LG Electronics said it is adopting a new technology and conducting tougher tests to improve the safety of its new flagship smartphone G6 to be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in February.The reinforced safety measures come on the heels of battery-related explosions of smartphones made by its rivals Samsung and Apple, and safety concerns among consumers. “We will significantly improve the safety and quality of our new flagship smartphones as more consumers seek safe smartphones,” said Lee S

LG Electronics said Thursday its ultralight laptop has secured its place in the Guinness Book of World Records. The company’s 14-inch (35.6 centimeters) ultralight Gram, which was launched early this month, weighs 860 grams. “Guinness World Records confirmed LG’s new ultralight Gram is the lightest in the world after measuring around 70 models of 14-inch laptops being sold in 25 nations,” a LG Electronics official said. This is LG Gram series’ second title in the Guinness Book of World Records,

Samsung Electronics is highly likely to unveil foldable smartphones in the third quarter of this year, according to sources familiar with the matter. “Samsung is expected to roll out more than 100,000 units of fold-out devices in the third quarter,” a source told The Korea Herald. The smartphone, whose panels face outward upon folding, may be used as a 7-inch tablet when unfolded, he said. Samsung, had initially completed the development of fold-in phones that tuck the screen inside when folded.

삼성전자가 올해 3분기에 접히는 스마트폰을 내놓을 전망이다. 익명을 요구한 업계 관계자는 “삼성전자는 화면이 밖으로 향하는 스마트폰을 십만 대 이상 시장에 내놓을 전망”이라고 전했다. 이 스마트폰은 펼치면 7인치 태블릿이 된다. 삼성은 지난해 이미 화면이 안으로 향하는 인폴더블(in-foldable) 기기를 개발했으나, 시장성이 없다고 판단하고 8월경 화면이 밖으로 향하는 아웃폴더블 (out-foldable) 기기로 방향을 전환하여 만들기 시작했다. 화면이 안으로 향하게 되면 사용자가 스마트폰을 사용할 때마다 화면을 펼쳐야 하는 불편함이 있기 때문이다. 그는 “삼성이 이미 인폴더블 개발 기술을 가지고 있기 때문에 아웃폴더블 기술을 다시 개발하는 일은 그리 어려운 작업이 아닐 것”이라고 말했다.  하지만, 이러한 기술적 완성도에도 삼성전자는 아직 시장성과 수익성에 대해 확신이 서지 않아 최종 결정을 내리지 않

The dominance of organic light-emitting diode panels by South Korean display makers Samsung Display and LG Display is expected to last for at least the next five years, despite aggressive investment by Chinese and Japanese firms, Korean analysts said Tuesday.Amid growing demand for OLED panels from global smartphone makers -- including Apple, Huawei, Oppo and Vivo -- due to their flexible nature, Chinese and Japanese firms are making heavy investments in the market dominated by the two Korean fi

LG Electronics said Monday it plans to apply artificial intelligence technology into its after-sales service application, Smart Doctor, in the first quarter. Smart Doctor is a maintenance app that helps users optimize their use of smartphones, such as by removing unused data or files. LG said it added AI technology, including machine learning and big data, to the app to analyze and provide customized solutions.  (Yonhap)For example, the app will tell users how to adjust the brightness when a sma

Samsung SDI unveiled on Monday a new battery cell that will charge electric vehicles faster at this year’s Detroit auto show.The battery maker said its new battery cell, which should be mass produced by 2021, will enable EVs to run up to 500 kilometers with just 20 minutes of charging. When produced, the new battery will offer the longest mileage for electric cars, the company said. Tesla’s Model S, which currently offers the longest mileage, runs up to 209 kilometers after charging for 20 minut

Samsung Electronics is reviewing building a home appliance plant in the US in response to US President-elect Donald Trump’s protectionist policies, the tech firm said Monday. “It is true we are considering the establishment of an appliance factory in the US. It is natural that an enterprise responds accordingly when a client nation’s policy changes,” a Samsung Electronics official told The Korea Herald. “Nothing has been confirmed yet.” (Yonhap)North America is currently Samsung’s largest home a

The nation’s second-largest mobile carrier KT said Friday its incumbent chairman has officially announced he is willing to serve a second term after his three-year tenure. “Chairman Hwang Chang-kyu officially informed (the company of) his intention of serving another term to a committee that recommends the CEO. The committee plans to review Hwang’s qualifications based on screening standards,” KT said in its statement.  KT Chairman Hwang Chang-kyu (KT)The committee -- which comprises of seven in

