LG sidetracks foldable phone ambitions citing less consumer demands

LG has halted its plans to develop a foldable smartphone after evaluating the current market viability of them, confirmed LG's mobile and TV chief Brian Kwon. He said, "We have reviewed releasing the foldable smartphone when launching 5G smartphone but decided not to produce it."

Last year, LG's former mobile CEO Hwang Jeong-hwan confirmed LG is working on a foldable smartphone but also acknowledged it wasn't poised at being the first to launch a foldable device. LG's rivals Samsung and Huawei are developing folding phones which will see the light of day in a few days.

"Since Mr. Hwang (former MC President) made that statement in October, management didn't see the market as becoming very favorable for an expensive, first-gen foldable smartphone. So we've decided to focus our efforts in other areas, such as optional dual displays," said an LG spokesperson.

In January, there were rumors that an LG device with an optional display will be unveiled to MWC 2019. The additional screen is tipped to be a part of an additional phone case.
LG isn't the only manufacturer that is a skeptic of producing folding phones. Last month, Honor President George Zhao said folding phones were "too thick and heavy," and questioned if the users really needed them.

As for the MWC 2019, LG is expected to unveil the V50 ThinQ with 5G capabilities. The device is expected to feature a feature a 6.3 or 6.4-inch P-OLED display with QHD+ resolution, protected by 2.5D curved tempered glass. The smartphone will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC with at least 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage.