LG has previously only used the Signature branding on its TVs and fridges, and this marks the first time that we’ve seen this used on one of their smartphones. Priced at an eye-watering 2 million won ($1,800), the LG Signature Edition‘s price is higher than what you’d expect to pay for an iPhone X in Korea (1.63 million won), which we’d assume makes it a pretty tough sell.
According to the company’s post, the Signature Edition is made from the highest quality materials, akin to what you’d expect to find in the world’s finest watches. One of the materials is zirconium ceramic, and the company expects the ceramic body to keep the phone scratch-free for a long time. If it’s anything like the ceramic on the Essential Phone, it should do just that.
Customers have the option to have their name engraved on the back of the phone, for that truly unique smartphone. But if you’ve got your eye on one, you’d best your skates on — there are only 300 in existence, and stock won’t be replenished once those have been sold. It’s also available in black and white color variants, and with this little stock, make sure you’re happy with your choice.
Aside from the build materials, the innards of the phone are a copy of the LG V30. The Snapdragon 835 processor joins 6GB of RAM, a 6-inch OLED FullVision display, and 256GB of storage. As you’d hope, it’s running the latest Android 8.0 Oreo build, and comes with IP68 water-resistance. The camera that we loved in our LG V30 review is still here, and it comes with a free pair of B&O headphones in the box.
Despite some strong smartphones recently, LG has had an issue with their mobile division consistently failing to post a profit, and this move may be part of a “Hail Mary” play to revitalize the company’s place in the South Korean market following a reshuffle that saw the mobile section change focus and become more cost-effective. While the sale of a few hundred premium smartphones is unlikely to push the mobile division into profit, Thermopylae showed the impact that a determined 300 units can have. Perhaps LG is hoping for a similar reaction.
