LG Electronics is currently in the process of rebranding its G lineup of Android flagships and the upcoming LG G7 is hence set to be marketed under a different name, according to Wednesday media reports from South Korea. The new naming scheme still hasn’t been decided but a partial rebranding that would retain the letter “G” and only start accompanying it with double-digit instead of single-digit numbers is one of the options that’s presently being discussed, sources said. Should the company opt for such a move, it would likely do so in an attempt to either match or exceed the numbers attached to the latest flagships from Samsung, Huawei, Apple, and other phone makers in the world based on a possible consumer misconception that associates higher model numbers with newer devices and better performance. That particular reasoning was also applied when Samsung decided to skip the Galaxy Note 6 and move straight to the Galaxy Note 7 in 2016, with one LG official recently cited by The Investor specifically mentioning Samsung as an example of a major OEM that doesn’t shy away from rebranding its mobile flagships, suggesting LG is prepared to do the same.
Alternatively, the Seoul-based original equipment manufacturer may also ditch the entirety of the existing brand’s name and introduce a new product lineup. Given the relatively large amount of radical redesigns the G series went through in the last three years, a full rebranding may allow the South Korean firm to introduce some stability to its flagship family and do a better job of defining it, consequently facilitating its promotional endeavors. Following the LG G4 that released in the spring of 2015, the company rebooted the lineup with a modular LG G5 that failed to achieve any notable level of commercial success, then revamped the series for the second time in 12 months by debuting the bezel-free LG G6.
Even though the all-screen aesthetic proved to be one of the major mobile industry trends over the course of 2017, the G6 didn’t end up being a success LG has been trying to recreate since the G3. While another visual overhaul now seems unlikely as the firm appears to have settled on its FullVision display, attaching such a design to a new name may help it establish a new series that’s unburdened by the lack of consistency exhibited by the G lineup in recent years. The successor to the LG G7 is expected to mimic the availability patterns of its predecessors and debut at the next iteration of Barcelona-based Mobile World Congress set to start in late February before going on sale in mid-spring.