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LG: We're committed to being a major player in mobile

The Korean electronics conglomerate dismisses a report that it is shifting its focus away from smartphones and towards TV as "completely untrue."

Roger Cheng Former Executive Editor / Head of News
Roger Cheng (he/him/his) was the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade and got his start writing and laying out pages at a local paper in Southern California. He's a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect -- if unattainable -- hobby for a parent.
Expertise Mobile, 5G, Big Tech, Social Media Credentials
  • SABEW Best in Business 2011 Award for Breaking News Coverage, Eddie Award in 2020 for 5G coverage, runner-up National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award for culture analysis.
Roger Cheng
LG's G2. CNET

No, LG isn't giving up on the smartphone business.

LG responded to a report by Korean publication ET News that it was shifting its resources away from the mobile business and towards televisions, dismissing it as "completely untrue."

"We are more committed than ever in making the LG brand a major player in the mobile space," an LG representative said on Friday. "And we think our products this year speak for themselves."

Furthermore, LG said the report was based on "non-credible sources and uninformed speculation."

Had LG pulled out of the smartphone business, it would have been a curious move. The company last month reported a third-quarter profit largely based on its handset unit. The Nexus 5, a Google phone built by LG, is a hot item and it has its own highly rated flagship phone, the G2, in the market.

It's just the latest in questionable reporting from a Korean publication. Mobile chip designer ARM earlier Friday dismissed a rumor from the Korea Herald that it was working on a 128-bit processor, noting that such a chip isn't really needed. ARM claimed the comments cited in the report were made up.