LG unveiled its newest line of smartphones today, the Optimus L Series II. The first to launch will be the L711, debuting next week in Russia. The Android 4.1 smartphone will measure 121.5 x 66.6 x 9.7 mm and sport a 4.3 inch display. It’s powered by a 16Ghz dual-core Qualcomm processor, and will support two SIM cards. Dual SIM card slots are an increasingly important feature for Android smartphones, which are popular in areas where several people often share a smartphone.
Korea’s LG has been a leading maker of feature phones for years, but has failed to keep up with Samsung in the smartphone space. The company has less than 5% of the market according to the most recent rankings of smartphone vendors from IDC and Canalys. As the market for feature phones matures, most of the opportunity for manufacturers is in picking up customers as they upgrade from feature phones to smartphones.
LG has made an effort to differentiate its offerings with unique features, which include a “QuickButton” feature that allows users to personalize a button on the phone, and a Safety Care feature that Safety Care offers emergency call forwarding, and can be programmed to contact a loved one in case of an emergency.
Design is front and center in the Optimus L Series II. The company is touting features like “laser cut contour,” and LED lighting for the button at the bottom of the phone. Like China’s ZTE, the company is working hard to combine style with value in its newest Android offerings.
The coming weeks should see a slew of new device launches ahead of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona February 25 through 28. Device manufacturers may be particularly eager to get their news out ahead of the show in an effort to avoid a repeat of last year. Apple, which does not attend MWC, diverted attention from the show last year by sending out invitations to an iPad launch event during MWC.
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