GM and LG will build a new electric car battery plant together, the two companies have confirmed today, settling rumors of an expansion of the joint Ultium Cells venture as the automaker tries to maximize production of cheaper EV power packs. The new facility will be in Spring Hill, Tennessee, and see General Motors and LG Energy Solution pump in a further $2.3 billion in investment.
A report has surfaced that LG Electronics has begun quietly taking orders from the wealthy for one of the most expensive TVs it's ever produced, the 2021 OLED R. This is the OLED TV with a screen that's flexible enough to be rolled and stored away out of sight when not in use. According to reports, LG is taking orders from customers around the world, including in the US.
LG recently announced that it is getting out of the smartphone business, and soon after it reassured its existing customers that it will continue to support some of its existing phones via additional Android updates over the next three years. This, naturally, raised questions over which models will get the future updates and now we finally have an answer.
LG has been struggling lately to push out Android updates even to its most recent phones but that was apparently just the symptom and not the disease. With its formal exit from the mobile market in a few months, there have been even more doubts whether it will be able to stick to its new Three Year Pledge of updates for a number of its phones. As if on cue, one such phone is finally getting its Android 11 update, with Verizon's version of the Velvet 5G UW following the LG V60's lead.
LG's official exit from the smartphone market has been one of the biggest and perhaps saddest news in the mobile market, especially considering LG's history and lineage. For owners of its phones, however, the announcement also brings with it worries about the future of their devices as far as software updates are concerned. To allay those fears, LG is making a very public commitment to continue supporting some of those phones for up to three years, of course with some important caveats to take note of.
The week's biggest and perhaps saddest news for the mobile industry is LG's acceptance of defeat in the smartphone rat race. In addition to questions about its future software support for existing phones, however, there may have also been thoughts about the phones that would have made it to stores in what is now an alternate reality. At the top of that list is, of course, what would have been the world's first commercial rollable phone but both the LG Rollable and a "normal" LG V70, a.k.a. the LG Rainbow have now appeared in real-world photos to show what could have been.
LG has announced the global rollout of its 2021 lineup of soundbars. Some of the models in the line promise a premium audio experience along with versatility and community control while sporting eco-conscious designs and packaging. The entire line is also designed to complement LG's 2021 line of televisions.
LG may be shutting down its phone business, but that doesn't mean you're out of luck if you've been waiting for an Android 12 update - assuming Google's release schedule matches up with LG's closing plans. Announced late on Sunday, the South Korean firm bowed to years of pressure - and an almost equal period of speculation - and confirmed that it would be pulling out of the smartphone business in order to focus on other, more profitable fields.
It has finally happened. After months of refuting the rumors, LG, as also rumored, has announced what many have already expected to be inevitable. On Monday morning in South Korea, the company has made what may be the painful announcement that it's closing its mobile phone business. While it promises to continue some measure of support for its existing products, it will eventually be shifting its focus to more profitable growth areas like EV components, smart home appliances, and B2B solutions.
The fate of LG's struggling smartphone business has apparently been sealed, with the South Korean company reportedly giving up on attempts to sell off the division and instead preparing to announce it's being shut down completely. Times have been tough for LG, with its attempts to innovate in mobile getting consistently overshadowed by Samsung, Apple, and others.
Last year was a bad time for nearly everyone and every market, even the usually strong smartphone industry. While all companies were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic one way or another, those that were already experiencing financial difficulties were hit even harder. In the mobile industry, the likes of HTC, Sony, and LG have long been regarded to be struggling hard to keep their ships afloat. If this latest rumor is true, however, it might soon be curtains for LG's mobile communications or MC division.
LG's 2021 OLED TVs are finally hitting shelves, including the evo G1 "Gallery" series announced at CES 2021 which promises to look more like a framed picture on your wall. Altogether there are a dozen models in LG's 2021 OLED line-up, spanning 48-inches through to 83-inches, and with pricing kicking off at $1,299 as they go on sale this month and in early April.