Showing posts with label LG. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LG. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Will Optimus One put LG in the big league?
Unlike its Korean rival in India (Samsung), LG has remained in the backburner for quite some time but is hoping to make the most of India’s telecom revolution (read 3G) by rolling out its latest smartphone, the Optimus One.
The new handset is powered by the Android operating system and carries a price tag of Rs 13,500. The smartphone runs on Android 2.2, has Froyo and comprises an 8.1-cm display, 3 MP camera and expandable memory up to 32 GB. With Froyo, you can share your internet connection with other devices. Considering the features, the handset is economically priced.
He added, “smartphones are poised to spur growth in the Indian mobile market in the coming years and LG’s focus on innovation based on thorough consumer research places us squarely at the forefront of that evolution”
LG currently has 10% share in the smartphones market and if it can offer a string of innovative features, price its phones competitively and come up with new technologies, it can hope to enhance its market share. The company will also have to take a closer look at its brand-building strategy.
“Next year will be the acceleration phase for LG mobiles and investments have been put in place to ensure that we grab at least 15 per cent of market share in the smartphones segment,” Shin said.
According to him, the company plans to ramp up production capacity at its Pune plant from 60 lakh units to 1.5 crore by next year.
The company plans an ambitious 80 per cent revenue growth in mobile business by 2011. LG expects its revenues from the mobile business to reach Rs 2,500 crore by next year.
LG’s business group head (mobile communications) Vishal Chopra said, “Our focus is to simplify smartphones for consumers and make them experience as to how applications can improve life. Simultaneously, we are looking at expanding the retail presence by 25,000 outlets and 500 exclusive LG mobile galleries. Next year, we plan to launch 55 new models, out of which 40 per cent will be smartphones and our marketing investments would be aligned accordingly.”
Released in Europe last month, the LG Optimus One has sold more than one million units. The handset is also available in the US, where Sprint sells it as LG Optimus S while T-Mobile as LG Optimus T.
So, with such encouraging figures worldwide, will LG see a rerun of its sales in India? This is unlikely in the short term when the overall handsets market could rise by only around 20 per cent.
Even with the onset of 3G technology, it is unlikely that the country’s smartphones market will surge in line with global growth trends, currently at over 90 per cent. So, LG Optimus can expect to compete in a market that could grow around 30 to 40 per cent in the long run. However, one plus is that LG Optimus One is offering the latest Android phone (version 2.2) at a very affordable price and the latest version is only available with HTC Desire, Samsung Galaxy Tab and OlivePad.
Thursday, August 6, 2015
LG Optimus X2 priced at Rs 30,000
LG, although the third largest handsets seller in India, has a minuscule market share of just over 8% (compared with 11% of Samsung and a whopping 51% of Nokia) but can it really rev up its share with the launch of its high-end Optimus X2, which it has rolled out for Rs 30,000? The Optimus X2 will be available in the country from this month itself.
The above Rs 30,000 category market is dominated by Apple, BlackBerry, Nokia, Sony Ericsson and even Samsung.
So, will the Optimus X2 get lost in the maze of premium smartphones?
The Korean major will really have to do some hard sell with its X2 to stay afloat in the segment.
The Korean major will really have to do some hard sell with its X2 to stay afloat in the segment.
LG has put a new processor in the Optimus X2, the dual core 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor.
Optimus X2 operates on Android 2.2 and there is an option where it can be upgraded to Android 2.3 Gingerbread.
Optimus X2 operates on Android 2.2 and there is an option where it can be upgraded to Android 2.3 Gingerbread.
The X2 comes with a 4-inch WVGA display, 8 GB internal storage, which can be expandable up to 32 GB through a micro SD card.
It has an 8 MP rear camera with 1080 p MPEG-4/H.264 playback and recording, a 1.3 MP front-facing camera along with a HDMI out.
It has an 8 MP rear camera with 1080 p MPEG-4/H.264 playback and recording, a 1.3 MP front-facing camera along with a HDMI out.
The Optimus X2 is going to slug it out mainly with models such as the Samsung Nexus S and the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, all of which fall in the high-end Android smartphones category.
LG also rolled out the LG Optimus Black for a tad cheaper, at Rs 27,000. The Optimus Black features a 4-inch IPS LCD display with a 480 x 800 resolution.
The device comes with a 2 GB internal storage, expandable up to 32 GB. It has a 5 MP auto-focus camera at the back and a 2 MP camera that is front facing.
Both the LG Optimus X2 and the Optimus Black are targeted at high-end handsets users.
With the 3G revolution hitting India, LG sees huge opportunities for itself, and though its market share is not substantial, it hopes to buoy its presence by launching 10 3G-enabled smartphones within this year.
In fact, among LG’s launches this year, nearly half will be in the smartphones category and the company hopes to jack up its market share to nearly 12 per cent during the year. LG has set aside a whopping Rs 250 crore for developing marketing and retail activities.
LG may have lined up mega growth plans in the handsets segment. But instead of planning growth from brand-conscious smartphones customers, it should also offer value-for-money handsets, that are not only affordable but also come with enhanced features.
So, instead of concentrating on high-end smartphones like the Optimus X2, LG should rivet on basic handsets to give a fillip to not only its earnings but also its brand presence.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)