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LG Electronics Inc. () is a South Korean multinational
major appliance A major appliance is a non-portable or semi-portable machine used for routine housekeeping tasks such as cooking, washing laundry, or food preservation. Such appliances are sometimes collectively known as white goods, as the products were trad ...
and
consumer electronics Consumer electronics, also known as home electronics, are electronic devices intended for everyday household use. Consumer electronics include those used for entertainment, Communication, communications, and recreation. Historically, these prod ...
corporation headquartered in
Yeouido-dong Yeoui-dong () is a '' dong'' (neighborhood) of Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, South Korea. Before 1 July 1980 it was called Yeouido-dong. Attractions * National Assembly of South Korea * Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) * Korean Broadcas ...
, Seoul, South Korea. LG Electronics is a part of
LG Corporation LG Corporation (or LG Group), formerly known as Lucky-Goldstar, is a South Korean multinational conglomerate founded by Koo In-hwoi in 1947 and managed by successive generations of his family. It is the fourth-largest company in South Korea ...
, the fourth largest ''
chaebol A chaebol ( , ; , ) is a large industrial South Korean conglomerate run and controlled by an individual or family. A chaebol often consists of multiple diversified affiliates, controlled by a person or group. Several dozen large South Kore ...
'' in South Korea, and often considered as the pinnacle of LG Corp with the group's chemical and battery division
LG Chem LG Chem Ltd. ( Korean: LG화학), often referred to as LG Chemical, is the largest Korean chemical company and is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It was the 9th largest chemical company in the world by sales in 2021. It was first established ...
. It comprises four business units: home entertainment, mobility, home appliances & air solutions, and business solutions. LG Electronics acquired
Zenith The zenith (, ) is the imaginary point on the celestial sphere directly "above" a particular location. "Above" means in the vertical direction (Vertical and horizontal, plumb line) opposite to the gravity direction at that location (nadir). The z ...
in 1995 and is the largest shareholder of
LG Display LG Display Co., Ltd. ( Korean: LG 디스플레이) is one of the world's largest manufacturers and supplier of thin-film transistor liquid crystal display ( TFT-LCD) panels, OLEDs and flexible displays. LG Display is headquartered in Seoul, S ...
, the world's largest display company by revenue in 2020. LG Electronics is also the world's second largest television manufacturer behind
Samsung Electronics Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (SEC; stylized as SΛMSUNG; ) is a South Korean multinational major appliance and consumer electronics corporation founded on 13 January 1969 and headquartered in Yeongtong District, Suwon, South Korea. It is curr ...
. The company has 128 operations worldwide, employing 83,000 people.


History


1958–1960s

In 1958, LG Electronics was founded as ''
GoldStar GoldStar was a South Korean electronics company established in 1958. The corporate name was changed to LG Electronics and LG Cable on February 28, 1995, after merging with LG Chem, Lucky Chemical. LG Cable was spun off from LG Electronics and ch ...
'' (). It was established in the aftermath of the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
to provide the rebuilding nation with domestically produced
consumer electronics Consumer electronics, also known as home electronics, are electronic devices intended for everyday household use. Consumer electronics include those used for entertainment, Communication, communications, and recreation. Historically, these prod ...
and home appliances. The start of the country's national broadcasting that created a booming electronics market and a close relationship it quickly forged with
Hitachi () is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1910 and headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. The company is active in various industries, including digital systems, power and renewable ener ...
helped ''GoldStar'' to produce South Korea's first radios, televisions, refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners. ''GoldStar'' was one of the LG groups with a brethren company, Lak-Hui (pronounced "Lucky") Chemical Industrial Corp. which is now
LG Chem LG Chem Ltd. ( Korean: LG화학), often referred to as LG Chemical, is the largest Korean chemical company and is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It was the 9th largest chemical company in the world by sales in 2021. It was first established ...
and
LG Household & Health Care LG H&H Co., Ltd., formerly LG Household & Health Care, is a major South Korean consumer goods company that manages cosmetics, household goods, and beverages business. It is also the South Korean bottler of the Coca-Cola system. Summary Hist ...
. ''GoldStar'' merged with Lucky Chemical and GoldStar Cable on 28 February 1995, changing the corporate name to Lucky-Goldstar and then finally to LG Electronics.


