LG At MWC 2013: Optimus G, Vu Along with LII and F Series Unleashed

LG has been off the radar for a very long time. Its phones were restricted to South Korea only. On the other hand its arch rival Samsung is coveted as the king of mobile phones. The fact is that the company was trying to innovate, but was hit badly with hell lot of persistent issues. The LG Optimus 2X was the world's first Dual Core phone.

In 2012, the South Korean giant announced Optimus G that was the world's first Quad Core 4G LTE phones. The company also became the first mover (not exactly, but still) in the Phablet race. What went wrong? Is that a case of low visibility including marketing? Or consumers are afraid of buying LG made smartphones - thanks to slow release of updates firmware updates. Whatever the case may be, the company trailed far behind its arch rivals.

The year 2012 was a turning point for LG. That year the Korean giant unleashed its biggest money spinner - Google Nexus 4(not available in India). Critics went Gaga over the device. Last year, the company also launched L-Series. This series was answer to Samsung's Galaxy series minus (Galaxy S3 and party). LG says the L-Series is selling like crazy with 15 million sold at the time of writing this report. The handset under L-Series is pretty decent and comes in various price-points. This year at the ongoing carnival at Barcelona (MWC), LG updated its famed L-Series. Let's look at the updated series.

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LG Optimus L-Series II - L7 II, L5II and L3II

The Optimus LG L7 II is a modest attempt by the manufacturer. It has a 4.3 -inch IPS WVGA display( 480 x 800), 1Ghz dual core processor, 768MB of RAM , 4GB of internal memory(expandable), an 8-mega pixel rear camera and mere low quality front facing camera , Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and 2460mAh battery. The device also comes in dual SIM flavor.

The Optimus LG L3 II is a low end Android handset. The device comes with a 3.2-inch IPS QVGA display, 1 GHz single core processor, 4GB of internal storage (expandable), a 3-mega pixel shooter on the rear, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and 1, 540mAh battery. One can also look for dual SIM variant of L3 II.

The Optimus LG L5 II is low-to-mid level smartphone. The device comes with a 4-inch IPS WVGA display, 1 GHz single core processor, a 5-mega pixel camera and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. LG says the L3 II will also be available in dual SIM version.

LG Optimus F-Series - F7 and F5

The LG Optimus L -Series II is aimed at consumers with tight pockets. The new F-Series comes with serious power. The LG F7 flaunts a 4.7 true HD display (720p), 2GB of RAM, 1.2 GHz dual core processor, 8GB of internal memory (expandable), an 8-mega pixel camera and most importantly 4G LTE connectivity.

While the second handset - LG F5 comes with a 4.3-IPS LCD display, 1GB of RAM, 1.2 GHz dual core processor and 5-mega pixel shooter on the back. Other specs include: Wi-Fi, USB 2.0 and Bluetooth 4.0 are pretty standard. Both handsets are powered by Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean.

LG Optimus G Pro

LG is an experience player in the much lauded Phablet market. The rise of bigger pockets is the main reason for the coming of age devices and phablets are one among them. Samsung started the trend and now almost every manufacturer adopted this piece of technology. The LG Optimus Pro is basically a successor to hit Optimus G handset. The device boosts of a 5.5-inch 1080p HD display, 2GB of RAM, 4G LTE, 1.6 GHz quad core processor, a 13-mega pixel camera on the rear and 2.1 -mega pixel front facing camera. The handset has astonishing 3140mAh battery.

LG Optimus Vu 2

A new hybrid LTE device that combines the portability of a smartphone with the viewing experience of a tablet, LG's Optimus Vu: is equipped with a 5-inch, 4:3 aspect ratio display that is ideal for viewing documents, e-books, multimedia content and browsing the internet. With the recent addition of the Optimus Vu: 2 in the Korean market, there are now two devices in Vu: Series that deliver a unique mobile user experience with UX features such as Vu: Talk and QRemote.

The ongoing MWC is a great platform to show updated mobile technologies. For a struggling player like LG who is looking for a better placement really needs to transform its ideology all together. Its fierce rival Samsung managed to carve a niche with hit products each quarter. The South Korean giant is not restricted to its homeland, but the ambitions of going global made the company a well known desirable brand across the world.

LG needs to strengthen its portfolio quickly as soon as fast. In Indian terms, LG is negligible at the moment. The higher end is ruled by Apple and Samsung while lower end is being ruled by dominant Indian players such as Micromax to name few. It is said that LG India is said to launch much delayed Optimus G in the market on February 27. The device is expected to retail around Rs.30, 000. LG giant urgently needs a strong low end device and a high end device to make India as their next big market. Hiring John Abraham as a brand ambassador does not translate into sales.