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LG Electronics’ second half strategy smartphone LG Wing was unveiled. When the main screen (main screen) is turned sideways, a new form factor (device type) is applied that displays a second half-size screen (sub screen). The objective of observing is what kind of reaction you will get from consumers with an unprecedented type of product. It is an industry concern if LG Electronics’ smartphone business, which ran a deficit for 21 consecutive quarters through the second quarter of this year, could recover.
The world’s first ‘roll-up’ smartphone
LG Electronics launched LG Wing online on the 14th. At first glance, this product looks like a normal bar-type smartphone. But when I rotate the screen clockwise, a smaller screen appears. It is built like a “horizontal flair” phone that was popular in the days of feature phones. LG Wing is the first smartphone. LG Electronics calls “rotary mode” when the two displays are exposed in the form of “ㅏ” or “TT”. He explained that he has ensured durability by repeatedly testing the operation of rotating the screen more than 200,000 times.
In this state, one application can be used on two screens at the same time, or two applications can be used on each screen. For example, while watching YouTube videos on the main screen, you can control playback, fast forward, etc. on the second screen. It is also possible to read and send text messages on a small screen while watching the video.
It also supports a “multiple apps” feature that saves a combination of your favorite apps in advance and loads them at once. You don’t have to select an app at a time, with a single tap, each of your favorite apps runs on two screens.
The main display is a 6.8 inch 20.5 to 9 ratio organic light emitting diode (OLED) display. LG Electronics made the front camera an emerging method to maximize immersion. There are no notches or holes for the camera, so no part of the screen covers the screen when you watch videos or play games. The second display is a 3.9-inch OLED screen with a 1.15 to 1 ratio. It weighs 260g, which is 44% heavier than the previous velvet (180g). LG Electronics explained: “Since there are two displays, weight gain is inevitable” and “The ergonomic design that the product’s center of gravity does not deviate significantly from the center makes it easy to use for a long time.”
The chipset uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765G 5G. It is a product with improved graphics rendering performance than Velvet’s Snapdragon 765 5G.
On the back, three cameras were installed: a 64 million pixel wide angle, a 13 million pixel ultra wide angle, and a 12 million pixel ultra wide angle that can be used in rotary mode. Several video specific functions were introduced, such as ‘Gimbal Camera’ which can take a stable video and ‘Dual Recording’ which takes a video using the front and rear cameras at the same time.
LG Electronics plans to launch LG Wing in the global market starting next month in Korea. The price ranges from 1.1 million to 1.2 million won, and they are known to be in consultation with the news agency.
Creating an ‘app ecosystem’ is key
The LG Wing is the first product to be introduced through LG Electronics’ ‘Explorer Project’. LG Electronics recently announced a plan to dualize its products into an Explorer project for consumers seeking innovative and differentiated products and an existing product line, ‘Universal Line’. The “roll-up” smartphone, which is expected to launch in the first half of next year, is also part of the Explorer project. LG Electronics aims to win and win with such innovative products. It is a strategy to differentiate yourself with products that other manufacturers do not offer.
For this strategy to be successful, you need to create an application ecosystem optimized for the new form factor. Before introducing the LG Wing, LG Electronics cooperated with Naver, Tobe, Rave and Picto to develop an optimized function for the second screen. LG Electronics plans to expand the ecosystem in cooperation with platform companies. However, there is also the concern that if the related app is not released continuously, it may take the ‘LG G5’ train. LG Electronics launched the G5 modular smartphone in 2016, but when it did not catch on, it discontinued related accessories in a year and won the originality of users.
The industry is paying attention to whether LG Wing can serve as an opportunity to solve the long-standing deficit of LG Electronics’ smartphone business. The MC division continued to suffer losses for 21 consecutive quarters through the second quarter of this year. The head of MC’s business division, which oversees the mobile business for the past three years, has also been replaced three times. Vice President Lee Yeon-mo, who became the head of the MC business division this year, is trying to change by eliminating the premium line, the G and V series, and introducing new product lines one after another.
Reporter Lee Seung-woo / Hong Yoon-jung [email protected]
