LG increases Q3 profit by 82% with zero help from smartphone division

LG Electronics increased its operating profit in the third quarter by 82 percent when compared with the same period a year ago, despite its mobile division posting a loss.

According to the preliminary earnings, the company generated an operating profit of 516.1 billion won (around $454 million), while the revenue grew by 15.2 percent and reached 15.23 trillion won (around $13.4 billion).

The increase in revenue and profit is mainly attributed to strong sales of premium home appliances and televisions. The mobile division didn’t do so well, with analysts estimating it posted a loss of approximately 200 billion won, or $174 million.

This means that the company’s smartphones including the G6, Q6 series, and others haven’t been selling very well. LG took a big step forward with its flagship G6 this year by ditching the modular design and opting for a bezel-less design, but it looks like that just wasn’t enough. The high-end device hasn’t grabbed as much attention on the market as the Galaxy S8 series, despite its lower price tag.

The LG V30, on the other hand, hasn’t contributed much to the company’s financial statement. The smartphone was launched on September 21 in South Korea and has only recently made its way to the US. If it proves to be more popular than its smaller brother, it could potentially turn things around for LG in the last quarter of the year (Oct-Dec).

However, just like the G6, it’s also facing tough competition. The phablet goes head to head with devices like the Galaxy Note 8 and the recently unveiled Pixel 2 XL. The competition will only heat up in the near future, with the Mate 10 series making its debut on October 16.