1970s–1990s

Goldstar first went public in 1970; by 1976, it was producing one million televisions annually. In 1982, Goldstar opened its first overseas factory, which was based in
Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is the List of municipalities in Alabama, most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population of the city is estimated to be 241,114 in 2024, making it the List of United States cities by population, 100th-most populous ...
. In 1994, ''GoldStar'' officially adopted the LG Electronics brand and a new corporate logo. In 1995, LG Electronics acquired the US-based TV manufacturer
Zenith The zenith (, ) is the imaginary point on the celestial sphere directly "above" a particular location. "Above" means in the vertical direction (Vertical and horizontal, plumb line) opposite to the gravity direction at that location (nadir). The z ...
and absorbed it four years later. Also in that year, LG Electronics made the world's first
CDMA Code-division multiple access (CDMA) is a channel access method used by various radio communication technologies. CDMA is an example of multiple access, where several transmitters can send information simultaneously over a single communicatio ...
digital mobile handsets and supplied
Ameritech AT&T Teleholdings, Inc., formerly known as Ameritech Corporation (and, before that, American Information Technologies Corporation), was an American telecommunications company that arose out of the 1984 AT&T divestiture. Ameritech was one of the ...
and
GTE GTE Corporation, formerly General Telephone & Electronics Corporation (1955–1982), was the largest independent telephone company in the United States during the days of the Bell System. The company operated from 1926, with roots tracing furth ...
in the US, the LGC-330W digital cellular phone. The company was also awarded UL certification in the US. In 1998, LG developed the world's first 60-inch plasma TV and established a joint venture in 1999 with
Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), simply branded Philips, is a Dutch multinational health technology company that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, its world headquarters have been situated in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarter ...
LG.Philips LCD which now goes by the name
LG Display LG Display Co., Ltd. ( Korean: LG 디스플레이) is one of the world's largest manufacturers and supplier of thin-film transistor liquid crystal display ( TFT-LCD) panels, OLEDs and flexible displays. LG Display is headquartered in Seoul, S ...
. In 1999, LG Semiconductor merged with Hynix.


