The LG G7 will likely feature an LCD screen instead of a POLED panel such as the one found on the 2017 V30 due to cost-cutting efforts, The Korea Herald’s Investor reported Friday, citing latest market predictions. By reverting back to the LCD technology, LG may be able to generate significant savings, with OLED displays still being two to three times more expensive than their traditional alternatives. Reports from mid-February suggested the successor to the G6 still won’t have an entirely conventional LCD screen but will instead utilize an MLCD+ panel that’s said to offer better brightness and contrast while also being up to 35-percent more energy-efficient than regular LCD modules.
A possible follow-up on the G6 was being showcased by LG behind closed doors at this year’s Mobile World Congress, having been leaked by one Israeli tech outlet. That particular handset was still said to be featuring an OLED screen and was demonstrated to the company’s partners as the G7 Neo, though some sources suggested the notch-equipped smartphone remains in an experimental phase of development and is prone to being radically altered before being commercialized. Besides the V30’s screen, LG produced the 6-inch POLED panel of the Pixel 2 XL, Google’s 2017 flagship which was also manufactured by the South Korean tech giant. Following the release of the device, a vocal portion of consumers took to various social networks and forums to complain about quality control issues with the screen that was described by some as being washed out, though later reports suggested any potential problems were only limited to a small subset of users.
Hana Investment analyst Kim Hyun-soo believes there’s little reason for smartphone makers to force a large-scale OLED transition in the immediate future as mobile devices will eventually have to shift to such panels anyway if the vision of foldable handsets is ever to be realized. The LG G7 is presently expected to be announced in June, though it’s still unclear how the device will be called; while LG itself suggested it’s looking into rebranding its Android flagship lineup, recent reports indicate the company may be sticking with its established naming scheme.