LG Electronics debuts premium smartphone model G2

LG Electronics today unveiled a new device to take on rivals Apple, Samsung and others in the booming smartphone market.

With the G2, the company offers a new premium smartphone line boasting features that include control buttons moved from the edges to the back, and a 5.2-inch high-definition screen at the front.

According to LG mobile communications chief Jong-seok Park, the company's definition of innovation today was technology that truly resonated with consumers.

He described the G2 as the most ambitious mobile phone ever from the South Korean company.

He added,  the smartphone's design incorporated lifestyle research showing that people wanted ergonomic designs, practical functions and intuitive interaction.

LG, the second-largest maker of Android-powered smartphones, held a 6.5 per cent share of the market in the second quarter of this year, according to a report released today by International Data Corporation.

Samsung ranks as the top Android smartphone with 39.1 per cent of the global market, though LG closed the gap slightly during the quarter, according to IDC.

The most popular smartphone platform ending the second quarter was Google's Android with 79.3 per cent of the market as against the 13.2 per cent held by second-place Apple, according to IDC.

The G2 comes with a 5.2in full HD [1080p] display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 2.26GHz quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, 13 MP rear camera with optical image stabilisation (OIS), and many other user features in addition.

Park said the most innovative aspect of the G2 was the design, with the rear key being the feature everyone had been talking about since the news became public. He added it was  certainly different, but the sole purpose of this design shift was not just to be different.

He said, it was born from one of the key findings of the company's human research.

The G2 is the first device anywhere to feature the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor. The speed of the phone alone is expected to be a big draw for many buyers, to take the plunge – even if the appearance was more a phablet than a smartphone.

The device sees the buttons from the side of the phone moved to the back, which was something that had been done to ''maximise user convenience and make the body (of the smartphone) even slimmer''.

In the audio department phone does not disappoint and comes with its 24-bit/192kHz sound, would likely enhance user experience while movie viewing, games playing and music playback.

Among the new features is Answer Me, which enables the user to answer a call by simply raising a phone to their ear. Additionally, Plug & Pop allows the G2 to sense when a cable was plugged into the headphone jack and displayed icons for apps that were most likely to be needed.