LG is hoping to shake up smartphone
design by placing the only physical buttons
of its new flagship model on the rear of
the handset.
The firm says the G2 addresses the problem
that mobiles become harder to control the
bigger they get.
The South Korean company recently reported
its strongest ever mobile phone figures.
However, analysts are split over whether or
not their latest innovation is a winner.
The new device features a 5.2in (13.2cm)
screen and is powered by Android.
Its rear keys can be used to adjust its volume
or - if pressed for a longer time - to activate
the device's camera and note-taking software.
LG suggests that using a back-button to take a
self-portrait with the front camera also makes
it easier to take a steady shot.
"Moving the main buttons to the back of the
phone gave users more control since this place
was where individuals' index fingers are
naturally located," it said.
"Researchers also found that moving the
buttons also resulted in fewer dropped phones
when adjusting the volume while talking."
LG overtook Huawei to become the world's
third best-selling smartphone maker in the
first three months of the year thanks to
demand for its Nexus 4 and Optimus range,
according to market research firm Gartner.
One of its researchers suggested the move
could indeed help address issues consumers
have with the design of bigger mobiles.
"This is a potentially
interesting concept
for LG because as
phones get larger,
the position of the
phone in the hand
and how you use it
is going to change,"
said analyst Brian
Blau.
"Whether the button
on the back proves
to be a winner long-
term has yet to be
determined, but it
deserves some
amount of consideration."
But another tech consultancy, Juniper
Research, dislikes the concept.
"I'm not convinced that this represents a killer
design," said analyst Michael Wiggins.
"The positioning of the navigation button
doesn't appear to be particularly user-friendly,
either, particularly if - given the size of the
device - you're an individual with smaller
hands.
"For a few more millimetres of screen, it's not
a great trade-off."
LG v Samsung
LG announced that it shipped a record 12.1
million handsets over the April to June period.
However, its mobile unit is not as profitable as
that of Samsung or Apple because much of the
demand was accounted for by its lower-margin
mid-range devices.
Coupled with an increased marketing budget
and weak sales of its TVs, it meant the firm
still posted a 9% drop in net income.
At the time, So Hyun-chul, an analyst at
Shinhan Investment Corp declared that LG
needed a "mega-hit smartphone to
dramatically raise its profit".
The launch of the G2 was notable for being the
first time LG has chosen to host a special
event in the US to unveil a handset -
something other manufactures Samsung, HTC
and Nokia have become accustomed to.
The new device's other stand-out features are
a 13 megapixel camera with image stabilisation
and 24 bit/192kHz audio playback, which LG
claims can reproduce music at a quality that is
"far superior to a CD".
"This is LG's top-tier play and from a specs
point-of-view it looks good versus the
Samsung Galaxy S4, which is the probably the
nearest phone in the market," said Stuart
Miles, founder of gadget review site Pocket-
lint.
"It's now down to whether people believe
strongly enough in the LG brand versus
Samsung's when it comes to choosing which
phone to go for.
"Ultimately I think LG has a chance, but
Samsung may just end up steamrollering them
with marketing."
LG said the G2 would go on sale first in South
Korea and then North America, Europe and
other markets over the next eight weeks.
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