LG Mobile is taking on the premium smartphone market with a vengeance since launching the G2 last year. The latest edition to their arsenal is the G-Flex curved 6inch monster. We were invited to the LG Mobile SA launch of their flagship G-Flex and cheaper G Pro Lite launch on Thursday (January 30th). LG has been gaining market share slowly but surely in 2013 and it wasn’t a surprise when the G2 was named gadget of the year (2013) in Stuff magazine and other publications. LG Mobile are preparing for a massive public launch of the G-Flex in late March (effective April) this year and I can see why this curved phone is going to turn some heads.
LG hosted the media at the prestigious Saxon Hotel in Sandton Johannesburg. The event couldn’t have been more different than that of the Samsung S4 launch last year. LG almost had as many representatives as media guests there which allowed for continuous one-on-one time with different players within the electronics company. The intimate launch differed from the absolute craze of the S4 event where only a handful of press could ask any meaningful questions. The launch was kicked off by Thomas van der Linde (GM LG Marketing South Africa) welcoming the press to the special double-launch event. He introduced Hwan Lee (MD LG South Africa) who talked about the shift in LG Mobile’s strategy from mid-market smartphones to the whole spectrum, including of course the premium market. In turn, Mr Lee introduced Deon Prinsloo (GM LG Mobile South Africa) who took us through their two brand spanking new products. Here is a recap of the main facts:
LG G Pro Lite:
– New mid-market smartphone aimed at students and low income groups
– 5.5inch IPS LCD display – 540 x 960 pixels (~200 ppi )
– Dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A9 processor
– Large 3140mAh battery
– Includes handy hide-away stylus (allows for easier QuickMemo usage)
– Features include (KnockON, Guest Mode, BBM etc.)
LG G-Flex:
As expected Deon focused more on the G-Flex in his presentation. The G-Flex took over 3 years to perfect with 200 engineers working on the product. There were over 300 mock-ups of the G-Flex and 3 different divisions of LG worked together (LG Display, LG Inotek and LG Chem). Multiple focus groups were held to determine the perfect curvature of the phone (optimized at 700mm). A majority of 63% of the focus group preferred the curved phone opposed to a flat one. The 6inch display allows for the same viewing experience at 30cm as the curved 55inch OLED LG TV at 3m. Here are some of the other facts discussed:
– 6inch POLED (plastic organic light emitting diode) display, 720 x 1280 pixels (~245 ppi ).
– REAL RGB and Plastic OLED display allows for much crisper display (opposed to pentile tech and glass).
– Android 4.2.2 (with LG UI) (bit of a bummer)
– Curved 3500mAh battery (that’s huge!)
– “Self Healing” scratch protective layer on the back (absorbs minor scratches in 2-3min)
– Features include: Urgent Caller (Red LED flashes when several calls missed form same number), QuickRemote, returning G2 features etc.
After the launch we were treated to some canapes, drinks an conversations with the LG representatives. Here is some of the questions we asked Deon and Thomas:
Q: When will the G-Flex and G Pro Lite launch in SA?
A: The G-Pro Lite will launch on 1st of Feb and the G-Flex will be available effective April 2014.
Q: Will all the carriers be providing the phones?
A: The G Pro Lite has been confirmed across all 3 carriers (Vodacom, MTN & Cell-C). We have our final meetings with all three carries surrounding the G-Flex next week.
Q: What will the pricing structures look like?
A: G Pro Lite – R300-R500pm depending on contract (R4799 retail).LG will add an additional 300mb per month to any contract deal. G-Flex – R400-R700 depending on contract (same as other premium devices) (R9999 retail)
Q: When will Android 4.4 KitKat be available for the G-Flex (and other LG phones)?
A: Internationally we are aiming to have 4.4 by April and hopefully we can launch the G-Flex in conjunction with this in April.
The LG launch was a huge success and judging from the media banter after the official reveal there are big things expected from LG Mobile in South Africa. With the huge success of the G2 and the anticipation of the much acclaimed G-Flex there seems to be a lot momentum for LG within the premium smartphone market. If LG can on board the latest Android update sooner rather than later, expect great things from LG.
Follow Jaco on Twitter: @Jaco_vdWalt
