You are quite right. The option to select Playlist format doesn't even appear for an Android device.
I've just started looking at syncing to my newish Android phone, and this may become an issue. But I haven't tried using the default .pla playlist files yet. Maybe they won't be an issue on my Sony Android.
I was thinking you could just export the playlist from MC in the format you wanted ad copy it across, but that would only work if the file path was identical on the PC and the phone. Unless you edited the playlist of course.
At this time it looks like your solution is the best. Unless you can address any compatibility issue on your LG. The default playlist file type does seem to be .pla for Android, based on a quick Google. But there was a lot of discussion around the use of them. Some good, some bad.