LG will no longer manufacture smartphones.
The rumor had been running for a few weeks, it is now official.
The Korean group "is
closing its mobile telephony division
".
The decision was approved by the board of directors on Monday in Seoul.
Like other mobile glories of the 2000s and early 2010s, LG did not stand up to the steamroller of the competition.
The new wave of Chinese manufacturers is sweeping away everything in its path.
LG was however number three in the sector, with nearly 10% market share between 2010 and 2015, before slowly losing ground.
Cascading dropouts
LG had already decided to stop selling smartphones in several countries, including France, in 2019. A "pause" which coincided with the launch of 5G.
The decision now concerns all of the group's mobile activities and will be effective in July.
But that the brand's smartphone owners can rest assured, the group will continue to perform Android updates, "
for a period of time that varies depending on the region
".
Read also: Smartphones won over by the madness of grandeur
LG is not the first industry pioneer to throw in the towel.
Nokia and Alcatel - whose brands are operated under license, Ericsson, Blackberry or even HTC have withdrawn before him.
The future of the smartphone division of Sony is uncertain, while the Japanese has already announced refocusing its efforts on certain countries and certain ranges, which LG did before giving up this activity.
Refocused activities
Conversely, Motorola is attempting yet another comeback.
Facing them, the rising brands are Chinese, with Oppo and Xiaomi among the most active.
Apple and Samsung are resisting, reigning supreme in the sector for nearly fifteen years.
LG now wants to focus on sectors with more growth prospects such as electric vehicles.
It is already a major player in batteries, robotics, the connected home, artificial intelligence ...
