As promised, LG Electronics has finally revealed the new LG G2 smartphone, its latest flagship device and the first to be produced under the new "G" Series label announced last week. The phone was introduced during a special event held at the Frederick P. Rose Hall, the "Home of Jazz", located at Lincoln Center in New York. Nearly 700 guests from over 30 countries attended the event, the company said.
"Our definition of innovation today is technology that truly resonates with consumers," said Dr. Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of the LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company, who welcomed the guests to the event. "We have always listened to and learned from consumers in pursuit of innovation. We took these insights to new heights in developing LG G2, the most exciting and ambitious mobile phone in our company’s history."
The phone's specs include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC clocked at 2.26 GHz, a 5.2 inch IPS screen with a 1920 x 1080 resolution (423 ppi), 2 GB of LPDDR3 800 MHz memory, and internal storage capacities of 16 GB and 32 GB. There's also a 13MP camera on the back equipped with Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS) technology, a 2.1MP camera on the front, and a "generous" 3,000 mAh battery. Its overall size is 138.5 x 70.9 x 8.9 mm.
LG said the G2 is the first smartphone on the market to feature 24 bit/192 kHz Hi-Fi playback that reproduces studio-like quality sound. It also employs Graphic RAM (GRAM) technology, which supposedly reduces the display’s energy use by up to 26 percent on a still frame, and increases overall usage time on the device by approximately 10 percent.
The new phone also features a unique design that positions all the buttons on the back of the device rather than along the side. LG said that as screens get bigger, it's more difficult to access buttons when they're lined along the edge. Users have better control when buttons are on the back because that's where their index fingers naturally reside. The design also supposedly reduces the chance of dropping the device when adjusting the volume.
"Long-pressing on the rear-mounted volume keys allows users to launch QuickMemo and the camera, making note taking and photo capturing even easier than before," the company said. "And if the LG G2 is lying on a surface face up, there’s no need to lift the phone to access the power button on the back. With KnockON, the LG G2 can be powered on simply by tapping twice on the display."
LG said the new phone also comes packed with a number of user experience (UX) features including Answer Me, Plug & Pop, Text Link, QuickRemote, Slide Aside and Guest Mode. This latter feature protects the owner's privacy by displaying only pre-selected apps when guests access the phone with a secondary unlock pattern. QuickRemote allows the phone to remotely control popular entertainment devices, and Answer Me automatically answers a call when the user brings the phone up to an ear.
The LG G2 will be rolled out with Android 4.2.2 "Jelly Bean" and in Black and White colors over 130 wireless carriers in the next eight weeks starting in South Korea followed by North America, Europe and other key markets. Specific dates for market availability will vary by region and carrier, the company said.
