a case. Those with 8,000 to 10,000 mAh. The thing could last forever for me. I'm just not sure if I want to carry around such a bulky phone again.
- M
- MKL
- 86i
- 05 Apr 2021
Used nexus 4 and now LG G7 One. Liked both. Sad to see them gone.
- E
- Erin
- mv2
- 05 Apr 2021
TrainingAddict, 05 Apr 2021Yes, this form, but the future is flexible screens Jelly screens lol.
- Kingslayer
- IbE
- 05 Apr 2021
LG G5 will always be my personal favorite. Even 5 years after its release, it's still the best all-around phone I still have.
- Removable battery
- MicroSD slot
- Headphone jack
- Matte finish back
- IR blaster
- Wide-angle camera
- Very repairable (8/10 on iFixit)
Unfortunately, the G5 was also the beginning of the end for LG. It actually started with their G4 & V10 bootloops. Then people hated the modular design, GPS, image retention, and short battery life of the G5.
- E
- Erin
- mv2
- 05 Apr 2021
ericwang, 05 Apr 2021Rollable phone have so many problems. Screen isnt a big pr... moreThat's sad. It would've been a good way to have a big and small phone at the same time.
- TrainingAddict
- 0yR
- 05 Apr 2021
Erin, 05 Apr 2021Radical innovation is dead. Don't expect phones to loo... moreYes, this form, but the future is flexible screens
- E
- Erin
- mv2
- 05 Apr 2021
Radical innovation is dead. Don't expect phones to look too different in 50 years.
- M
- Mar52
- IL5
- 05 Apr 2021
Goodbye LG, the 32bit DAC, first 1440p display, 1st wide angle 📷? But in my humble opinion, you have nobody to blame but yourselves. If only you would have listened to consumers? The bootloop issues that you never took responsibility for way back when. You turned around and blamed the users, yikes! Say goodnight Gracie, goodnight LG?
- D
- Datalegreya
- 3DR
- 05 Apr 2021
Thanks for this concise writeup! I'll miss LG - especially as it seems like the smartphone market is moving towards more uniform (and honestly a little boring) hardware and software. Phones like the G5 or the Sony Xperia Play offered something fresh - if niche - and with the exception of the odd foldable here and motorised camera there, the current market doesn't seem too receptive to these sorts of innovations. Although I never owned the v20 I nearly bought it only a year or two ago as it's DAC, durability camera setup, high quality display and removeable battery made it pretty much the perfect phone for me - too bad it came out just after I upgraded!