Sprint’s LG Optimus G might reach end of life status soon to make room for the G Pro

It’s not a secret that LG has always been one step behind its mortal enemy, Samsung, when talking about the Android market. But sometimes it’s like the Optimus makers are not even trying to get ahead.

You can take LG’s late 2012 flagship, the Optimus G, as the perfect example. Despite having the makings of a real blockbuster, the 4.7-incher sold a mere 1 million units in its first four months, according to official statements.

The thing was released in Korea and Japan in October 2012 and then Canada and the US a month later. After that, nothing. No European launch, no nothing. Until a few weeks back, when it was finally announced that the phone was due for a rollout on the old continent. This time, with Jelly Bean out the box.

Needless to say it’s way too late for the Optimus G to make any kind of waves in Europe, but get this – Sprint, one of the two US carriers selling the phone since last fall, might already be planning to axe it. That’s far from official news, but there are a lot of signs that basically set it in stone.

For starters, Sprint held a promo back in February which allowed customers to buy an Optimus G and get one for free. That kind of deal screams sales flop and it’s pretty uncommon to see high-end phones part of such promos. Also, it signals that maybe the carrier is desperately trying to clear out stocks to make room for something else.

But what could the “something else” be? No prize for getting the correct answer there. It’s most likely the Optimus G Pro, which LG unveiled a while ago in Asia and said it’ll launch globally come Q2.

True, the G Pro and first-gen G are pretty different, but, given LG’s not so hot reputation in America, you don’t want to have two of their phones in your line-up if there’s the slightest chance people can get them confused.

And the kicker comes via XDA, where Android Police tracked multiple posts whose authors claim to have inside information according to which Sprint’s Optimus G will hit end of life status very soon. There are even photos to prove it, but naturally you’ll have to take it all with a grain of salt for now.

Do you think Sprint would only add insult to injury in this Optimus G fiasco if it were to pull the phone out of the market just five or six months after its release? Or, given the G Pro might launch soon, is this the right call to make?