By Sonia Su
BU News Service

LAS VEGAS—LG Electronics announced its G Flex smartphone successor G Flex2 Monday morning at the Consumer Electronics Show at the Mandalay Bay convention center. Following the curved screen trend, the G Flex2 has a 23-degree arc and is available in platinum silver and flamenco red.

Equipped with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, the 5.5-inch smartphone possesses features similar to its older models—such as the curved battery, flexible display and Knock Code from G3 that provides swipe access to display key information without unlocking the phone.

New updates include Gesture Shot with laser auto focus and better image stabilization, a 20-percent increase in screen durability from its Dura Guard Glass and an advanced self-healing process in under 10 seconds for scratches to its back. The ease and convenience of taking selfies was stressed during the press conference.

With the increase in resolution from 720p in its predecessor to 1080p full HD, G Flex2 boasts a crisp display with OLED technology and runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop—although a Lollipop 5.1 update is expected to “launch in February ahead of a summer 2015 release,” according to IT Pro.

Other topics covered during LG’s press conference included innovation in the Internet of Things (IoT) that are “centered around our life,” said Dr. Skott Ahn, president and CTO of LG Electronics.

It is not just about the apps or devices that control IoT, but rather “what connects everything we value and goes through our phones,” he told the audience of about 1,000 reporters and photographers.

LG’s Head of Product Development Tim Alessi also announced that seven OLED TV sets are scheduled to release in 2015. Advantages of OLED include “unmatched contrast levels” and “perfect viewing angles,” Alessi said, and added that LG Display invested $600 million to expand OLED technology. 8K demos will be available at the LG booth at CES.

Available starting at the end of January in Korea, the LG G Flex2 is expected to release in global markets shortly after, according to its press release.

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