LG to unveil G4 in late April

South Korea’s tech giant LG Electronics is expected to unveil its next flagship smartphone G4 at the end of April, according to sources on Friday.

“LG has recently decided the debut schedule for its new marquee phone G4,” said one of the sources who declined to be named.

LG Electronics mobile business chief Cho Ju-no also hinted during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona earlier this month that it could unveil the G4 in April.

Cho also said that the upcoming smartphone will boast a series of new features including a new user experience, better cameras and a clearer display than its predecessor.

The Seoul-based company will reportedly adopt what is called the dual UX for the G4, allowing mobile users to switch from an expert mode ― which displays functions tailored to young tech-savvy consumers ― to a normal mode ― which shows simple configurations of the home screen for first-time smartphone users.

As LG’s new smartphone is set to be launched just a few weeks after the global release of Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge scheduled for April 10, the country’s second biggest electronics company will lock horns with its home rival.

Many market analysts projected that the competition between the two Korean smartphone makers would end with a lopsided victory for Samsung, which has successfully drawn global attention with the souped-up S6 and S6 Edge.

The S6 and S6 Edge come in three colors with a special color option available for each model, and the S6 Edge features a screen curved on both sides ― features that received positive market reactions.

Although it will be an uphill battle for LG, some market analysts predicted that it would maintain momentum created by the G3 unveiled last May.

“The G4 may hit record sales of 9.2 million units in 2015, up 15 percent from those of the G3 last year,” said Lee Seung-hyuk, an analyst from Korea Investment and Securities.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)