LG will debut four new midrange smartphones at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2015 in Barcelona, Spain, next week as it expands its smartphone range to fit the deeper feature and lower price requirements of customers around the world.
The four Android smartphones, which include design and technical features normally found in more expensive handsets, were announced by LG on Feb. 23.
Prices for the new devices—the Magna, the Spirit, the Leon and the Joy—have not yet been announced, but the company said they will be affordably priced in the midrange segment of the marketplace. A global rollout of the new phones is starting this week in select markets.
The four phone models are led by the LG Magna, which will include a 5-inch HD touch display and a subtle curvature that makes it more comfortable to hold in one’s hand, according to the company. The Magna, which means “ultimate” in Latin, also features a 1.2GHz or 1.3GHz quad-core processor (depending on the market), 1GB of RAM, 8GB of on-board storage, an 8-megapixel main camera, a 5MP front camera and a 2,540mAh removable battery for long battery life.
The LG Spirit phone also includes the same handset curvature as the Magna phone model, while getting a slightly smaller 4.7-inch HD display. The Spirit also features a 1.2GHz or 1.3GHz quad-core processor , 1GB of RAM, 8GB of on-board storage, a 5MP or 8MP main camera, a 1MP front camera and a 2,100mAh removable battery.
The LG Leon, which means “Lion” in Latin, includes a 4.5-inch display, a 1.2GHz or 1.3GHz quad-core processor , 1GB of RAM, 8GB of on-board storage, a 5MP or 8MP main camera, a VGA front camera and a 1,900mAh removable battery.
The smallest phone of the foursome, the LG Joy, features a 4-inch WVGA display, a 1.2GHz quad-core or a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB or 512MB of RAM, 8GB or 4GB of on-board storage, a 5MP rear camera, a VGA front camera and a 1,900mAh removable battery.
All four smartphones will be available in both Long Term Evolution (LTE) or 3G versions, which allows owners to buy devices that fit the requirements of their local wireless carriers, according to LG. The Magna, Spirit and Leon phones run on Android 5.0 Lollipop, while the Joy runs on either Android 5.0 Lollipop or Android 4.4 KitKat, depending on the market where the phones are sold.
The handsets also include features like LG’s Gesture Shot, which allows users to easily take selfies with a simple hand gesture that starts a three-second countdown. In addition, LG extended the distance that the cameras can recognize gestures to 1.5 meters so that users can incorporate selfie sticks more easily while maintaining camera focus. The phones also include Glance View, which debuted on the G Flex2, and lets users access key information, such as time, recent messages or missed calls, with a simple downward swipe of the screen, even while the display is off, according to LG.
“LG’s new midrange collection continues our legacy of offering amazing smartphones at reasonable prices,” Juno Cho, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Co., said in a statement. “For millions of consumers around the world, the deciding factor on which smartphone to buy isn’t how fast or how big it is but how balanced it is. With our new midrange smartphones, more and more customers will be looking to LG for their next handsets.”
LG will be busy with other product unveilings at MWC as well. Earlier in February, LG announced that it will debut its LG Watch Urbane, a highly stylized all-metal smartwatch that includes a circular 1.3-inch display, a leather wristband, and a polished silver or gold finish.
The huge Mobile World Congress event officially begins March 2 in Barcelona and runs through March 6.