LG G7 ThinQ smartphones return to basics

LG G7 ThinQ smartphones return to basics. May. 04, 2018 08:09. by Jae-Hee Kim jetti@donga.com.
The head of mobile business at LG Electronics Inc. said Thursday that he wants to give higher marks to the company’s latest LG G7 ThinQ smartphone than its previous models. “The G7 ThinQ is faithful to smartphones’ most basic value such as audio and display devices,” he told reporters during a showcase event. The G7 ThinQ is LG’s first smartphone model since Hwang took the helms of the South Korean tech giant's mobile communications division.

LG opened an experience zone at the I-Park Mall in Yongsan, central Seoul, on Thursday, unveiling the G7 ThinQ and the G7 ThinQ Plus to the public. As Hwang said, the two models feature strengthened audio and display capabilities that constitute the basics of smartphones. Equipped with “boom box speakers,” the flagship models offer bass twice as strong as other models. When placed on a box or a desk, the smartphones will use it to boost bass, replacing Bluetooth speakers. Music played on the G7 ThinQ was loud enough to be heard in such a noisy environment as the experience zone with some 200 people. When the same music was played on a smartphone without the “boom box speakers,” the device had to be taken close to the ear to be heard.

LG had an experiment with the timing and way of unveiling the G7 ThinQ. While LG and its competitors make it a practice to disclose their strategic models for the first half of every year in late February, LG unveiled the latest models in May. The company did not put its CEO on stage to present the new models. Instead, it set up a record 40 G7 ThinQ experience zones across the country to allow more consumers to lay their hands on the new models. “We have no intention of putting unnecessarily high price tags for more profits,” Hwang said. “We will make products that are faithful to the basics and can be used for a long time at low prices.”