LG Says It Won't Be Making the Nexus 5

By Jane McEntegart
published

Despite the success of the Nexus 4, it seems Google and LG won't be collaborating on the next iteration of Nexus smartphone.

LG today announced that it would be launching yet another version of its Nexus 4 smartphone, this time in white. However, while LG seems keen to keep the Nexus 4 name alive, it appears the company will not be making the Nexus 5.

 

Speaking to All About Phones, Won Kim, VP of LG Mobile in Europe, said that while the Nexus 4 has been hugely successful, there is currently no Nexus 5 in production. Not only that, but Kim revealed that LG doesn't exactly need the Nexus 5, either.

"The Nexus 4 was a great success despite the production problems for us and Google. However we do not need such a marketing success again," a Google-translated version of the story reads.

The Nexus 4 was LG's first collaboration with Google. Google had previously partnered with Samsung and, for the first Nexus device, HTC. However, just because the Nexus is an LG device, that doesn't mean Google has left Samsung behind completely. Not too long ago, at Google I/O, the search company unveiled a version of the Galaxy S4 running stock Android. The newly-announced S4 normally sells with Samsung's Touch Wiz UI on top, but Google struck a deal with Samsung that would see an unlocked version running stock Android made available in the Google Play Store for $749. Rather interestingly, while speaking to All About Phones, Won Kim said LG wouldn't do the same because there's no value in it for LG.

Jane McEntegart
12 Comments Comment from the forums
  • thundervore
    I thought that they were taking turns. First HTC then Samsung, now LG. The only one left is Motorola which Google owns.
    Im hope that HTC makes the next Nexus.
    Reply
  • samwelaye
    As usual, Toms doesnt have the full story. It has already been clarified that they said "They are not CURRENTLY working on the Nexus 5". Funny how other websites reported this story earlier, and then gave the correction, but toms is both late AND incorrect.
    Reply
  • thundervore
    Didn't Verizon get the Droid DNA (HTC Butterfly) which is on a whole another level by it self. The good thing about Verizon is that they do not let HTC plague their line up with phones like AT&T does. The HTC One series is a prime example of this, they have 4 versions on AT&T alone...


    Reply
  • fiduce
    I would not design another Nexus with a company that has supply problems during Christmas holidays while selling the same hardware.
    Reply
  • sammyross
    its a good for smartphone users. I like only to make my call and massages using blackberry handset.
    Reply
  • teh_chem
    I thought the actual story is that LG doesn't want to make another Nexus device (ever) because they lose out on marketing their OS skins and UI's (which really, let's face it, is one of the few differentiating things between android handset makers).
    Honestly, despite the complaints with various handset makers' UI's, I think LG's UI 3.0 on the LG Optimus G is perfect. It doesn't lag, and settings and features are much more accessible vs. vanilla android UI. I actually don't like vanilla Android 4.1+ UI in comparison, and wish it was easier to get LG's UI 3.0 on all my devices.
    Reply
  • Non-Euclidean
    10878378 said:
    its a good for smartphone users. I like only to make my call and massages using blackberry handset.

    I like to make my calls with my smartphone, and my massages with Asian masseuses.

    Reply
  • SirGCal
    10877529 said:
    HTC won't touch it. They already have arguably the best smartphone on the market right now with the HTC One. Not putting the HTC one on Verizon is ridiculous though. The HTC one is superior to the S4 and iPh5.

    i5 ya, but S4, ehh... One thing that is critical for me is extended memory and for some ungodly reason, HTC took it out. My EVOs had it and now the One is missing it. So I went S4 this time. Other then being so darn thin and having a plastic back, it's a darn nice phone and really, at least Sprint's version has very minimal bloat on it that can't be completely removed or at least disabled.

    I really don't care how much internal memory they have cause the extended cards are where everything will go and where my information, videos, etc will be and I have 64G UHC1 cards by the stacks from my cameras that I stick into my phones that give me a mere 10M/20M performance in my S4 (better then the EVO though) but not the full 30M the card could do).

    As for apps to the SD card, the phone has 10G of space just for apps alone... that's plenty for apps that you'll install. If you have more apps then that, you're doing something wrong or just an app whore and need to re-evaluate your life. Or there are the 32/64G versions with more room. I'm not a fan of the emulated sdcard folder but... it really shouldn't ever be a true killer of stopping me from doing anything. And for people who root their phones, they could care less.

    Honestly, if the One had an SD card slot, I would have gone that route, but for some reason, HTC removed it. Why ohh why?!? With what I do, I have a collection of about 6 SD cards with my music, movies, etc. on them for traveling, etc. On the S4, one nice thing is I don't even have to shut it off to swap it out (if I'm careful to not pop out the battery since the card slides out the side instead of the battery slot). With the One, I'd have to store them to some other media, laptop, portable drive, etc. and pull out some other device to power up, plug in and wait forever while gigs of data swap around... also burning up battery doing a hard data write. Swapping memory sticks are just SO much more convenient. Especially when my laptops also have a memory slot on them also so I can just plug them in there when I get to the hotel, home, etc. I have true, fully portable entertainment. HTC dropped the ball to save $0.02 on a memory port per phone. Bummer too, I liked my other HTCs and the One was in my cross-hairs until the specs came out. Just didn't understand it.

    I really don't give a crap what the phone physically looks like... plastic, aluminum... etc... how thin, heavy etc... I care how it WORKS. How much battery life it has. How the screen, CPU, etc works. Honestly, the S4 could be a bit thicker and heavier for my tastes. Add a thicker battery too. When the Seido extended is released I'll pick that up for sure. But dropping the SD slot for aluminum shell? Asinine!
    Reply
  • robochump
    "However we do not need such a marketing success again." This makes no sense coming from a company executive. Why stop something that is successful unless there is a huge reason LG/Google is not letting out.
    Reply
  • RazberyBandit
    10880136 said:
    "However we do not need such a marketing success again." This makes no sense coming from a company executive. Why stop something that is successful unless there is a huge reason LG/Google is not letting out.

    Perhaps because a marketing success does not directly translate into financial success.
    Reply