2000s–present

In order to create a holding company, the former LG Electronics was split off in 2002, with the "new" LG Electronics being spun off and the "old" LG Electronics changing its name to LG EI. It was then merged with and into LG CI in 2003 (the legal successor of the former LG Chem), so the company that started as ''GoldStar'' does not exist. LG Electronics plays a large role in the global consumer electronics industry; it was the second-largest LCD TV manufacturer worldwide as of 2013. By 2005, LG was a Top 100 global brand and recorded a brand growth of 14% in 2006. As of 2009, its display manufacturing affiliate,
LG Display LG Display Co., Ltd. ( Korean: LG 디스플레이) is one of the world's largest manufacturers and supplier of thin-film transistor liquid crystal display ( TFT-LCD) panels, OLEDs and flexible displays. LG Display is headquartered in Seoul, S ...
, was the world's largest LCD panel manufacturer. In 2010, LG Electronics entered the
smartphone A smartphone is a mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allowing users to access a wide range of applications and services, such as web browsing, email, and social media, as well as multi ...
industry. LG Electronics has since continued to develop various electronic products, such as releasing the world's first 84-inch ultra-HD TV for retail sale. On 5 December 2012, the antitrust regulators of the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
fined LG Electronics and five other major companies (
Samsung Samsung Group (; stylised as SΛMSUNG) is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational manufacturing Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in the Samsung Town office complex in Seoul. The group consists of numerous a ...
, Thomson since 2010 known as
Technicolor Technicolor is a family of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes. The first version, Process 1, was introduced in 1916, and improved versions followed over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black-and ...
, Matsushita which today is Panasonic Corp,
Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), simply branded Philips, is a Dutch multinational health technology company that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, its world headquarters have been situated in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarter ...
and
Toshiba is a Japanese multinational electronics company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure systems, elevators and escalators, electronic components, semiconductors ...
) for fixing prices of TV
cathode-ray tube A cathode-ray tube (CRT) is a vacuum tube containing one or more electron guns, which emit electron beams that are manipulated to display images on a phosphorescent screen. The images may represent electrical waveforms on an oscilloscope, a ...
s in two cartels lasting nearly a decade. On 11 June 2015, LG Electronics found itself in the midst of a human rights controversy when ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' published an article by Rosa Moreno, a former employee of an LG television assembly factory. Moreno was offered $3800 in compensation after losing both hands in an industrial accident while working for a subcontrator making parts for LG-branded flatscreen televisions. At the end of 2016, LG Electronics merged its German branch (situated in
Ratingen Ratingen (; ) is a town in the district of Mettmann in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It lies in the northwestern part of Berg about 12 km northeast of Düsseldorf. Administration With a communal reform of 1975 the independent municipalit ...
) and European headquarter (situated in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
) together in
Eschborn Eschborn () is a town in the Main-Taunus district, Hesse, Germany. It is part of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main Regional Authority, Frankfurt Rhein-Main urban area and has a population of 21,488 (2018). Eschborn is home to numerous corporations due to it ...
, a suburb of
Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
. In March 2017, LG Electronics was sued for its handling of hardware failures with recent smartphones such as the LG G4. Koo Bon-joon, who was the
CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...
and the current
vice chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...
of LG Electronics, was replaced by his nephew Koo Kwang-mo in July 2018 as CEO and vice chairman. The move came after the succession of Koo Kwang-mo as the chairman of the parent company LG Corporation who succeeded his adoptive father and uncle Koo Bon-moo after Bon-moo died of a
brain tumor A brain tumor (sometimes referred to as brain cancer) occurs when a group of cells within the Human brain, brain turn cancerous and grow out of control, creating a mass. There are two main types of tumors: malignant (cancerous) tumors and benign ...
on 20 May 2018. LG announced in November 2018 that Hwang Jeong-hwan, who took the job as president of LG Mobile Communications in October 2017, will be replaced by Brian Kwon, who is head of LG's hugely profitable home entertainment business, from 1 December 2018. Also in 2018, LG decided to stop smartphone production in South Korea to move production to Vietnam, in order to stay competitive. LG said Vietnam provides an "abundant labor force" and that 750 workers at its South Korean handset factory would be relocated to its home appliance plant. On 5 April 2021, LG announced its withdrawal from the phone manufacturing industry after continuous loss in the market. In 2020, LG faced a loss of 5 trillion won (US$4.4 billion). In June 2021, the
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel Hardware Unboxed published a video alleging an attempt by a representative of LG to manipulate the review of one of LG's gaming monitors. The representative, in an email shown in the video, attempts to influence the editorial outcome of the review by indicating testing methods and aspects of the display to be followed by the channel. This came a few months after a similar incident between the creators and
Nvidia Nvidia Corporation ( ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and incorporated in Delaware. Founded in 1993 by Jensen Huang (president and CEO), Chris Malachowsky, and Curti ...
in which Nvidia warned them that if they continue emphasizing on
rasterization In computer graphics, rasterisation (British English) or rasterization (American English) is the task of taking an image described in a vector graphics format (shapes) and converting it into a raster image (a series of pixels, dots or lines, whic ...
rather than ray tracing in Nvidia's
graphics cards A graphics card (also called a video card, display card, graphics accelerator, graphics adapter, VGA card/VGA, video adapter, display adapter, or colloquially GPU) is a computer expansion card that generates a feed of graphics output to a displa ...
, they would no longer receive review samples. As of 1 December 2021, the Chief Strategy Officer William Cho will take over for Bong-seok Kwon as the CEO of LG Electronics. In June 2022, LG acquired AppleMango, a South Korean EV charger manufacturer with a 60% purchase of the company's stocks In that same month, the American publication
Consumer Reports Consumer Reports (CR), formerly Consumers Union (CU), is an American nonprofit consumer organization dedicated to independent product testing, investigative journalism, consumer-oriented research, public education, and consumer advocacy. Founded ...
rated LG home appliances as the most reliable in the U.S. consumer market. In April 2024, a security firm discovered security bugs in tens of thousands of LG smart TV models that could "let hackers hijack them". The vulnerability particularly affects smart TVs running LG's WebOS operating system from version 4 to version 7.


