I personally think that a flagship device shouldn’t be tethered to a specific carrier. For a manufacturer to promote a flagship the way that it should be promoted, it should be made available for multiple carriers. But, I also think it’s important than when a company launches a flagship device, it really stands out. LG’s end-of-the-year device line-up has broken cover, and with it there are plenty of new devices making their names (and in some cases, faces) known for all those who care to look. At the top of the list is the LG Prada K2, which is a brand that LG has used in the past, and obviously they’re a fan of it. But while the Prada K2 will be a great phone in its own right, I’m not sure that LG should be all that comfortable calling it their flagship device for this year.

Let’s jump over the (rumored) specifications, shall we? First, the Prada K2 will feature a 4.3-inch NOVA LCD display; have a dual-core processor under the hood; feature an 8MP camera around the back and a 1.3MP camera on the front; it will be running Android 2.3 right out of the box; and it has 16GB of on board storage. Additionally, the device will be capable of 21Mbps HSPA+ connectivity, and be only 8.8mm thin. That’s all well and good, and it sounds like a great device that any Android fan would love to get their hands on. However, it also sounds very similar.

That’s because the majority of the specifications for the Prada K2 aren’t all that stand-out, even when compared to another handset from LG. Specifically, the LG Optimus Black has some repeating feature, some specifications that are even better than the Prada K2, and then some specs that the Prada-branded phone beats out.  Let’s have a look.

The LG Optimus Black features a 4-inch NOVA LCD display; has a 1GHz processor under the hood; has a 5MP camera around the back and a 2MP camera ‘round front; it’s running Android 2.2 but is upgradeable to Android 2.3; has 2GB of on board memory; it’s capable of 7.2Mbps HSDPA, and it measures in at only 9.2mm thin. Like I said, there are some (if not the majority, in fact) of stats from the Prada K2 that beat out the Optimus Black, but not by much. While the Prada K2 is a stand-out device, especially with that glorious 4.3-inch NOVA LCD display, I don’t think it’s enough for LG to call their stand-out, flagship device.

That is, unless LG knows right now that they won’t be releasing that even comes close to those specifications after the release (or before, for that matter) of the Prada K2. If that’s the case, then it doesn’t look to me that LG is really trying to pick a fight with the main contenders in the mobile market. Devices like the Motorola Dinara, for example, or if Apple truly does reveal an outright successor to the iPhone 4 later this year. HTC and Samsung have yet to show their cards, and we can imagine that both of those companies have something heavy coming to the market for the holiday.

I don’t think the LG Prada K2 is a flagship device or any more so than the LG Optimus Black is. While the dual-core processor, bigger display and more internal memory are great, I think it’s not enough to warrant the prestigious title from the company. That’s not to say that LG shouldn’t launch the device, as there’s no way that the device won’t sell well – unless LG does some crazy nonsense with the proprietary software and muddies up the whole experience. We’ll have to see what happens.

But, what do you think of the Prada K2? Do you think it has the muscle to propel LG into the New Year, or should LG aim a bit higher? Let me know in the comments whether or not you’re waiting for this device, or if you’ve got another handset in your line of sight.