When people talk about the history of smartphones, the conversation usually centers around companies like Apple, Samsung, HTC, BlackBerry, Nokia, or Google. LG rarely gets the same level of attention, which is understandable given that the company eventually exited the smartphone market entirely. Yet the more I think about it, the more I believe LG deserves to be remembered as one of the most important experimental companies of the smartphone era. Not because they dominated sales charts or consistently produced the best devices, but because they were willing to try things that most manufacturers would never seriously consider.

The modern smartphone market is incredibly polished. Phones today are faster than they have ever been, cameras continue to improve, displays are brighter and more efficient, and battery life has become increasingly reliable. Yet for all of those improvements, there is also a sense of predictability that did not exist during earlier periods of mobile technology. Most flagship devices follow a similar design philosophy. Annual upgrades often revolve around processor improvements, camera enhancements, battery optimizations, and software features. The products are better than ever, but they are also remarkably similar. It is difficult to look at the current market and find a company willing to take the kinds of risks that once seemed common.

LG spent years taking those risks.

Some of those experiments were successful. Others were not. The company introduced rear mounted buttons at a time when nearly every smartphone followed the same side mounted control layout. They popularized features such as double tap to wake and double tap to sleep, conveniences that many users now take for granted. They embraced removable batteries long after other manufacturers began moving away from them. They built devices with advanced manual camera controls before mobile photography became a major selling point. They experimented with secondary displays, modular accessories, curved screens, dual screen concepts, and hardware designs that often felt unlike anything else on the market.

What made LG interesting was not that every idea succeeded. It was that they seemed comfortable failing in public. The company approached smartphones as though the category was still being invented. While competitors often focused on refining existing concepts, LG frequently appeared more interested in discovering what might happen if they tried something completely different. Sometimes that resulted in genuinely useful features. Other times it resulted in products that felt strange, impractical, or ahead of their time. Either way, there was always a sense that the company was attempting to push beyond the standard formula.

The LG Wing may be the perfect example of this philosophy. By the time the device launched, most manufacturers had already settled into predictable hardware designs. LG responded by releasing a phone whose primary display rotated sideways to reveal a second screen underneath. It was not a product anyone was demanding, and it certainly was not the safest commercial decision. Yet the device represented something that had become increasingly rare within the industry. It represented curiosity. Someone inside LG looked at a market full of nearly identical smartphones and decided that perhaps there was another way to approach the problem.

That willingness to experiment extended far beyond the Wing. Long before foldable devices became one of the industry’s primary areas of innovation, LG was exploring curved OLED displays through products like the G Flex series. The devices looked unusual, but they demonstrated technologies that would eventually become important as display manufacturers continued developing flexible panels. The company also explored modularity through the G5, creating a system that allowed users to swap components and attach accessories directly to the device. The concept never achieved mainstream success, but it reflected a broader period when manufacturers were still willing to question what a smartphone should be rather than simply refining what already existed.

This willingness to take risks also explains why so many people remember LG despite the company’s struggles. Objectively speaking, LG faced serious challenges. Software was often criticized. Certain devices suffered from reliability issues. The boot loop problems that affected multiple models damaged consumer trust and became one of the defining stories of the company’s smartphone business. Many of the company’s more unusual products failed to generate significant sales. Yet people continue talking about LG years after its departure because the company consistently brought something different to the conversation.

There is an important lesson hidden within that history. Innovation rarely arrives fully formed. Most successful technologies are built on years of experimentation, failed products, and ideas that initially seem unnecessary. The smartphone industry did not become what it is today because every company played it safe. It evolved because manufacturers spent years trying different approaches, discovering what worked, and occasionally discovering what did not. Some of the industry’s most influential features originated as experiments that may have looked strange at the time.

That is what feels missing from today’s market. Modern smartphones continue improving, but they often improve along the same path. The industry has largely agreed on what a smartphone should look like, how it should function, and what consumers expect from it. As a result, genuine surprises have become increasingly rare. There are still areas of experimentation, particularly with foldable devices and artificial intelligence features, but the overall market feels far more cautious than it once did.

Looking back at LG is not really about nostalgia for a specific phone. It is about remembering a period when manufacturers were still willing to challenge assumptions. The company released products that were occasionally brilliant, occasionally confusing, and sometimes both at the same time. They took chances because they believed there was value in exploring ideas that other companies ignored. Not every experiment deserved to succeed, but the willingness to experiment mattered.

Perhaps that is why LG remains memorable even after leaving the smartphone business. The company serves as a reminder that progress does not always come from perfect execution. Sometimes progress comes from a manufacturer willing to pursue an unconventional idea simply because nobody else is willing to try it. In an industry that increasingly rewards refinement over risk, that kind of thinking feels worth appreciating. And honestly, that willingness to be a little weird is probably what I miss the most.