LG Electronics released its fourth quarter and full-year 2017 financial results this morning, and while the news is mostly very good for the company, its mobile division continues to suffer losses.

LG took in $55.4 billion in revenue for 2017, an increase of 10.9% over 2016 and the highest ever for the company. Profitability increased by 85% over last year at $2.23 billion. For the fourth quarter alone, LG saw a 15% growth over Q4 2016 revenues with $15.3 billion, and a profit of $330.9 million, which we reported when the company released its preliminary results earlier this month.

The situation for LG's phones is, at best, a mixed bag. Revenues increased to $2.77 billion, but LG still took the hit of a $192.33 million loss. That wound is less severe than last quarter's $331.37 million loss, which LG attributes to "strong sales of the LG V30 and other premium smartphones and an improved business structure." That improved business structure refers at least in part to LG's surprising announcement earlier this month that they would no longer churn out yearly flagship devices.

Among its explanations for its troubles, LG cites "increasing U.S. trade protectionism" and "strong competition" from Chinese device manufacturers.

However, unit sales are up 2% from the previous quarter (though down 1% from one year ago), to which LG credits "increasing sales of V30 and Google’s new premium OLED phone," referring to Google's Pixel 2 XL which they manufacture.

In a presentation for investors, LG names three devices as its "key products" in mobile: the V30, the Q6, and the X4. The absence of the LG G6 and G6+ is telling, especially considering that, like the Q6, they are both among Amazon's ad-subsidized Prime Exclusive phone selections. But the Gx naming scheme is likely coming to an end, and the company has reportedly scrapped the next generation G7-or-whatever-it's-called that had been in development in favor of some new, unknown design. LG did not break down sales by device model.

The profitability gains that LG is enjoying came almost entirely from appliances and televisions, with a little bit of help from their Vehicle Components unit. LG Home Entertainment, which manufactures TVs, more than doubled its revenue for the quarter over last year with a 14% increase in sales and what LG says is a high demand for its premium TVs.

As long as LG can continue to be profitable in other areas, it can theoretically continue to manufacture phones at a moderate loss. There's certainly some value to simply "being in the game" of the smartphone industry, even if only as a prestige business that keeps LG's brand in consumers' minds for other electronics purchases. But as AP's David Ruddock recently pointed out, LG is being hopelessly overshadowed by Samsung and Apple, a problem that will only get worse if LG devices become rarer sights in carrier stores. And unless its high-end offerings truly blow people away, all that prestige won't matter much if no one knows those devices exist.

As of this writing, LG's stock is up about 1%.