At CES 2017, LG confirmed that they do have a new smartphone on the way and it will be the ‘G6’. Furthermore, LG has also confirmed that the LG G6 will not be a smartphone that adopts a modular design or approach. Which is in stark contrast to last year’s LG G offering, the LG G5 and marks the company’s departure away from modular smartphones after only one attempt. At least when it comes to their leading flagship line of smartphones, the LG G series.
The new information comes courtesy of a report from the Wall Street Journal which credits comments made by LG’s Chief Technologist, Skott Ahn, during an interview. While another unnamed LG spokesperson was credited with explaining that the LG G6 and its lack of modular direction is a direct response to the feedback received by consumers. Suggesting that LG consumers in particular were just not interested in modular smartphones and certainly, not in the way that LG approached modular design. However, and according to Ahn, LG is completely behind LG’s smartphone ambitions and in spite of its recently unimpressive sales. With Ahn reportedly stating that “spinning off the smartphone division is not something we would consider”.
Unfortunately, the comments made by the LG representatives did not provide any detailed information on when the LG G6 will be announced. Although Ahn was quoted saying that it will arrive “in the very near future”. At present, recent reports have suggested that the LG G6 is likely to debut next month and as part of an approach in which LG hopes will see the G6 gain better market traction than the G5 did. It is likely that Mobile World Congress (MWC) will be the time when the LG G6 is announced, although the unnamed spokesperson was noted explaining that they are still considering different launch dates. The same spokesperson commented that the G6 will initially become available in Europe, North America and South Korea and interestingly, it would seem that the G6 will only be available in China via online sales. On a final note, the same report credits the spokesperson with confirming the price of the 6G will be in line with the G5 launch price, between $500 and $600.