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Evolution of LG’s Curved Smartphone Unveiled at CES 2015

LG Electronics (LG) continues to push the industry boundaries with the unveiling of the new G Flex2 at the 2015 International CES in Las Vegas. The original G Flex earned positive reviews for its innovative design and outside-the-box thinking. One year later, the G Flex2 improves upon its predecessor in every way possible with a more advanced design, faster performance and most importantly, greater convenience.

The LG G Flex2 boasts sleeker, more stylish curves and a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 810 processor with Octa-Core 64-bit capable CPUs for a nimbler and smoother performance. Its 5.5-inch display gets a bump up to Full HD, while the updated software offers even more conveniences through all-new features such as Gesture View and Glance View. The unique “Self Healing” back cover from the original G Flex carries over to the G Flex2 and is now faster and more effective than before.

Beauty In The Details

The G Flex2 goes beyond its predecessor’s groundbreaking 700mm radius curved profile. The new smartphone harmoniously incorporates a symphony of curves ranging from a radius of 400mm to 700mm across the front, back, sides and top-to-bottom edges. The dynamically curved layers deliver a sleeker and more dynamic look to G Flex2.

However, the G Flex2’s curves are for more than looks. The phone’s ergonomic design brings the microphone closer to the mouth, for better sound pickup compared to conventional smartphones which allow much more outside noise to enter the phone through the microphone.  The slimmed down 5.5 inches screen with curvatures makes the perfect fit for eyes and the grip. The display’s 700mm radius curvature delivers a truly immersive viewing experience from any angle, while the steeper 650mm radius curvature of the back is more comfortable to grip and fits easier in the pocket. The display’s resolution has also been bumped up to 1080p Full HD, which makes every UI detail appear crisp and alive. The P-OLED display, which gives the G Flex2 its unique shape and durability, is even more precise than in the original G Flex.

Turning the phone over reveals handcrafted details such as the Spin Hairline Pattern on the G Flex2’s curved rear, which showcases the subtle yet brilliant polish of the surface from every angle.

Most Advanced Technology To Date

The G Flex2 is the first smartphone officially announced to come equipped with the Snapdragon 810 processor, featuring Octa-Core 64-bit capable CPUs optimized for Android 5.0 and the advanced Qualcomm? Adreno™ 430 GPU for stunning graphics performance.   This makes the smartphone incredibly fast and efficient for multimedia and multi-tasking. The Snapdragon 810 also features fully integrated 3x20MHz Carrier Aggregation support for faster, more efficient connectivity.

What’s more, the G Flex2’s cover glass is approximately 20 percent more durable, thanks to a special chemical treatment technology developed by LG.

The Self Healing back, which keeps the phone looking new even through the nicks and scratches from normal everyday use, has also been improved with significantly faster healing time. LG reduced the healing time from about three minutes to just within ten seconds at room temperature.

Another innovative technology only available in LG smartphones is the amazingly fast Laser Auto Focus camera, first introduced in the popular LG G3. This technology enables the G Flex2 to capture the best moment even in low light by measuring the distance between the subject and the camera using a laser beam. Combined with LG’s proven OIS+ technology and dual LED flash, the G Flex2 delivers images that rival most standalone point and shoot cameras.

Practical Solutions for User Convenience

The G Flex2’s curve-enhanced user experience carries over to software as well. It comes fully loaded with the best of LG’s unique software features optimized for its curved form factor:

  • Gesture Shot makes it easy to capture the perfect selfie with a simple hand gesture recognizable from up to 1.5 meters away.
  • Gesture View makes it easy to check your last shot immediately after taking a photo or selfie.
  • Glance View displays key information such as time, recent messages or missed calls with a downward swipe of the curved screen even while the display is off.
  • Fast Charge allows the embedded 3,000mAh battery in the G Flex2 the only curved mobile battery in the world to be charged up to 50 percent in under 40 minutes.

“The original G Flex demonstrated LG’s pioneering spirit and with the G Flex2 we have refined the curved form factor, staying true to our philosophy of innovation for a better life,” said Juno Cho, president and CEO of the LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “The G Flex2 not only has the stunning looks, it also has the powerful guts to be at the cutting edge of current smartphone technology. Simply put, it’s a true head-turner in every sense of the word.”

Key Specifications

  • Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 810 processor with 2.0GHz 64-bit Octa-Core CPU
  • Display: 5.5-inch Full HD Curved P-OLED (1080 x 1920 pixels / 403 ppi)
  • Memory: 16/32MB eMMC ROM / 2GB DDR4 RAM / microSD slot (up to 2TB)  
  • Camera: Rear 13.0MP with OIS+ with Laser Auto Focus / Front 2.1MP
  • Battery: 3,000mAh (embedded)
  • Operating System: Android 5.0 Lollipop
  • Size: 149.1 x 75.3 x 7.1-9.4mm
  • Weight: 152g
  • Network: 4G / LTE / HSPA+ 21/42 Mbps
  • Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth Smart Ready (Apt-X) 4.1, NFC, SlimPort, A-GPS / Glonass, USB 2.0
  • Color: Platinum Silver, Flamenco Red
  • Other: Gesture Shot, Gesture View, Glance View etc.

Joanne Carter, creator of the world’s most popular mobile photography and art website— TheAppWhisperer.com— TheAppWhisperer platform has been a pivotal cyberspace for mobile artists of all abilities to learn about, to explore, to celebrate and to share mobile artworks. Joanne’s compassion, inclusivity, and humility are hallmarks in all that she does, and is particularly evident in the platform she has built. In her words, “We all have the potential to remove ourselves from the centre of any circle and to expand a sphere of compassion outward; to include everyone interested in mobile art, ensuring every artist is within reach”, she has said. Promotion of mobile artists and the art form as a primary medium in today’s art world, has become her life’s focus. She has presented lectures bolstering mobile artists and their art from as far away as the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea to closer to her home in the UK at Focus on Imaging. Her experience as a jurist for mobile art competitions includes: Portugal, Canada, US, S Korea, UK and Italy. And her travels pioneering the breadth of mobile art includes key events in: Frankfurt, Naples, Amalfi Coast, Paris, Brazil, London. Pioneering the world’s first mobile art online gallery - TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com has extended her reach even further, shipping from London, UK to clients in the US, Europe and The Far East to a global group of collectors looking for exclusive art to hang in their homes and offices. The online gallery specialises in prints for discerning collectors of unique, previously unseen signed limited edition art. Her journey towards becoming The App Whisperer, includes (but is not limited to) working for a paparazzi photo agency for several years and as a deputy editor for a photo print magazine. Her own freelance photographic journalistic work is also widely acclaimed. She has been published extensively both within the UK and the US in national and international titles. These include The Times, The Sunday Times, The Guardian, Popular Photography & Imaging, dpreview, NikonPro, Which? and more recently with the BBC as a Contributor, Columnist at Vogue Italia and Contributing Editor at LensCulture. Her professional photography has also been widely exhibited throughout Europe, including Italy, Portugal and the UK. She is currently writing several books, all related to mobile art and is always open to requests for new commissions for either writing or photography projects or a combination of both. Please contact her at: [email protected]