Corporate governance


Logo evolution

GoldStar logo (1959-1961).svg, 1958-1961 Goldstar logo (1961-1962).svg, 1961-1962 GoldStar logo (1962-1963).svg, 1962-1963 GoldStar logo (1963-1964).svg, 1963-1964 GoldStar logo (1964-1965).svg, 1964-1965 GoldStar logo (1965).svg, 1965 GoldStar logo (1965-1975).svg, 1965-1975 LG Electronics.svg, 1995–2014 LG Logo 2008 High Res.png, 2008–2014 LGE Logo 2015.svg, 2014–Present


COVID-19 response

On 25 December 2021, LG Electronics launched a video campaign showing some of the initiatives the company has taken in India during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. The video shows how the company has handled the pandemic from the beginning by encouraging good hygiene practices to include social distancing, hand-washing, mask wearing, and using hand sanitizers. In a strategy to cope with demand for contactless shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic, LG Electronics has opened a number of unmanned stores that allow for customers to authenticate themselves at the main entrance, check product information, and purchase products using a mobile phone or QR code. The company operates nine unmanned stores and this will increase to 30 by the end of June 2022. These retail locations are only available in South Korea.


United States headquarters

In 2013, LG Electronics USA proposed building a new headquarters in the
borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...
of Englewood Cliffs in
Bergen County Bergen County is the List of counties in New Jersey, most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, including a tall building that would stand taller than the tree line of the
Hudson Palisades The Palisades, also called the New Jersey Palisades or the Hudson River Palisades, are a line of steep cliffs along the west side of the lower Hudson River in Northeastern New Jersey and Southeastern New York in the United States. The cliffs s ...
, a US
National Natural Landmark The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best e ...
. The company proposed to build an
environmentally friendly Environment friendly processes, or environmental-friendly processes (also referred to as eco-friendly, nature-friendly, and green), are sustainability and marketing terms referring to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies that c ...
facility in Englewood Cliffs, incidental to Bergen County's per-capita leading
Korean American Korean Americans () are Americans of full or partial Korean ethnic descent. While the broader term Overseas Korean in America () may refer to all ethnic Koreans residing in the United States, the specific designation of Korean American impli ...
population, having received an initially favorable legal decision concerning building height issues. The plan, while approved by the local government, met with resistance from the segments of the general public as well as government officials in New Jersey and adjacent New York. The initial court decision upholding the local government approval was overturned by a New Jersey
appellate court An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear a case upon appeal from a trial court or other lower tribunal. Appel ...
in 2015 and LG subsequently submitted a revised, scaled-down, 64-foot building for approval by the borough of Englewood Cliffs in 2016. LG broke ground on the new US$300 million Englewood Cliffs headquarters on 7 February 2017, to be completed in late 2019.


Products

LG Electronics products include televisions including hospitality televisions for hotels and commercial industrials, home theater systems, home audio, portable audio and headphones, refrigerators, washing machines, computer monitors, wearable devices, solar modules, vehicle audio and displays, smart appliances and formerly smartphones.


