When it comes to Android, LG was a late entrant to the party. While the Google Nexus line was first serviced by HTC that has never been the best selling Google Android smartphone on the market. Besides, previous honors of Nexus manufacturer went to Samsung that delivered the Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus and HTC has made gold with Evo and other brands, and Motorola has made huge revenue with its Droid devices.
LG, though, has no defining position in this competitive field as yet. Now, the company seems to be feeling a little left out and is said to be in discussion with Google to partner for the next Nexus device, which could be running the next Android update codenamed Jelly Bean.
According to CNET, citing Woo as saying that the company is “heavily in discussions” with Google. ‘We are working on it,’ Woo added. LG was the last of the major handset vendors to come with Android smartphones and has lagged behind Samsung and HTC in terms of market share. It wants to change that and has launched a complete portfolio of Android smartphones running LTE at this year’s MWC.
Over the past few years, receiving the Nexus title and working closely with Google on a mobile device has carried an element of prestige. Additionally, that handset maker becomes entitle to get access to the latest and greatest from Google, giving it some bragging rights over its rivals, even if the financial benefits have been mixed.
LG, which has not had an opportunity to work with Google on such a project, is vying for such an honor. Recently, though, LG has unfurled some new smartphones that will really push the limits in terms of processing power and functionality. It will be a tough sell to secure the rights to the next Nexus phone, which will ensure huge sales numbers.
However, LG believes it has the expertise to devise a better user interface than Google can with its stock Android software. The company has put a lot of time and resources into experimenting how people interact with mobile devices, including a lab in Seoul that actually measures brain wave activity during phone use.
“We know the customer data better than Google,” Woo stated, adding that some people are uncomfortable with the native Google user interface.
LG and Android are as close as ever. (Credit: Roger Cheng/CNET)
Moving forward, LG’s deal would also indicate that the company could jump ahead of some competitors by being the first carrier to release major updates to the Android operating system.
At this time Google and LG have not disclosed any specifics about their partnership. Woo warned that there have been no commitments yet, and it is unclear which version of Android LG is aiming to run with. The next major release of Android, known as Jelly Bean, is expected to work with tablets alongside Windows 8. Such a win would give LG a shot in the arm and reinforce the image that the company is a major player in Android.
Nevertheless, anything could happen and Google has purposely mentioned that it does not want any specific manufacturer to feel like it is the “preferred” Android phone maker. So we will wait and watch to see what happens.