Mobile World Congress is drawing closer and the inevitable rumour mill starts picking up pace. Also at this time of the year though we get a variety of figures from the companies regarding revenue and profits for the preceding year. Apples figures are eagerly awaited (even the BBC have an article about it ). In amidst this, LG have also released their profits and sales figures for 2015 LG Newsroom. As well as providing insights into financial health, these figures can also hint at the strategic direction that the company is heading for in 2016.
The introduction of two new flagship models and a more cost-competitive value chain is expected to improve profitability in 2016
It seems from the above comment that LG is deciding to go with two flagships this year as opposed to the three in 2015 (LG G4, V10 and Flex 2). This is a model that most other companies have utilised in the past, for example Samsung with their S and Note lines. It’s probably not surprising considering that the G4 and V10 were well recieved, whilst the Flex 2 didn’t do as well. The line about a “more cost-competetive value chain” hints at the changed emphasis at the mid-range/budget segment. Indeed at CES LG did announce some lower-cost devices, the K7 and K10.
Profitability is a challenge in the mobile space and it seems that LG have not been immune to this. It’d be interesting to see if this strategy of theirs will improve the companies figures in 2016.