, Columnist
China’s Smartphones Get a New Opportunity for U.S. Growth
LG’s exit provides a new impetus for cheaper brands to make a push into America.
Last call.
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LG Electronics Inc. may have been a pioneer, but the end of its smartphone business shows that being first-mover is rarely an advantage. Instead, its exit will open the way for Chinese brands to take a greater share of the U.S. even as the two nations go deeper into a tech cold war.
It was a slow gradual decline for the company that brought us ultrawide lenses and curved screens. By the end of last year, LG’s global share had fallen so low that it was simply lumped into the others category. But it did have strength in a couple of key markets, notably the U.S. and Brazil, where it was third in each.