On this somewhat sad day, we are going down memory lane to resurrect the iconic LG phones and pioneering technologies that made history throughout the years, and made the industry a more creative and exciting place in the process. Here are just some of LG's "firsts" throughout the years:
First phone with ultrawide camera
First phones with tall 21:9 and 18:9 aspect ratio displays
First phone with 1080p FHD video recording
First phone with capacitive touch display before the OG iPhone
First triple-SIM phone
First phone with 3D display and dual stereoscopic camera
First phone with multicore processor
First phone with penta camera set
First phone with Dolby Vision HDR display
First curved phone with flexible display
LG Prada
The first phone with capacitive touchscreen, released shortly before Apple's OG iPhone, the LG Prada was nevertheless not a commercial success due to its much smaller display, paltry 8MB storage, and the lack of multitouch gestures support, all for a price similar to the iPhone.
9.0
LG PRADA
The Good
Very fashionable look
3 inches large display in smaller than RAZR body
Logically ordered and easy to use interface
Excellent call quality
The Bad
Weak signal strenght
Mediocre camera performance
Old WAP browser
Music player cannot work in background mode
LG Viewty
This beauty had a 5MP camera with Schneider-Kreuznach lenses, autofocus, image stabilization, and even a xenon flash, at a time when the iPhone launched with a 2MP fixed focus camera. Its unique slow-mo video recording abilities - 320 x 240px video at 120fps - were out of this world at the time, too. Unfortunately, it wasn't available in the world's most visible and noise-creating phone market - the US - which somewhat sealed its marketing fate.
9.0
LG Viewty
The Good
Good-looking but easy to use interface
DivX playback straight out of the box
The best video camcorder on a phone
The Bad
The camera quality is lower than on other 5-megapixel phones
Doesn't support high-capaciity memory cards
The music player cannot compete with iPod
The speaker sound could be better
LG Renoir
This was the first phone that made us suspicious about corporate espionage in the Korean phone industry. We kid, but shortly before the Samsung Pixon, LG released the Renoir as the first touchscreen phone with 8MP camera, a whopping resolution at the time. Heck, the LG Renoir even had geo-tagging of its photos with GPS before it was cool.
8.0
LG Renoir
The Good
Shiny appearance
Wi-Fi
The Bad
Sloppy software
Troubles with some songs and videos
The camera is not as good as the competition
You have to press the display instead of touch it
We never really managed to check our mail
LG Chocolate
Perhaps the first phone with the oh-so-trendy tall aspect ratio display, the LG Chocolate had a 21:9 screen that screamed "unique" loud and proud, and was very easy to handle. The largish at the time 4" screen was accompanied by Dolby-certified speakers, making it a media machine.
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9.0
LG New Chocolate BL40
The Good
Unique form and attractive design
High-quality screen
Nice audio playback capabilities
Plays Xvid videos
The Bad
Sluggish interface
Mediocre in-call quality
Poor camera
LG Optimus 7
The first Windows Mobile phone from LG was followed by several others with as much success as the Windows Phone 7's tiled interface had. It was slim and cool, though, with metal backplate and 5MP camera.
8.5
LG Optimus 7
The Good
Fairly thin
Solid build quality
ScanSearch augmented reality app
Play To DLNA feature
The Bad
Mediocre sound quality
Camera quality is not good
LG Optimus 2X
The Optimus series is where LG really started to stand out as a company that is not afraid to try in a smartphone world that was increasingly becoming uniform at the time, coalescing around iOS and Android. The first phone with a dual-core chipset and the first able to record 1080p video? Check, the Optimus 2X.
8.5
LG Optimus 2X
The Good
The most powerful Android phone on the market for now
Records and plays Full HD 1080p video
Easy to use full-featured HDMI port
The Bad
Average camera quality
A tad on the large side
LG Optimus 3D
First with a 3D screen and dual camera, the LG Optimus 3D dabbled in what was thought to be the future of displays and recording at the time - stereoscopic imaging. Just as 3D TV sets didn't pan out as commercial success, so didn't the Optimus 3D, but props for getting it something unique out nonetheless.
