LG smartphones withdrawing have skyrocketed in popularity in Hong Kong, and two-screen smartphones are only available now!

The commercialization of "LG Rollable" has disappeared with a dream

LG's smartphone business has been in the red for about six years. In the last few years, I haven't been able to make a presence outside of Korea and the United States. The global smartphone market has been on a recovery trend since the beginning of this year, and considering that 5G will enter the era of full-scale spread in each country, LG's smartphone may still have a chance to win. not. Although it will withdraw this time, it is said that research and development related to communication such as 6G will continue, and the possibility that LG smartphones will be revived again in the distant future is not zero.

However, this withdrawal will have a major impact on LG's main sales destinations, South Korea and the United States. In the Korean market, Samsung has a 70% share, Apple has a 20% share, and LG has a 10% share. Even in Japan, many Chinese manufacturers have entered the market, but in South Korea, Huawei, which has teamed up with a carrier, has not become popular, and Xiaomi, who has entered the price competition, is also struggling. With LG gone, Samsung and Apple are the only two companies to choose from, which wouldn't be a good situation. I would like Xiaomi to do its best to fill the hole that LG has missed, and introduced the low-priced 4G smartphone "Redmi Note 10 series".

On the other hand, looking at the American market, LG has the third largest share in North America and the fifth largest in South America. According to a counterpoint survey, North America ranks next to Apple (about 50%), Samsung (about 25%), LG (about 10%), Motorola (about 5%), and Alcatel (about 4%). Since LG has not released a high-end model, Samsung, Motorola and Alcatel will link the withdrawal of LG to the increase in shipments. Also, there are many small and medium-sized local manufacturers in South America, so shipments from those manufacturers will increase.

In other areas, LG smartphones are probably the only ones that stand out in Japan. In Japan, smartphones "G8 X ThinQ", "V50 ThinQ 5G", "V60 ThinQ 5G" and "VEL VET" that can be converted into two screens by attaching a cover have been released one after another.

To be honest, LG's smartphones have little presence outside of these countries. However, in many places such as the Middle East and Southeast Asia, smartphones sold overseas are imported, sold and used independently, and even in Hong Kong where I live, LG smartphones are not officially sold, but the latest model. Is always available for purchase at import terminal shops. Terminals that are cheaply obtained by contracting carriers in other countries are resold and exported.

VELVET is a 5G-compatible middle-high-range smartphone, and I like the simple back design compared to the smartphones of recent companies that greatly appeal the presence of the camera. The price in Hong Kong is HK $ 2,000, about 28,000 yen. Compared to the low-priced 5G smartphones made by Chinese manufacturers, the cost performance is high, and even without a dual screen case for dual screens, it is practical enough as a single smartphone.

In addition to the main 6.9-inch display, a 3.9-inch display appears in the sub when the "WING" that transforms into a T-shape is transformed. You can even watch SNS while playing a video. In addition to 64 million pixels, it also has a super wide angle of 12 million pixels and a camera with a built-in gimbal of 13 million pixels for 6-axis image stabilization. In addition, the front camera has 32 million pixels of pop-up type, which is quite high performance as a camera phone. The price of imported goods in Hong Kong is HK $ 4,000, which is about 56,000 yen, but it is cheaper if you think of it as a "2-screen + high-performance camera" smartphone.

These LG smartphones are imported from South Korea and the United States, but both seem to be mostly imported from South Korea. However, with the announcement of the withdrawal of the smartphone business, sales volume in South Korea has dropped sharply. As a result, the number of handsets that Hong Kong importers can purchase is also decreasing. There is a "smartphone shop building" in Hong Kong, but WING has almost no new stock at any store. It is becoming difficult to purchase and the price is rising.

Neither VELVET nor WING would have been popular in Hong Kong without reports of the withdrawal. However, if the product is not attractive, the product of the withdrawal manufacturer will be sold at a low price and will just disappear from the market. In fact, LG's middle range 5G smartphone "Q92 5G" is also imported to Hong Kong, but the selling price is HK $ 1,100, about 15,000 yen. "Withdrawal manufacturers" and "featureless products" are sold at such a plunge price, and most people don't even look at them. By comparison, VELVET and WING are attractive products that still have market value.

Samsung and others have released "folding smartphones" that can use two apps at the same time on a wide screen, but the price is quite expensive, such as 200,000 yen. Compared to that, LG's dual-screen smartphones such as VELVET can be purchased for less than half the price. It is quite convenient to use the two apps easily, such as watching videos while watching SNS. Since there is no manufacturer other than LG that makes a smartphone that can be made into a dual screen with a cover attached, it will never be possible to obtain such a smartphone after LG withdraws.

With that in mind, Japan may be a blessed country with the release of four models of dual-screen smartphones. LG products that can use two screens will be convenient for work using smartphones. If you are a little interested, you may want to buy a dual screen cover as a set while VELVET and V60 ThinQ 5G are available in Japan.