LG already announced its early 2020 flagship but, breaking its almost decade-long tradition, it launched a member of the V series first, the LG V60 ThinQ 5G with Dual Screen. This naturally added fodder to rumors that LG is retiring its premium G brand or at the very least demoting it to something on a lower tier. Whatever decision it has made, we might finally find the answer in a month's time.
When it comes to phones with styluses, Samsung's Galaxy Note is pretty much the only serious game in town. Yes, there are some that hide a stylus inside, like LG's Stylo/Stylus line, but these are pretty much just glorified sticks that are not exactly that different from the cheap ones you can buy with rubber or plastic tips. There have been a few random surprises, like the Moto Z4 last year. It turns out, LG might have a hidden surprise as well waiting for those who buy into its V60 ThinQ 5G and its Dual Screen promise.
![LG G series phone line ended, what’s next? [UPDATE: LG statement]](https://www.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/oldtaewg-1280x720.jpg)
Notes from LG this week suggested they're switching gears when it comes to smartphones in 2020 and beyond. Where they've been pushing a headline "G" brand series for the past 8 years, they'll fold two lines into one. Instead of releasing a "G" and a "V" each year, they'll just release a "V"... but they'll also have a new phone. So will anything really change?
Dismal Galaxy S20 sales, Huawei P40 announcement, new Apple iPad Pros, are just some of the highlights in the mobile industry the past few days. Given the situation around the world, it has been a slow and uncertain trudge for that market but the world keeps on turning and products still need to start selling. And just to remind consumers it hasn't disappeared because of the novel coronavirus, LG has released a promotional video highlighting the LG V60 that you can buy, along with its Dual Screen partner, starting next week.
LG has been pretty silent in the mobile space save from a brief moment in the spotlight last month. It announced the LG V60 ThinQ, the only flagship phone it has so far for this half of 2020. People were expecting that, just like last year, it would unveil the LG G9 ThinQ beside it. It may still do so eventually but it will no longer be the high-end handset that LG's customers and fans have come to expect from that line.
While the entertainment industry, particularly theaters and film production, has been hit hard by this virus pandemic, some are finding a new wave of customers and users, mostly because those are stuck at home. Streaming and Video On Demand (VOD) services are on the rise and, unsurprisingly, it is also an opportunity for some brands to put their best products forward to help people while the days away, just like LG's latest generation of LG TVs coming very soon to the US.
The LG V60 ThinQ 5G has landed on US carriers, and the deals are impressive if you're looking for high-speed connectivity and some dual-screen action. Announced last month, the Android smartphone may be LG's 2020 flagship but it's not really priced that way, and the good news is that on some carriers the second screen attachment comes as standard.
A lot of video watching these days are taking place on the small screens of our phones or at least on slightly larger laptop and desktop monitors. That change in consumer habits has prompted TV makers to step up their game and make their panels more appealing both visually and internally. While not exactly getting into smart TV territory, LG's latest lineup of OLED and LCD TVs promise high-end features to meet every kind of use case while looking good floating on your wall, too.
Smartphones today have become more powerful and more sophisticated. Often that means that they also become more complicated inside as we've seen in recent teardowns, especially of the Motorola Razr and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. This also means that opening up the phones for repairs has also become a rather tedious process, which is why the first teardown of LG's newest flagship, the V60 ThinQ, is almost a refreshing change even if it's practically boring.
The ongoing coronavirus outbreak in South Korea has resulted in the temporary closure of a major display facility, according to a new report. The discovery of a new COVID-19 case in the city of Gumi, South Korea, prompted LG Display to suspend work at its display module factory over the risk of spreading the infection. The closure isn't expected to last long, however.
With MWC 2020's cancellation, LG fans might worry that the company lost its chance to put the rumored LG G9 ThinQ under the spotlight. It turns out, the company might not have planned that at all in the first place. Out of the woodwork comes not the next G series flagship but the LG V60 ThinQ 5G. And just like what its name suggests, it places a heavy emphasis on the new network technology while also remembering the hard-earned lessons of the past.
LG has definitely seen better days and has been largely outpaced by its rivals in many key aspects of the mobile market. It has, however, still held strongly to a few traits, like its ability and courage to make risky innovations short of foldable phones and its audio acumen. Unfortunately, those may no longer be enough to keep it from sliding down even further, especially when its most prized audio features on the LG G8 ThinQ may not be cut out for the job.