LG officially took the wraps off of its new Optimus G smartphone late last month, but tonight the company has announced the device again ahead of its Korean launch. On the Optimus G's face is a 4.7-inch 1280x768 True HD IPS+ display with a 15:9 aspect ratio as well as a 1.3-megapixel camera, and there's a second shooter around back of the 13-megapixel variety. Buried inside the Optimus G's 8.45mm thick body is a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 32GB storage, 2GB RAM and a 2,100mAh battery powering the whole shebang. Also included is 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi and NFC.
On the software front, the Optimus G runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. LG has included some of its own features in as well, including QSlide, which shows two different screens on the display at once (like text messaging and web browsing), and Dual Screen Dual Play, which allows the user to wirelessly beam content to a display while viewing different content on the phone's display. Other additions include Icon Personalizer, QuickMemo and Cheese Shutter.
LG will begin selling the Optimus G in Korea next week, and the company says that the phone will launch in "key global markets" in October. There's no mention of exactly what those markets may be, but LG and Qualcomm are coming together for an event on September 19 to show us how to "live without boundaries," a tagline that it also happens to use in its announcement tonight. Considering all of that, it seems likely that we'll learn some U.S.-specific availability information on Wednesday. Anyone interested in checking out the Optimus G if/when it arrives stateside?
UPDATE: LG has said that the Optimus G will be hitting the U.S. in November. We're still without any sort of carrier-specific details, but we should learn more at LG's event on Wednesday.
LG TO CHANGE MARKET DYNAMICS WITH OPTIMUS G BY FOCUSING ON DIFFERENTIATED USER EXPERIENCE
LG’s New Flagship LTE Device Offers Superior
User Experience for “Living Without Boundaries”
SEOUL, Sep. 18, 2012 –- Today LG announced the launch of the Optimus G, a new premium flagship device offering a unique User Experience (UX) supported by innovative hardware performance. The powerful hardware included in the Optimus G allows for the possibility of such a creative and engaging UX which will enable Optimus G users to “live without boundaries.”
With a powerful quad-core processor, Snapdragon™ S4 Pro, as its base and industry best technologies for enhanced viewing and longer battery life, LG adds the finishing touches on the Optimus G with a beautiful sleek design and innovative UX features. The offerings in the Optimus G will provide users an experience currently unavailable on any other smartphone.
“The Optimus G is a groundbreaking premium device not only in the history of LG but also in the smartphone industry,” said Dr. Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “With the Optimus G, users will be able to experience unsurpassed UX features that will allow them to perform tasks that really enhance their daily lives.”
New Form of Cross-Tasking and Engaging UX
With reliable and speedy performance, LG’s Optimus G doesn’t solely enable multi-tasking but “cross-tasking” of activities without limitations. If multi-tasking applies to running various applications at the same time, cross-tasking applies to complex tasks that can be completed simultaneously without having to compromise other tasks. Some new UX features that will be included into the Optimus G to showcase its cross-tasking and engaging capabilities are:
In addition, smart and fun camera features in Optimus G will allow for capturing and seizing those special moments in our lives. Utilizing the industry’s highest resolution camera at 13MP, users will have the opportunity to capture their favorite scenes with:
Design Masterpiece with Timeless Value
Inheriting LG’s design DNA and heritage, the blend of delicate design and technology placed the emphasis on simplicity with a completely black unibody form in the Optimus G. For this unique look, LG developed and patented the Crystal Reflection finish, which is applied to the back of the Optimus G for a luxurious look and feel. Crystal Reflection gives the Optimus G’s back cover the ability to display different patterns depending on the viewing angle and lighting. Also, the intricate polarized pattern, which sparkles under the sleek surface, creates a three-dimensional illusion that is eye-catching and exquisitely reminiscent of a jewel. And finally, laser cutting gives the Optimus G a clean finish with metallic highlights.
Unparalleled Technologies for Ultimate UX
The elegant yet sleek design and the imaginative UX experience displayed in the new Optimus G were possible thanks to a collection of technologies from industry-leading developers in their field.
As the first quad-core smartphone with LTE connectivity capabilities, Optimus G complements the enhanced UX features with unsurpassed speed and power from Qualcomm’s Snapdragon™ S4 Pro Quad-Core processor. The state-of-the-art display technologies such as the Zerogap Touch and True HD IPSPlus Display from LG Innotek and LG Display harmonize to offer the slimmest, sharpest and clearest viewing
experience yet. The new battery from LG Chem has a longer life of 800 cycles, a significant improvement over existing mobile phone batteries. An ultra high-resolution, compact 13MP camera is employed in the Optimus G to offer the sharpest photos without pixelation –- even when creating extra-large prints.
LG Optimus G will go on sale in Korea starting next week followed by key global markets in October.
Key Specifications:
