LG Electronics Inc. is releasing its first 5G smartphone with two displays “LG V50 ThinQ” on May 10, looking to preempt the 5G handset market as its competitors, including Samsung Electronics Co. and Huawei Technologies Co., are delaying the launch of foldable phones.

LG Electronics agreed on the V50 roll-out schedule with the three domestic mobile operators on April 26, according to related industry sources on April 28. Accordingly, the product will come into the market three months after it was unveiled a day before the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Spain in February.

The company pondered much about the roll-out schedule because the domestic 5G service environment is not rife. The V50 ThinQ is LG Electronics’ first 5G smartphone. Since domestic mobile carriers are still in the initial stage of building their 5G networks, it is not easy for consumers to use 5G services without a hitch even they buy the V50 ThinQ. If consumers’ complaints about 5G services are directed at the V50 ThinQ, this could lead to consumer distrust of LG Electronics’ smartphone quality.

However, LG Electronics has decided to launch the V50 ThinQ on May 10 because public interest in 5G smartphones can fade if the company delays the release any longer. The product attracted a lot of attention after it was introduced in February.

LG Electronics believes that the V50 ThinQ is as competitive as the foldable phone. Company officials say that it can appeal to mobile gaming enthusiasts as they can watch gaming progress videos on one screen and use the second screen as a virtual controller.

However, it is hard to prejudge that the favorable response from the market can actually become a reality. Consumers who have a positive view think that the dual-screen phone which converges existing proven technologies has more stable quality and easier access than the foldable phone which has caused the fault controversy. The V50 ThinQ is priced at 1,199,000 won (US$1,035), which is also about 200,000 won (US$173) lower than the Galaxy S10 5G 256GB cell phone.

On the other hand, consumers with a negative view expressconcern that it is ahassletocarry around and remove the dual-screen display and they can lose the dual-screen display. Unlike the foldable phone which has a big screen similar sized with that of tablets when unfolding the display, the dual-screen phone does not have one big screen.