LG sells 3 percent fewer smartphones

LG delivered fewer smartphones in the spring than in the same quarter last year. Due to the decrease of 3 percent, the South Korean manufacturer delivered 14.1 million units. Because the deliveries of smartphones worldwide did increase, LG has less market share.

LG blames the drop in deliveries on the fierce competition it faces. Despite the drop in the number of deliveries, turnover did increase, presumably because the price per smartphone has risen slightly on average. That indicates that more expensive models do better. LG claims it has sold more than eight million smartphones with 4G support, an increase from last year. Almost all more expensive models have 4G on board.

According to analysts, all manufacturers together delivered about 12 percent more smartphones this spring than in the spring of 2014, which means that LG’s market share will have declined. The South Korean manufacturer controls about 4 percent of the market.

The profit from the mobile division amounts to 200 million Korean won, converted about 155,000 euros. That’s about 1.1 cents in profit per smartphone sold. LG didn’t do too well in the TV market either. TV sales fell by 7.6 percent. The company believes it will do better this summer with “competitive new products” and a better marketing strategy, which should boost shipments.

LG’s profit as a whole amounted to 186 million euros. The turnover and other details will follow later, when LG explains the quarterly figures.