LG Will Launch Two New Flagship Smartphones This Year

LG-G3

2016 will see increased competition in the high-end mobile market, but LG is bullish about its chances

LG plans to launch two brand new flagship smartphones in 2016 as it looks to claw back market share in the Android device market.

The company says that the new devices will help it stand out in what is becoming an increasingly crowded market, as a growing number of manufacturers release high-end devices powered by Android.

The first of these devices, almost definitely set to be the LG G5 smartphone, is thought to be set to be revealed at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month.

Competitive

lg-v10-phone-front“The smartphone marketplace is expected to be increasingly competitive in 2016 due to anticipated premium models from competitors and further price competition within the mass tier space,” an LG statement, part of its most recent financial results, said.

“The introduction of two new flagship models and a more cost-competitive value chain is expected to improve profitability in 2016.”

LG said that it shipped 15.3m smartphones across the world in the quarter covering October-December 2015, contributing to a total of 59.7m units in 2015, a slight increase from the 59.1m shipped in 2014.

LG’s last flagship device was the G4, which was released last April to a very positive reception, although the company also revealed the V10 smartphone, (pictured above) the first in its V family of devices, back in October, featuring a dual-screen display and two front-facing cameras.

This schedule could suggest that the other new LG device is a successor to the V10, although this was only released in select markets across the world.

Whatever form the new LG devices take, they will probably come with support for Android Pay, the platform’s mobile payment offering looking to take on Apple Pay. The devices may even sport LG’s rumoured G Pay payments system, although so far this is only set to launch in the company’s home nation of South Korea.

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