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Despite stellar reviews, sales disappoint for LG’s G6 smartphone

lg g6 sales news spec comparison
LG
It seems like LG’s year wasn’t as good as the company might have hoped. While the LG G6 was almost universally well-received, that good reception apparently didn’t translate into great sales — making this just another year in a string of rough years for the company.

As you might recall, last year it was the LG G5 that was blamed for LG’s lackluster sales, but that was a little more expected considering the fact that many reviewers didn’t like the G5 as much. Before that, the G4’s sales also “fell short of expectations.”

Of course, in general LG is doing fine. Smartphones are just one of LG’s businesses, and the company reported in its earnings call that three of its four major business units reported higher revenues this year than last year.

It’s not all that surprising that the G6 had some troubles. LG seems to have timed the release of the phone terribly. Because it released the phone in the first quarter of 2017, it was forced to use Qualcomm’s older chip, the Snapdragon 821 — while other flagships that were launched later this year instead used the Snapdragon 835. The reason for that was that the company was trying to get to market faster the the Snapdragon 835 devices — but by the time the phone was available in the U.S., the Samsung Galaxy S8, with the Snapdragon 835, had already been announced.

Once the Galaxy S8 was launched, we can’t imagine too many people opted instead for the G6. The Galaxy S8 is better than the G6 in almost every way, especially when it comes to power under the hood.

In any case, hopefully LG has finally learned its lesson. It will be very interesting to see what the company comes up with next year, and we can’t forget about the heavily rumored LG V30, which will serve as a follow up to the LG V20 and will be available later this year. The V30 will take advantage of the latest Qualcomm chip, and may be coupled with a hefty 6GB of RAM — which would make it one of the more powerful phones on the market.

Christian de Looper
Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…
The 6 best LG smartphones of all time, ranked
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I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you somehow aren’t already aware, LG is officially exiting the mobile world. In our business, news like this is never worth celebrating. Competition breeds innovation, and LG’s mobile forays were nothing if not innovative. And so, what better way to honor its decadeslong contributions than by waxing nostalgia over its best devices of all time? Or perhaps you grieve differently, preferring instead to examine the uglier side of the LG’s legacy? I’ve got that covered, too.
No. 6: LG V20

While its older sibling, the V10, had a lot of bark and little bite, the V20 offered some truly unrivaled features. Though not the first phone with a focus on audio quality, it brought to the table LG’s very first Quad DAC as well as three microphones that together enabled high-fidelity audio recording and playback as well as support for FLAC files. All of that might sound buzzy and confusing for the uninitiated, but for audiophiles, this is what has made LG the only manufacturer worth supporting for much of its later years.

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5G vs. Wi-Fi 6: Which is the future of wireless connectivity?
5G

As an industry analyst covering all things related to network connectivity, I have a unique perspective given the time I spend with enterprise networking infrastructure companies, operators, and service providers. Each makes an argument for why a Wi-Fi 6 or 5G solution is best-suited for deployment given application, use case, or workflow.
Lately, some wireless carriers claim that next-generation 5G deployments will render Wi-Fi obsolete. It is an understandable claim to make given the billions of dollars that AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon are investing in deploying both fixed and mobile 5G networks. However, I will dive deeper into the underlying technologies behind both 5G and Wi-Fi 6 to analyze each and determine if a true winner can be crowned.
Three consideration vectors
In my analysis of 5G and Wi-Fi 6, my key takeaway is that it comes down to three vectors: Economics, propagation, and scale. Let us examine each.
From an economics perspective, 4G LTE and 5G (which I will collectively refer to as mobile broadband) are inherently more expensive to integrate from a chipset and software perspective into devices relative to Wi-Fi 6 (although companies such as Marvell and Qualcomm are bridging that silicon gap). Furthermore, the licensed spectrum aspect of mobile broadband typically equates to a monthly charge per device. However, private cellular networks are gaining momentum and will likely grow with the OnGo/CBRS initiative. I wrote an article about private cellular networking for reference.
5G and Wi-Fi 6 are not in a grudge match -- they're complementary.

Propagation is a second consideration. Today, mobile broadband has significant challenges in traveling through walls and objects versus Wi-Fi 6. Many companies such as JMA Wireless, Airspan Networks, and others are attempting to solve this challenge, but the effort is still nascent. However, with optimal midband licensed spectrum assets, 5G can be a compelling machine-to-machine connectivity option for factory and process automation use cases in more open industrial spaces. On the other hand, Wi-Fi, with its access point and router install base density, provides excellent propagation and performance for most traditional campus environments.
Finally, there's scale. Wi-Fi enjoys a significant install base footprint in organizations large and small, and Wi-Fi 6 delivers improvements in performance, latency, power consumption, and device density over prior generations. On the other hand, 5G has traditionally been used for redundancy in mission-critical operations. Still, its adoption is growing significantly in light of private cellular networking and the momentum behind Open RAN that can dramatically reduce capital expenditures on infrastructure deployment.
IT vs. OT environments
Another factor to consider in evaluating 5G and Wi-Fi 6 is the actual deployment area within the enterprise. For a quick explanation, IT typically refers to the computer hardware and software in the traditional office environment, while OT monitors and controls manufacturing, industrial assets, and processes. In my opinion, Wi-Fi 6 will continue to enjoy widespread deployment in IT, given its install base. In contrast, OT, or “non-carpeted” areas of enterprises, have traditionally lacked connectivity or employ a mishmash of solutions that are often proprietary and difficult to manage. Consequently, 5G is poised to bring a compelling connectivity option to OT environments.
Wrapping Up
From my perspective, 5G and Wi-Fi 6 are not in a grudge match. Instead, use cases and economics will drive a blend of both connectivity options. There's no doubt that 5G is a game-changer given its ultralow latency, and it will birth a new set of applications in manufacturing, health care, smart cities, and automotive, among others. However, Wi-Fi 6 will also continue to evolve and provide a highly scalable, cost-effective connectivity solution for knowledge workers within a campus environment. Bottom line, 5G and Wi-Fi 6 are better together!

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MediaTek’s new M80 modem packs in Sub-6 and mmWave 5G
The sign outside MediaTek's headquarters in Taiwan.

MediaTek has announced the M80 5G modem, its first to combine both Sub-6 and mmWave 5G technologies, which is important if it’s to make a greater impact on the U.S. in the future. Previously, MediaTek’s M70 modem, which is found in its Dimensity mobile processors, only supported Sub-6 networks, and was used inside the T-Mobile version of the LG Velvet.

The M80 modem is capable of connecting to standalone (SA) and non-stand-alone (NSA) 5G signals at a maximum of 7.67Gbps download and 3.76Gbps upload. The modem is suitable for 5G-capable networks all over the world, supports dual-5G SIMs and technology including dual Voice over New Radio (VoNR), and will connect to 4G LTE Cat-19 networks too.

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