LG announced plans to exit the smartphone business for good in April. The company exited to focus on other thriving areas of its mammoth business. Following the announcement, LG will permanently wind down the mobile unit by July 31.
However, you’ll still be able to buy its phones while inventory lasts. With shutdown plans underway, are LG phones still worth buying?
LG Smartphones Portfolio
LG has a broad portfolio of smartphones under its sleeve. The G, Stylo, Velvet, K, Wing, and V series all target different market segments. Do you want a 5G exclusive phone? A budget device? Dual screen device? A fully-fledged flagship phone? LG has it.
Better yet, you cannot find some features elsewhere. For instance, the LG Wing has a swiveling second display, a first in the industry.
Generally, there are plenty of options if you’re looking for an LG smartphone. But the portfolio alone isn’t convincing enough. There are a variety of reasons why LG smartphones failed to impress for long.
Software Updates Policy
Reliable software updates matter. It’s no wonder why many Americans are said to be keeping their smartphones longer than they used to, according to estimates from Statista.
On software updates, LG doesn’t have a solid track record. However, it has pledged to provide up to three Android OS updates to select devices launched in 2019 and later.
- LG phones bound to receive Android 12 and 13 include: LG Wing, LG Velvet, and LG Velvet LTE.
- Android 12-eligible LG phones include LG Wing, Velvet, Velvet LTE, V50s, V50, G8, Q31, Q52, and Q92.
- Some 2020 models in the Stylo and K series will also get two OS updates.
Before you plan to buy an LG device, check for its specific update plans. Historically, LG is pretty slow in matters of software updates.
Price
Pricing, among other things, influences purchase decisions. LG’s flagship phones give a mixed feeling when it comes to hardware. To compensate for this, LG offers competitive pricing.
LG has a history of offering prolonged sales that make its smartphones cheaper just weeks after launch. As such, while you may be able to bag a good deal, don’t expect to sell your pretty new LG phone at a decent price a few months down the line. And considering its exit, the resale value may ultimately take a hit for worse.
Should You Buy an LG Smartphone?
It depends. If you want a smartphone with a solid value proposition, LG offers that. You may even buy an LG phone just for memories now that they’re going for good. On the downside, LG smartphones fail to impress in some areas, such as the lack of a high display refresh rate.
It’s great that LG is guaranteeing ongoing support for many of its recent devices. Yet having been laggard seeding updates, the company has an even lower incentive to provide updates faster in the future. Unless you’re patient to wait for updates, don’t buy an LG smartphone, especially at this point.
Additionally, there’s no LG phone featuring the latest hardware. So if you’re a power user, LG is out of the question, even if they offer decent pricing.