8.0
LG Optimus 3D
The Good
3D is fun
Extremely snappy, fluid navigation
Great browser
The Bad
Battery struggles to last a day
Bulky
Disappointing camera performance in 2D
LG Optimus G
This phone signaled the transition from the Optimus series to the infamous G-series that ultimately led to LG's current demise. The OG G, however, went on to become the Google Nexus 4, an amazing value for the power it offered.
9.0
LG Optimus G
The Good
Super fast processor
Solid feeling handset
Great outdoor visibility with its great display
More functionality with the Android experience
The Bad
Poor results from its camera
Not excellent call quality
Cartoony looking UI
LG G Flex
Yet another trailblazing smartphone from LG, the OG G Flex was the first phone with flexible OLED display, but LG didn't just put it there for flexing rights and endurance in drop test, but actually made the whole body flex a little with the display itself, cool!
8.5
LG G Flex
The Good
Flexible display that's not prone to shattering
Self-healing property with its rear casing
Unique curved design that can withstand some flexing
Snappy overall performance
The Bad
Bloated with many AT&T branded apps
Splotchy look with the display
No headphones included with the packaging
Running Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean out of the box
LG V10
After a series of great-on-paper, low on execution G-series phones like the G3 (one of the first with a 1440p display) and G4 (introducing a fingerprint scanner), LG decided to take on the Samsung professional Note line with the newfangled V-series. One of the first with a dual camera (for selfies) the V10 was military-grade tough, had a large screen, and even a secondary one for notifications and the like, all wrapped in a traction-creating faux leather back.
Perhaps the most notorious in LG's experiments with unique but half-baked phones that never gained traction was LG's take on a modular handset with the LG G5. Despite the promises for many and versatile modules, it had a battery swap one, and that was about it. At the time, the infamous boot loop issues started plaguing LG phones, too, and as much as its hardware was innovative, the software experience was subpar, and that's the one that doesn't wear off with time. These kind of drowned the fact that the G5 was one of the first to introduce dual camera phones and start the whole ultrawide camera craze.
8.3
LG G5
The Good
Fingerprint scanner is fast and accurate
The display can get extremely bright
The interface has been redesigned and now looks dignified
Very fluid overall, great performance in games
Camera delivers great photos both during the day and night
Offers native integration with the LG Friends accessories
You get 100GB of Google Drive storage for 2 years
The Bad
Rather uncomfortable to hold due to the slippery matte back
The placement of the fingerprint scanner is not optimal
The display is overly cold and off target in color reproduction
Indoor photos are soft and occasionally with white balance issues
Always On Display is too dim
LG G6
Dolby Vision, HDR10-certified 2K display with tall 18:9 aspect ratio? Check, and before it was cool.
8.7
LG G6
The Good
Modern hardware layout and construction
9:18 screen is a welcome evolution to smartphone displays
Powerful camera hardware may be LG's most flexible to date
Wireless charging and waterproofing finally make an appearance
The Bad
Software and media still catching up to this new 18:9 world
Camera software inundated by gimmicky shooting modes
Previous-gen processor may not measure up to other 2017 flagships
LG G8
Air Motion gestures? Yeah, that one didn't catch on either.
8.0
LG G8 ThinQ
The Good
As always, the wide-angle camera is nice having
128GB base storage is plentiful
Face Unlock works well
One of the cheapest phones with the fastest system chip in an Android phone
The Bad
Hand ID and gesture controls are finicky and of little practical use
The user interface lacks visual polish and feels laggy from time to time
At least LG went out with a bang, and the bang is called the LG Wing, its last crazy handset. As the pinnacle of the company's whole industry philosophy, the dual-display swiveling phone is perhaps the last and most visible tribute as to while LG failed to gain market share despite its innovative spirit - it kept trying to introduce solutions in search of a problem. What do you think?
Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.
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