The LG G2 smartphone release date in the U.S. is on September 12 and will be carried on Verizon. Supposedly the next-gen handset will also launch on AT&T the very next day, September 12. The news comes courtesy of Android fan blog Android Central, and if true could make some serious waves in the tech realm as Apple’s iPhone 5S is expected to debut just two days prior.
The release information has yet to be confirmed by LG but if the South Korean electronics company does in fact plan on unveiling its G2 smartphone, then kudos to them for making aggressive movies. It’s no secret that LG’s brand, or virtually any company’s for that matter, is not as household recognizable as Apple’s. Inaugurating a smartphone as viable as the G2 ahead of the highly-anticipated iPhone 5S could undermine Apple’s attempts at dominating a smartphone market it essentially created while turning the international spotlight on LG’s device.
Or, quite simply, it could backfire.
The G2 has a 5.2-inch Full HD LCD display with 1920 x 1080 resolution coming in at about 424 pixels per inch. Running on a Qualcomm Snapdragon system on a chip (SoC) with a 2.2 GHz quad-core CPU, the G2 sill operate on Android’s 4.2.2 version of Jelly Bean though updates for Android 4.3 will likely be made readily available for G2 users in upcoming weeks.
The next-gen LG smartphone will boast 16GB and 32GB of internal storage variants, 2GB of RAM, be powered by a non-removable 3,000mAh battery, and offer a rear-facing 13MP LED flash camera as well as a front-facing 2.1MP shooter.
The G2 is supposed to be the most user-friendly device on the market, or so says LG execs, by incorporating a rear-mounted volume control button falsely rumored to be a fingerprint sensor and a number of learn-from-the-user features like AnswerMe, which automatically answers a call if the device is held up to a user’s head; Plug & Pop, which displays a menu of relevant apps when a headset or USB cable is plugged in; customizable display buttons, Guest Mode for non-G2 owners, QuickMemo, QuickRemote, and QSlide.
But while the features may appear progressive on paper, The Verge naturally has accused LG of taking too many Samsung Galaxy S4 cues and building a G2-specific shell around them. True or not, this only burgeons the notion that the high-end smartphone market is becoming increasingly saturated with gimmicky specs possibly leading the G2 on a path to self-destruction once Apple’s iPhone 5S is released.
Apple has always manufactured products with the sentiment that they would be intuitive and visceral, not the other way around as LG is suggesting with its G2. The 5S is thought to be equipped with a simple 4-inch display, a new 64-bit A7 processing chip, dual LED flash camera lens, and a fingerprint sensor amongst its other appealing facets.
Simple yet elegant.
But Apple’s flaws have been exposed as of late, some noting how the iPhone or really any Apple product has not seen a brand new innovation since Steve Jobs untimely death. So while stealing some 5S limelight could be great for LG to showcase its own arsenal of features, Apple may happily oblige to keep tech junkie vultures from nitpicking at its next-gen flagship or to keep any new specs under lock and key.
While the G2 has the potential to bolster LG’s feeble position in the smartphone market, it ought to tread carefully and not overexpose any technology that appears redundant in the high-end smartphone realm.
