LG adds two new models to G4 smartphone series
New smartphones come in a bit larger and smaller than the company's flagship G4.
Less than a month after LG launched its G4, the flagship handset is getting a pair of new smartphone siblings.
The Korean electronics giant on Monday took the wraps off the new G4 Stylus and G4c, handsets that incorporate many of the features of the G4 in larger and smaller packaging, respectively. The G4 Stylus sports a 5.7-inch display, slightly larger than the flagship G4, and as the name suggests, includes a stylus for taking notes or doodling on the screen. The G4c's display comes in a bit smaller at 5 inches.
Both handsets feature either a 13- or 8-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. Both also run Google's Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system on a 1.2GHz quad-core LTE chipset. The Stylus will also be offered in a 3G configuration with a 1.4GHz octa-core chipset.
"The G4 Stylus and G4c are perfect examples of what we mean by a premium smartphone experience without a premium price," Juno Cho, CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications, said in a statement. "We are committed to offering consumers in fast-growing markets LG devices that not only deliver performance, but also look good while doing so."
Launched on April 28, the G4 is the successor to LG's current flagship phone, the G3, which helped LG score record smartphone sales for last year's third quarter as well as its highest-ever market share in North America. However, the company faces a greater challenge this year squaring off against Apple's iPhone 6 lineup and Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S6 phones.
The company expects to sell 8 million G4 smartphones this year and 12 million over its life cycle according to Cho, a 20 percent improvement over the G3, which sold roughly 10 million units. But that is still a far cry from the heights reached by Apple, which reported last month that it sold more than 61 million iPhones in the first quarter of the year alone, or Samsung, estimated to have shipped 82 million smartphones in the first quarter.
LG's newest two handsets are expected to launch in markets around the world during the next couple of weeks. The Stylus will be available in metallic silver or floral white, while the G4c will come in metallic gray, ceramic white and shiny gold.