Televisions

The LG SL9000 was one of several new Borderless
HDTV High-definition television (HDTV) describes a television or video system which provides a substantially higher image resolution than the previous generation of technologies. The term has been used since at least 1933; in more recent times, it ref ...
's advertised for release at IFA Berlin in 2009. LG Electronics launched an OLED TV in 2013 and 65-inch and 77-inch sizes in 2014. LG Electronics introduced its first Internet TV in 2007, originally branded as " Net Cast Entertainment Access" devices. They later renamed the 2011 Internet televisions to "LG
Smart TV A smart TV, also known as a connected TV (CTV or, rarely, CoTV), is a traditional television set with integrated Internet and interactive Web 2.0 features that allow users to stream music and videos, browse the internet, and view photos. Smart T ...
" when more
interactive television Interactive television is a form of Technological convergence#Media, media convergence, adding data services to traditional television technology. It has included on-demand delivery of content, online shopping, and viewer polls. Interactive TV i ...
features were added, that enable the audience to receive information from the Internet while watching conventional TV programming. In November 2013, a blogger discovered that some of LG's smart TVs silently collect filenames from attached USB storage devices and program viewing data, and transmit the information to LG's servers and LG-affiliated servers. Shortly after this blog entry went live, LG disabled playback on its site of the video, explaining how its viewer analytics work, and closed the
Brightcove Brightcove, Inc. is an American software company based in Boston, Massachusetts, that produces an online video platform. Founded in 2004 by Jeremy Allaire and Bob Mason, the company went public in 2012, and in 2025 was acquired by Bending Spoons. ...
account the video was hosted on. LG manufactures remote control models that use Hillcrest Labs' Freespace technology to allow users to change channels using gestures and Dragon NaturallySpeaking technology for voice recognition. As of 2014, LG is using
webOS webOS, also known as LG webOS, is a Linux kernel-based multitasking operating system for smart devices, such as smart TVs, that has also been used as a mobile operating system. Initially developed by Palm, Inc. (which was acquired by Hewlett ...
with a ribbon interface with some of its smart TVs. LG reported that in the first eight months after release, it had sold over 5 million webOS TVs. In 2016, exclusively to India, Indian arm of South Korea's LG Electronics Inc started selling a TV that would repel
mosquitoes Mosquitoes, the Culicidae, are a family of small flies consisting of 3,600 species. The word ''mosquito'' (formed by '' mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish and Portuguese for ''little fly''. Mosquitoes have a slender segmented body, ...
. It uses ultrasonic waves that are silent to humans but cause mosquitoes to fly away. It was released on 16 June 2016. The technology was also used in air conditioners and washing machines. The TV is aimed for lower-income consumers living in conditions that would make them susceptible to mosquitoes. In 2018, it was reported that LG was planning to sell big-screen televisions that could be rolled up and retract automatically with the push of a button come 2019.


Mobile devices

In April 2021, LG officially confirmed that it will shut down its mobile division. Earlier, there had been rumours that LG considered selling its mobile division with
Vingroup Vingroup JSC () is a Vietnamese conglomerate headquartered in Long Bien district, Hanoi. Vingroup is one of the largest conglomerates of Vietnam, focusing on technology, industry, real estate development, retail and services from healthcare to ...
and
Volkswagen Volkswagen (VW; )English: , . is a German automotive industry, automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937 by German Labour Front, The German Labour Front, it was revitalized into the global brand it ...
named as potential buyers. Other than mobile phones, LG Electronics have also made
tablet computer A tablet computer, commonly shortened to tablet, is a mobile device, typically with a mobile operating system and touchscreen display processing circuitry, and a rechargeable battery in a single, thin and flat package. Tablets, being computers ...
s like the LG G series complementing the mobile phones. LG also makes
laptop computer A laptop computer or notebook computer, also known as a laptop or notebook, is a small, portable personal computer (PC). Laptops typically have a Clamshell design, clamshell form factor (design), form factor with a flat-panel computer scree ...
s in the LG Gram line, and previously under the Xnote line (see List of LG laptops).


