LG unveils new G Pro 2 phablet
By Kim Yoo-chul
LG's phablet G Pro 2
LG Electronics Thursday rolled out its newest phablet, the G Pro 2, which it claims will compete with the Samsung Galaxy Note and help expand its market share in the smart device market.
At a news conference in Seoul, the electronics giant unveiled the phablet with a 5.9-inch display, larger than its predecessor's 5.5-inch screen and improved hardware and software features.
The company said that the phablet ― a combination of tablet and smartphone ― is expected to challenge the Galaxy Note series manufactured by Samsung Electronics and help it improve earnings in the coming quarters.
“LG Electronics’ handset division will be in the black from the second quarter of this year on the back of the launch of our new flagship products, including the G Pro2,” said Cho Sung-ha, senior vice president and the head of LG Electronics’ Korean marketing, at a news conference at its headquarters in Yeouido, northern Seoul.
LG’s handset division failed to report a profit for the second straight quarter since the third quarter of last year. During the last three months of 2013, the division reported 43.2 billion in operating losses following the previous quarters’ 79.7 billion won loss.
The latest phablet, based on the latest Google’s Android 4.4 operating system, is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 processor with a 3,200 mAh battery.
One of the striking features of the Pro2, which weights 172 grams, is the Ultra HD recording function, and a "Burst Shot Player," which allows users to take 20 photos in sequence and play them like a video clip.
LG is particularly proud of new 1-watt speakers, which is 30 percent louder than the previous model.
Other noticeable function includes a “display shrink” option that limits the size of the screen for one-handed operation and a split-screen web browser.
The Knock Code is an evolution of the previous Knock On, which allows users to unlock the device by simply tapping on the screen several times.
The new model will go on sale by the end of the month from Korea's three mobile carriers ― SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus.
Cho denied the company is worried about the effects of the latest decision by Renovo of China to acquire Motorola of the United States.
“There have been talks that the Lenovo-Motorola deal may pose threats to LG Electronics’ handset business. But we don’t worry too much about it. We will go our own way and it’s highly achievable for us to become the third-biggest smartphone vendor by the end of this year, as LG products are competitive in terms of product quality,” said the executive.
The company recently lost the world’s No. 3 ranking to Huawei Technologies of China.
Strategy Analytics, a market research firm based in Boston, said Samsung Electronics was the biggest with its global share reaching 32.3 percent last year, followed by Apple with 15.5 percent, Huawei with 5.1 percent, Renovo with 5 percent (before the acquisition of Motorola) and LG with 4.8 percent.
“We’ve seen over 30-percent growth in sales last year in South Korea from the previous year,” said Kim Jong-hoon, an executive at the company’s product marketing division during the conference.
Kim declined to unveil the exact timing of its G2 sequel ― tentatively named the LG G3. Samsung Electronics plans to unveil the Galaxy S5 at the Mobile World Congress (MWC).
The Pro2 will be exhibited at this year’s MWC in the Spanish city of Barcelona from next week.