LG logs strong sales of flagship smartphone in N. America

Published : Feb 13, 2017 - 10:45 Updated : Feb 13, 2017 - 10:45

LG Electronics Inc. maintained its rank of third in the North American smartphone market in the fourth quarter of last year, data showed Monday, mainly on the back of strong sales of its flagship model V20.

The South Korean tech company sold about 74 million smartphones during the October-December period, compared to 66 million units during the same quarter a year earlier, the data compiled by industry tracker Strategy Analytics showed. The figure translates into a market share of 14.2 percent.

LG Electronics Inc.'s V20 (LG Electronics Inc.)

Apple Inc. topped the market during the same quarter with 38.7 percent market share, followed by its South Korean archrival Samsung Electronics Co. with 20.9 percent, the data showed.

Market watchers forecast LG shipped nearly 60 million units of the V20 in North America during the October-December period.

The premium smartphone boasts high-end audio resolution, as the company collaborated with Denmark's luxury brand for stereo devices Bang & Olufsen. The smartphone also integrates a 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC (digital to analog converter) technology into the device for the first time. It also features wide-angle lenses on the front and back of the handset.

LG has said it will launch the G6 smartphone later this month at an annual technology fair in Barcelona, Spain.

Details of the G6 were not known, but LG has said the new smartphone will feature a 5.7-inch display and a wide-angle camera lens. Industry sources said the G6 smartphone will also come with Google's voice assistant service. (Yonhap)