LG Electronics is reportedly set to delay the launch of the LG G7 due to a new order instructing the company’s smartphone team – which had already commenced work on the next flagship phone – to halt the entire process and begin development from scratch.

Having made losses amounting to about $219 million over the last 11 quarters, LG announced a new strategy at the recently concluded CES 2018. Apparently, the LG G and V series will no longer receive new members on an annual basis as it is with the current model. Instead, the company plans to release a new phone only when it feels it’s the right time to do so and retain it for a longer period through software updates. Alternatively, the company may also consider changing the brand name.

With this announcement, doubts over the immediate future of the LG G7 started building up and while it has since been confirmed that the G7 will actually be unveiled, there are some uncertainties still surrounding the exact release date.

LG G7 release date

According to a new report coming from South Korea, the LG G7 will not be unveiled at the MWC 2018 show as rumored earlier. If the report is to be believed, the phone, which is “tentatively called the LG G7,” should be ready for launch in April.

Over the recent years, we have gotten used to seeing a new LG G handset in Q1, but according to an LG official who wishes to remain anonymous, the team behind the LG G7 has reportedly been unable to build a strong selling point for the G7 and as a result, vice chairman and CEO of LG Electronics, Jo Seong-jin, has ordered a complete overhaul of the upcoming premium phone, hence the delayed release of the phone.

In essence, this gives more room to Samsung and its Galaxy S9, especially in the local Korean market. The two are fierce rivals, but the delayed launch of the LG G7 should give the Galaxy S9 a head start and possibly an edge over its counterpart.