Most of the time, discussion about display technologies will be limited mostly to their consumer applications. Every once in a while, though, a company will create a new display that isn't meant to be sold, but rather was created as a way of pushing display technology forward. LG Display is doing precisely that today, showing off a new massive, flexible OLED display.
Now that the LG G6 is a few months old, it's time to begin looking forward to the next phone in LG's V-series. Though there have been a few rumors here and there thus far, what we've heard about this incoming device has amounted to unsurprising details about internal. Today, new rumors are diving quite a bit deeper, with reported information on release and design.
This week the folks at LG have introduced a new set of features for the LG G6 as well as a new phone: the LG G6 Plus. The difference is in the device's ability to carry massive amounts of media as well as the device's newly boosted sound quality. This is the first time LG has released a device in this manner - generally they tend to release smartphones partway through the year with completely different names rather than crowning one that they released earlier.
Who says you can have too much G6? LG definitely doesn't. Not content with just one model, the Korean manufacturer has just two new ones deriving their name and their features from the G6. And one of them is appropriately not called a "Pro". The LG G6+, or Plus, and the LG G6 32 GB, not Pro, have broken cover and, as their leaks indicated before, their only real significant difference is in their storage size.
These days, you're not going to want a smartphone without 4G LTE capabilities, but would you buy a basic phone with 4G LTE? That's what Verizon and LG are asking by launching the new Exalt LTE, a basic flip phone that can nonetheless access Verizon's cellular data network. Talk about an interesting device, right?
Although offering warranties is a long standing practice in the consumer market, Samsung's misadventures with the Galaxy Note 7 last year has put such programs under the microscope. Although LG insists it isn't simply reacting to that, it does admit that consumers have put reliability as a priority for their next phone purchase, something that the LG G6 promises to provide. To further increase their peace of mind, LG is now offering what it is marketing as its Second Year Promise, practically extending the original 12-month manufacturer warranty to 24 months.
It seems that the term “race to market” will play an even bigger role in the future of the smartphone wars. Samsung has already been rumored to be tempting fate by rushing the Galaxy Note 8 out the door. That may also have prompted LG to move up its own production schedule by a month or two. Industry watchers are now expecting the LG V30 to break cover in August, a month earlier than the V20, and next year’s G7 flagship to launch two months earlier in January.
The next big Google phone, likely called Google Pixel XL 2, seems to be getting as big as the company's original huge phone: the Nexus 6P. This week speculation came of the cancellation of the mid-sized Pixel 2 thanks to a series of insider tips (linked below). Because Google's been working on three new devices for the next wave, instead of two, the cutting out of the mid-sized device won't have that giant an effect on the everyday average consumer. We'll weep for the lack of a 5.5-inch display, but the device we'll get will probably be better off for it.
LG's strategy for its premium smartphones have so far been simple. The "G" launches in the first half of the year followed by the "V". While LG does sometimes launch phones reusing a popular "G" model, those are all mid-range or lower devices. You can kiss that simple system goodbye soon. Korean media reports that LG is planning to start a new trend of having "premium derivative" models, starting with an LG G6 Plus and LG G6 Pro, while, at the same time, consolidating its entry-level phones under a single X+number scheme.
While many mobile and contactless payment systems are folding from immense pressure and competition from giants, LG is boldly and belatedly pushing forward with a system that has been years in the making and perhaps a year or two too late. LG Pay has finally broken cover and, naturally, it is launching first in its home court. The LG Pay that is rolling out today, however, is a far cry from the its original vision and looks more like a Samsung Pay clone than anything else.
An establishment was formed this week called ICVR, working with Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Mixed Reality over USB-C. That means that the content will reach a headset - reach the eyes of the consumer - through a USB-C cord using the DisplayPort standard. Much like we saw with LG's most recent VR headset, users would be made just a little bit more free than they'd been in the past.
LG has recently been rather proud of how quick it is to bring the latest Android updates to its phones. But, truth be told, just like any other OEM, that's really only true for for its latest model or two. Case in point is the late 2015 LG V10, still well within the customary 2-year support period. It is only now that LG's first "second screen" phone is getting its Nougat update, and even then only up to Android 7.0.