Mobile phones

LG Electronics used to manufacture mobile phones from 1995 to 2021, selling to the domestic market only (as Cyon) until 2000 where it was in the shadow of Samsung Anycall. LG released its first
GSM The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a family of standards to describe the protocols for second-generation (2G) digital cellular networks, as used by mobile devices such as mobile phones and Mobile broadband modem, mobile broadba ...
network phones during 2001 although had also marketed
CDMA Code-division multiple access (CDMA) is a channel access method used by various radio communication technologies. CDMA is an example of multiple access, where several transmitters can send information simultaneously over a single communicatio ...
phones before then in the U.S. LG made its breakthrough during the mid and late 2000s: it launched its highly popular LG Chocolate in worldwide in 2006 which popularised touch-sensitivity. The following year it released the world's first capacitive touchscreen phone LG Prada, and Shine, cementing its focus on design: its phones during this era have led to LG being called alongside
Apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...
as one of the pioneers of the rise of touchscreens. By 2008 LG had entered the top 3 worldwide leaders in mobile phones. There was further success with the
Cookie A cookie is a sweet biscuit with high sugar and fat content. Cookie dough is softer than that used for other types of biscuit, and they are cooked longer at lower temperatures. The dough typically contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of ...
which helped to bring touchscreens to the budget market, and with the Lollipop flip phone that became very popular in South Korea. However the company had trouble with competing in smartphones. In 2010, LG released the Optimus smartphone, which would span into a series. The following year saw the release of the
LG Optimus 3D The LG Optimus 3D (marketed as the LG Thrill 4G in the USA) is a touchscreen smartphone from LG Electronics, announced at Mobile World Congress on 12 February 2011. It was notable for being the first mobile phone to feature a glasses-free 3D techn ...
, the world's first mobile phone with glasses-free 3D display, and LG Optimus 2X, the first with a dual-core processor. In 2012 LG worked with
Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...
to build the Nexus 4 smartphone. Other than the G3, LG officially unveiled the curved smartphone, LG G Flex, on 27 October 2013. At
Consumer Electronics Show CES (; formerly an initialism for Consumer Electronics Show) is an annual trade show organized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). Held in January at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Winchester, Nevada, United States, the event typi ...
in January 2014, LG announced a US release for the G2 across several major carriers. In 2015, LG released LG G4 globally in late May through early June. On 7 September 2016, LG unveiled the V20, and the V30 was announced on 31 August 2017. LG G6 was officially announced during MWC 2017 on 26 February 2017. The G7 ThinQ model was announced at a 2 May 2018 media briefing. In 2020, the LG Wing was introduced with two displays and a swivel design. In April 2021, after months of speculation, LG confirmed that the smartphone division will be officially shut down in July 2021. The decision to shut down LG Mobile came about from poor sales caused by stiff competition from rival Samsung and Chinese brands such as
Oppo Oppo (sometimes stylized as OPPO) is a private company, private China, Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong. Founded in 2004, its major product lines include Oppo phones, smartphones, Smart device, sm ...
and
Xiaomi Xiaomi (; ) is a Chinese multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Beijing, China. It is best known for consumer electronics software electric vehicles. It is the second-largest manufacturer of smartphones in the worl ...
. LG became the first major smartphone brand to completely withdraw from the market.


Smart watches

LG and Google announced the Android Wear-based
smartwatch A smartwatch is a portable wearable computer that resembles a wristwatch. Most modern smartwatches are operated via a touchscreen, and rely on mobile apps that run on a connected device (such as a smartphone) in order to provide core functions. ...
, the LG G Watch, that was in June 2014. In August 2014, the LG G Watch R that has a circular face (similar to the
Moto 360 The Moto 360 is a discontinued Android Wear/Wear OS-based smartwatch developed by Motorola Mobility through three generations. The original model was announced on March 18, 2014 and was released on September 5, 2014 in the US along with new mo ...
) was released. The LG Watch Urbane that LG's third Android Wear-based smart watch has released in April 2015. This was the first device to support newer smartwatch features such as
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for Wireless LAN, local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by ...
, and new parts of Android Wear's software interface, like the ability to draw emoji to friends.


