LG set to launch new flagship smartphone at end-April: sources

South Korea's No. 2 handset maker, LG Electronics Inc., is set to roll out its next flagship smartphone at end-April, seeking to take on its bigger rival Samsung Electronics Co., which will also release new Galaxy smartphones in two weeks, industry sources said Friday.

Presumably the G4, the smartphone is expected to come with an Quad HD display in the 5-inch range like its predecessor, the G3, but with a curved touch, according to the sources.

Analysts said the G4 may become a gamechanger for LG, especially as the growth of Chinese firms, which has been cited as a major drag on South Korean players, started to slow.

"LG Electronics will take the upper ground in the second-tier battle," Kiwoom Securities Co. said in a research note. "The G4 will sell 15 million units annually and add to the brand value of LG."

"Despite the strong sales of the iPhone 6 and the high expectations for the Galaxy S6, the sales of the G4 will be higher than the G3," echoed Korea Investment & Securities Co. "We expect the sales of the G4 will reach 9.2 million units for 2015."

On the back of the robust sales of the G3, the combined smartphone shipment of LG Electronics is estimated at 59.6 million units for 2014, up from the 47.6 million units posted a year earlier. LG shipped only 20 million units of smartphones worldwide in 2011.

LG entered the smartphone market dominated by its bigger homegrown rival Samsung Electronics in 2009 as a latecomer.

Samsung said earlier it will start the sales of the 5.1-inch Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge on April 10. The two models are said to come with breakthrough-level charging speed, with a 10-minute charge giving the smartphones about four hours of usage. (Yonhap)