By: TECHTOWN    1:20:00 AM  No comments

LG unveils flagship G Pro 2 smartphone

By Darren Quick

LG has jumped the gun and unveiled its flagship G Pro 2 smartphone (or if you prefer, phablet) in South Korea ahead of its expected debut at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona later this month. The successor to the Optimus G Pro sports a larger display and 13-megapixel camera with the ability to record videos in 4K Ultra High Definition.

Running Android 4.4 (KitKat), the device is powered by a Snapdragon 800 2.26 GHz Quad-Core processor and Adreno 330 GPU, with 3 GB of DDR3 RAM and choice or 16 or 32 GB of onboard storage, expandable via microSD card.

It ups the volume with a 1 W speaker that LG says delivers clearer sound and more powerful bass and is 30 percent louder than the G Pro. Connectivity specs include Bluetooth Smart Ready, USB, Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac), NFC and SlimPort.

Measuring 157.9 x 81.9 x 8.3 mm, the LG G Pro 2 is slimmer than its predecessor, but is wider and longer to accommodate a larger 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution 5.9-inch IPS display that is surrounded on the sides by a 3.3 mm bezel. This slim bezel helps the device achieve what LG says is an industry leading screen-to-frame ratio of 77.2 percent. LG has also managed to shave 2 g (0.07 oz) off the new model, which tips the scales at 172 g (6 oz) including the 3,200 mAh removable battery.

The G Pro 2 packs a front-facing 2.1-megapixel shooter up front and an enhanced 13-megapixel camera with Optical Image Stabilizer Plus (OIS+) on the rear that can record HD video at 120 frames per second or 4K Ultra HD video for playback on 4K TVs.

There's also a "Natural Flash," which LG says offers a more balanced color temperature and exposure compared to normal flashes, along with a "Magic Focus" feature that lets users select the preferred depth of focus before saving a shot. Additionally, "Burst Shot" snaps 20 continuous shots that are automatically edited together to create a video.

Following on from the "KnockON" feature that debuted in the G2 and allowed the phone to be woken up with a double tap of the screen, LG has introduced Knock Code, which lets users create their own knock patterns to unlock the device. LG says there are 86,367 different knock combinations ranging from two to eight taps that can be entered anywhere on the screen.

Other new software features include Mini View, which shrinks the display size down to 3.4 to 4.7 inches so the phone can be more comfortably used with one hand, and Dual Browser, which splits the screen to allow two separate browser windows to be displayed at once.

The LG G Pro 2 will go on sale in South Korea this month at a price yet to be announced, but LG is yet to decide which other countries will see a release. However, LG will be showing the device at Mobile World Congress from February 24th.

Source: LG