Rolly keyboard

In 2015, LG announced a
Bluetooth Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is li ...
keyboard that folds up along the four rows of keys for portability. The Rolly keyboard is made of solid plastic. Two tiny plastic arms fold out from the end of the keyboard to support a tablet or
smartphone A smartphone is a mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allowing users to access a wide range of applications and services, such as web browsing, email, and social media, as well as multi ...
and it can toggle between two different Bluetooth-connected devices at a time. Battery life is an expected three months on a single AAA battery.


Home appliances

LG manufactures
home appliance A home appliance, also referred to as a domestic appliance, an electric appliance or a household appliance, is a machine which assists in household functions such as cooking, cleaning and food preservation. The domestic application attached to ...
s including refrigerators, washing machines, tumble dryers, vacuum cleaners, air conditioners and microwave ovens. In June 2014, LG Electronics announced the launch of its smart appliances with HomeChat messaging service in South Korea. HomeChat employs LINE, the mobile messenger app from Korean company '
Naver Naver (; stylized as NAVER) is a South Korean online platform operated by the Naver Corporation. The company's products include a search engine, email hosting, blogs, maps, and mobile payment. History Naver was the first Korean web provide ...
', to let homeowners communicate, control, monitor and share content with LG's smart appliances. Users can send simple messages, such as "start washing cycle," in order to control their
washing machine A washing machine (laundry machine, clothes washer, washer, or simply wash) is a machine designed to laundry, launder clothing. The term is mostly applied to machines that use water. Other ways of doing laundry include dry cleaning (which uses ...
s. In December 2021, LG Electronics announced they were testing an ecologically friendly washing machine that uses liquid carbon dioxide as a cleaner. The company will be conducting a two-year test prove the safety with a goal of having commercial washers in shopping mall laundries. This new process creates no wastewater and will exhaust gas.


Automotive

LG Electronics manufactures vehicle audio for many manufacturers including
Opel Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Gr ...
,
Renault Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company curr ...
,
Vauxhall Vauxhall ( , ) is an area of South London, within the London Borough of Lambeth. Named after a medieval manor called Fox Hall, it became well known for the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. From the Victorian period until the mid-20th century, Va ...
and
Volkswagen Volkswagen (VW; )English: , . is a German automotive industry, automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937 by German Labour Front, The German Labour Front, it was revitalized into the global brand it ...
. LG Electronics also manufacturers teardrop trailers and also produces modules and displays for many vehicle manufacturers.


Competitive position: innovation

In 2021, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)'s annual World Intellectual Property Indicators report ranked LG's number of patent applications published under the PCT System as 4th in the world, with 2,759 patent applications being published during 2020. This position is an impressive increase from their previous ranking as 10th in 2019 with 1,646 applications. In 2023, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)'s Annual PCT Review ranked LG Electronics's number of patent applications published under the PCT System as 6th in the world, with 1,887
patent application A patent application is a request pending at a patent office for the grant of a patent for an invention described in the patent specification and a set of one or more claim (patent), claims stated in a formal document, including necessary officia ...
s being published during 2023. In 2024 LG's number of designs in
industrial design Industrial design is a process of design applied to physical Product (business), products that are to be manufactured by mass production. It is the creative act of determining and defining a product's form and features, which takes place in adva ...
registrations published under the Hague System was ranked as 4th in the world, with 352 design registrations being published during 2023.


Marketing and public relations


Sponsorships

LG Sports Limited, a subsidiary of LG Corporation, owns the Korean Baseball Organisation (KBO)
LG Twins The LG Twins () are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Seoul, South Korea. They are a member of the KBO League. The Twins play their home games at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, which they share with their rivals, the Doosan Bears. ...
(LG 트윈스). Through an acquisition in 1990, the MBC Blue Dragons (who was one of the six original founding members of the KBO in 1982) became the LG Twins. The team has won two Korean Series (1990 and 1994). LG attracts a large attendance of fans and to much of their enjoyment, took third place in the league. In August 2013, LG Electronics announced that it would sponsor German
Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...
club
Bayer 04 Leverkusen Bayer 04 Leverkusen, officially known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH () and commonly known as Bayer Leverkusen or simply Leverkusen, is a German professional association football, football club based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia. ...
for the next three years with an option to extend for one more year. LG sponsors the
International Cricket Council The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the global Sports governing body, governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from Australia, England, and South Africa. In 1965, the body wa ...
, the world governing body for
cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
and also sponsors the
ICC Awards The ICC Awards is an International cricket award presented annually by the sport's governing body, ICC. The first awarding ceremony was held on 7 September 2004 in London, England. Between 2009 and 2014 the awards were known as the LG ICC Aw ...
. From 2009 to 2013, LG Electronics sponsored
Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
as a Global Partner and Technology Partner. LG was also an official supplier to Virgin Racing and Lotus Racing team, plus engine manufacturer Cosworth from 2010 to 2012. LG also sponsors London Fashion Week and the LG Arena in Birmingham. During the period 2001–2003, LG sponsored the snooker Grand Prix. During these years the tournament was known as the ''LG Cup''. In 2008, LG became sponsors of the Extreme Sport 'FSO4 Freeze' festival. The LG Electronics company in Australia dissolved its sponsorship with cricketer David Warner on 27 March 2018 and dropped him as the brand ambassador of the company over the ball tampering scandal during the third Test of their 2017–18 tempestuous series against South Africa. Warner had an agreement with the company in 2014 and his contract had been planned for renewal.


Environmental record

In 2010, independent tests of popular LG fridge models conducted by Choice magazine found the energy consumption in two models was higher than claimed by LG. LG was aware of the problem and offered compensation to affected customers. In 2004, LG made 4A-rated water efficiency claims for numerous washing machines before they were certified. LG gave undertakings to the
Australian Competition & Consumer Commission The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is the chief competition regulator of the Government of Australia, located within the Department of the Treasury. It was established in 1995 with the amalgamation of the Australian Tra ...
to provide appropriate corrective notices and upgrade and maintain its trade practices compliance program. In 2006, LG overstated energy efficiency on five of its air conditioner models and was again required to offer consumers rebates to cover the extra energy costs. In March 2018, it was announced that one of LG steam clothing care systems earned the Asthma & Allergy Friendly Certification. In May 2020, a deadly gas leak in LG chemical plant in Visakhapatnam killed 12 people. An investigation was set up to look upon the matter revealed many causes for the accident. Improper storage design, haphazard maintenance of the old storage tank, the temperature inside the oldest of the three storage tanks holding styrene monomer, a chemical used in making polystyrene products, rose to more than six times the permitted level due to polymerization, which resulted in the rise of heat due to the chemical reaction are the few causes. It was also suggested to move the company to a less populated area.


Slogans

* "We Put People First" (1997–1999) * "Digitally Yours" (1999–2004) * "A Better Life with Digital" (2002–2004) * "Life's Good" (1999–present in Australia and 2004–present in the rest of the world) * "Innovation for a Better Life" (2016–present)


See also

*
LG Uplus LG Uplus Corp. (; stylized as LG U+, ) is a South Korean mobile network operator owned by LG Corporation. It was formerly known as LG Telecom, but changed to its current name on July 1, 2010. LG Uplus is the second-largest wireless carrier in S ...
* Tech companies in the New York metropolitan area


Notes


References


External links

*
LG India

LG Electronics Global Website

LG Electronics Air Solution Global Blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:LG Electronics South Korean companies established in 1958 Electronics companies established in 1958 Companies listed on the Korea Exchange Companies listed on the London Stock Exchange Companies in the KOSPI 200 Computer companies of South Korea Consumer electronics brands Display technology companies Electronics companies of South Korea Home appliance brands Home appliance manufacturers of South Korea Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning companies LG Corporation Manufacturing companies established in 1958 Manufacturing companies based in Seoul Mobile phone manufacturers Photovoltaics manufacturers Portable audio player manufacturers South Korean brands Vacuum cleaner manufacturers Video equipment manufacturers Radio manufacturers Photography equipment manufacturers of South Korea