It’s been almost a year since LG launched its last flagship model – the Optimus G – and the company is poised to release the successor imminently. The South Korean manufacturer hasn’t kept the handset a secret either, hinting that the phone has been coming numerous times, and even going so far as to drop some potential specs as well as the official name. The LG G2 will be officially announced this coming Wednesday, but here are all the details that you need to bring yourself up to speed in the meantime.
The name
The one thing we know for sure is the name of the handset: the LG G2. The company confirmed last month that it had dropped the famous Optimus branding – perhaps to simplify things, or possibly because it had run its course. Either way, the name of LG’s latest flagship shouldn’t be difficult to remember.
The brains
LG has also announced that the G2 is to be powered by Qualcomm’s latest silicon in the form of a quad-core Snapdragon 800 chipset, paired to 2GB of RAM. The potential clock speed could run as high as 2.3GHz, and early benchmarks have indicated that it’s the fastest mobile chip out there right now, especially with the Adreno 330 GPU in tow. Right now, the G2 is only the second known device to offer up such a chipset, following in the footsteps of the Sony Xperia Z Ultra.
The screen
We can take a good guess at the screen size and resolution too. A 5.2-inch 1080p IPS display seems most likely considering that LG announced such a panel not too long ago, claiming that it’s the “world’s slimmest” screen of its type.
The camera
The rear snapper is expected to be an uprated version of the LG Optimus G’s 13- megapixel camera, with an optical image stabilisation system built in, to rival the likes of the Nokia Lumia 920 and 925, HTC One and of course the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom. The camera UI will no doubt offer up a number of LG’s latest imaging tools too such as Dual Camera and Dual Video too.
The look
What about the design? All signs seem to indicate that LG will take an unusual route. Leaked pictures and rumours have suggested that the company has shifted the power and volume buttons to the back of the phone in an effort to cut down on the thickness of the handset. It’s a very strange design choice, and we’ll have to see how well it actually works in practise, but it’s good to know that LG may be trying something different during a time when others are playing it safe.
The phone hasn’t been camera shy either. Numerous pictures have been snapped of the handset, and it was even shown off on video not too long ago. A leaked user manual for the G2 suggests that the device will be 8.9mm thick, and weigh around 143 grams. The HTC One weighs around the same, and is only slightly thicker at 9.3mm, giving us a good idea of what to expect.
The SIM, battery and everything else
That leaked manual found by nowhereelse.fr confirmed some other minor details too. As it turns out, LG’s 2013 flagship will be the latest phone to use the new nanoSIM standard, following on the heels of the iPhone 5 and Moto X. The back cover of the phone is also removable, as is the internal battery, with rumours suggesting that the capacity will lay around the 2,500mAh to 2,600mAh mark – putting it in Galaxy S4 territory. Internal storage is also expected to be in the region of 32GB with expandability via microSD.
The launch
LG will officially unveil the phone on Wednesday August 7th, so we’ll find out exact availability details then. The company bought the LG Optimus G to the UK last year in addition to the Nexus 4, so we’re not too worried about missing out on a local release. As for pricing, we’ll simply have to wait and see. Given that this is LG’s new flagship, though, then expect to pay roughly the same as you would have at launch for the HTC One, Samsung Galaxy S4, and iPhone 5.
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