LG G7 Revised From Scratch Amid Struggling Smartphone Business

If a report fresh from South Korea is to be believed, LG Electronics is delaying the launch of its G6 successor because its chief has ordered for a major revision prior its debut. The highly anticipated flagship is now said to be launching in April.

On Monday, South Korean publication Korea Herald learned from an LG official that the team responsible for developing the G7 flagship phone has been instructed to halt recent work on the handset. The team was also said to have been instructed by the higher-ups to revise or review the smartphone from scratch.

“Right after the vice chairman [Jo Seong-jin] made the announcement at the Consumer Electronics Show last week, a direct order was sent down to the working-level officials to start over,” the official disclosed on condition of anonymity. It can be noted that the LG CEO indeed ordered a revision at least week’s trade show.

So what’s the reason behind the revision? The official said, “The internal speculation is that the company hasn’t been able to find a strong selling point for the G7 smartphone.” The official’s statement comes off as weird, however, considering that leaks have been pointing at a premium device with very slim bezels, an 18:9 display, a dual front camera setup and, possibly, an iris scanner.

“A new decision on a possible launch date will be released around the Lunar New Year holiday next month,” the LG official added. Earlier reports indicated that LG could unveil its next flagship entry at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018 in February, which is a month prior its possible March release.

However, the revision that the LG CEO announced would mean a further delay in the G7’s launch. The flagship handset is now believed to be launching in April. If true, this would mean that LG would be missing out on the chance to introduce the G7 at MWC, where Samsung is expected to showcase its Galaxy S9 flagship smartphone.

The news comes a day after industry watchers said that LG is struggling with its smartphone business. An official from the tech company has also confirmed this bit by telling Korea Herald: “It is true that there has been a feeling of doubt over the smartphone business due to the sluggish performances over the past few years.”

In an attempt at revitilizing its smartphone business, LG is said to be contemplating if it’s best to start anew this year by ditching the G and V smartphone series and adopting new brands for its flagship handsets. It isn’t clear if this change could really help LG’s mobile division.