LG said during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2016 trade show in Barcelona Thursday it would not release a smartphone for Google's flagship Nexus brand in 2016. The South Korean electronics-manufacturer would instead focus on its own brand, CNET quoted a company spokesman as saying.
The LG spokesperson told the publication the company continues to maintain a healthy relationship with Google, but the Nexus phone programme requires resources that could be used for its own phones. LG launched Sunday the latest flagship G5, hours before Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S7 series. The company plans to utilise the resources to promote its 2016 flagship, according to CNET.
LG built successful phones for Google under the Nexus name, which include the Nexus 4 in 2012, the Nexus 5 in 2013 and the more recently the Nexus 5X last year. With LG's decision to skip a Nexus phone this year, rumours about Google and HTC's partnership gain more currency. Earlier this month, a report suggested HTC would launch two Nexus smartphones this year with 5 and 5.5-inch screens.
LG G5's modular design strategy is a fresh idea compared to that of other flagships in the current market. LG's Nexus phones have performed well in terms of sales, while the company's premium segment has suffered. The company might be willing to channel prime focus on its own product line, but the result of this remains to be seen.
The LG spokesperson also said the company might restart sales of its second-gen LG Watch Urbane LTE, discontinued following issues related to the display hardware. The Korean tech giant might also launch a new smartwatch in the second half of 2016, the spokesman said.
According to him, LG G Flex 2 was a commercial success, but the company won't launch its successor this year.