Samsung Electronics said Friday its preliminary operating profit seems to have reached a three-year high in the fourth quarter of last year on strong chip and display sales, offsetting the Note 7 debacle. The company said it expects to post 53 trillion won ($44 billion) in sales and 9.2 trillion won in operating profit for the period from September to December, 10.8 percent and 76.9 percent higher, respectively, than the previous quarter. “(The highest quarterly profit) comes from rising DRAM pr

LG Electronics revealed Thursday its most premium television brand OLED TV W, saving it for last at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The Korean tech firm said it partnered with the US audio firm Dolby and US postproduction company Technicolor for the premium television to adopt the best definition, design and sound technologies. “LG’s OLED TV provides a perfect audio and video environment, like a theater, with Dolby’s sound and Technicolor’s color technology,” said Kwon Bong-suk, LG’s

Korean tech giants, Samsung and LG, have ushered in the future of Internet of Things and artificial intelligence technologies by revealing their latest plans and technologies at the Consumer Electronics Show that opens on Thursday in Las Vegas. Samsung Electronics’ chief gave a sneak peek at the firm’s plan on IoT on the eve of the show, along with the revelation of its Wi-Fi-based home appliances controllable via smartphones. “Samsung will achieve the infinite possibility of IoT connectivity to

Tesla Motors Inc. reported fourth-quarter deliveries that fell short of its own forecasts, sending shares lower in after-market trading, as production delays continue to plague the carmaker led by Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk.The Palo Alto, California-based maker of electric cars and energy-storage products delivered about 22,200 vehicles in the final three months of last year, according to a statement Tuesday. The total trailed the automaker’s projection for 25,000 units and brought its fu

A high-ranking city official in China burst into a government meeting Wednesday and shot the mayor and city party secretary before killing himself, state media reported.Suspect Chen Zhongshu, 54, was secretary of the land bureau in Panzhihua, a city of 1.2 million in the southwestern province of Sichuan, the official Xinhua news agency reported.The attack occurred during a meeting of the municipal party committee and high-level city government cadres at the Panzhihua convention and exhibition ce

Japan doesn't seem to take issue with South Korea's acting president possibly joining a summit of three Asian neighbors that could happen early this year, a senior foreign ministry official said Wednesday.Japan is seeking to hold the trilateral summit involving leaders from China and South Korea with some local media reporting that it has proposed the meeting to be held around Feb. 10.As the timetable seems to be shaping up, critics here are worrying that it might not be appropriate for South Ko

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon filed a complaint against a local magazine on Wednesday at a press-arbitration body after it reported that Ban received bribes worth $230,000.Officials representing Ban said the complaint was sent to the Press Arbitration Commission, claiming the report made by the Seoul-based weekly magazine Sisa Journal was groundless.Sisa Journal earlier reported in December, citing multiple unnamed sources, that Ban received bribes from Park Yeon-cha, a local scandal-r

Samsung SDI is reportedly to continue supplying its battery for Samsung Electronics‘ upcoming flagship smartphone Galaxy S8, according to local news reports on Wednesday.“Samsung Electronics has recently confirmed the battery supply for its premium smartphone Galaxy S8. Although it can diversify the supply channels in the future, it will use Samsung SDI’s batteries for the time being,” a local business newspaper Maeil Business reported, citing a source from a battery maker.  (Yonhap)When Samsung

Korea’s two tech giants Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are slated to show off their latest television technologies at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which opens Thursday. Samsung is touting its new quantum dot QLED TV series as the next big TV technology, ditching its super-ultra high-definition brand that it has used for the last two years.  (Samsung)The move was viewed by industry watchers to take aim at its rival LG increasing market share in the premium TV market with or

LG Electronics is being pegged for a turnaround in mobile business this year thanks to a major restructuring of the mobile unit last year and its first-mover advantage, rolling out its flagship smartphone G6 early this year, according to local analysts. LG’s mobile communications unit had a tough year as the G6’s predecessor G5 failed to excite consumers. The unit is expected to post around 1.2 trillion won ($1 billion) in operating losses for 2016. Analysts predicted, however, LG could seize an

Electric vehicles using the products of Korean battery makers Samsung SDI and LG Chem were left out from government subsidies in China, it was revealed Sunday, with South Korean industry watchers suspecting that the move could be part of Beijing’s retaliation against Korea’s deployment of a missile defense system. 　Both battery makers are maintaining a wait-and-see stance to the measure. Samsung said it is “grasping the situation through its Chinese arm,” while LG is hoping “things work out well