Some might remember that in the early days of the smartphone, there was a point in time when glasses-free 3D smartphones were a thing. LG was one of the companies that were quick to hop on board that bandwagon, but now it seems that they are taking a more cautious approach when it comes to adopting untested technology.
During a recent press conference held in Seoul, South Korea, LG Electronics mobile and TV boss Brian Kwon said that the company has decided against releasing a foldable smartphone for now. The company feels that it might be “too early” to do so, but at the same time, they are also prepared to “respond” if customer feedback is good.
“During the Consumer Electronics Show in January, LG introduced a rollable TV. This is an advanced technology one step ahead of foldable technology. We have reviewed releasing the foldable smartphone when launching 5G smartphone but decided not to produce it.”
This means that LG will be adopting a “sit and wait” approach to foldable smartphones where if there is demand for it, you can bet that they will be taking advantage of it. In a way, it’s actually a bit ironic considering how LG unveiled a TV with a rollable display at CES earlier this year, which means that the company does to a certain extent believe in the potential of flexible displays, but maybe not in a smartphone form factor just yet.
In the meantime, Samsung is expected to launch their foldable smartphones at MWC 2019, and other companies such as Xiaomi and Huawei are also said to be working on similar devices as well.
Source: The Korea Times (via The Verge)