LG’s 5G-capable V60 launches exclusively in U.S. and Europe

LG Electronics unveiled its flagship smartphone V60 ThinQ 5G V60 in New York and San Francisco on Wednesday local time. The South Korean tech company hosted a hands-on experience event in New York and San Francisco as the Mobile World Congress 2020 was cancelled due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The LG V60 was supposed to be showcased at the Mobile World Congress 2020 this year.

The V60 will be released in major regions in the U.S. and Europe from early next month, while the flagship smartphone will not be released in Korea. Instead, LG will launch the “mass premium” G9 series (tentative name) with more affordable price tags around April. Industry insiders project that the G9, with price competitiveness, aims for niche markets for medium and low-priced models through Chinese original design manufacturers in the rest of the global market.

LG Electronics insists on selling its flagship models in the U.S. market given its relatively good performance in the U.S.

“Even though LG Electronics ranks third after Apple and Samsung Electronics in the U.S. smartphone market, it has maintained more than 10 percent of the market share since 2014,” said an industry insider. “LG’s mobile communications division has been able to manage until now thanks to its popularity in the North American market in spite of its 19-quarter-long deficits.”


Hyun-Seok Lim lhs@donga.com