LG will introduce a large smartphone this month, the LG Vu — and apparently, it could be the first rival of the Samsung Galaxy Note.
LG wants to compete against the Samsung Galaxy Note? Well, the South Korean electronics company teases the public today with the first image of the LG Vu, the smartphone with 5-inch screen and with aspect ratio of 4:3. Based on its touchscreen size, it is arguably the first true rival of the Samsung Galaxy Note, the first Android smartphone of Samsung with the 5.3-inch Super AMOLED HD touchscreen.
According to reports, the LG Optimus Vu will ship with the 5-inch screen with the resolution of 1024×768 and with the IPS display technology, and sadly, it was reported that the LG Optimus Vu will not ship with Android 4.0, the latest version of the popular mobile operating system which includes new features like better multitasking, the new Google Chrome for Android support, more intuitive user interface, better camera application and so much more.
No word yet from LG about the ICS of the Optimus Vu but an upgrade from Android Gingerbread 2.3 to Android 4.0 is highly possible based on the update schedule of LG’s older phones like the Optimus 2X and the Optimus LTE that will reportedly get the new OS later this year.
Other features of the leaked LG Optimus Vu are 1.5 GHz Snapdragon S3 dual-core CPU, 1 GB of DDR2 RAM, 8 GB of internal storage, Near Field Communication, and the default 8-megapixel back-facing camera. Specs-wise (except for the screen), the device will not offer “something new.”
The new LG Optimus Vu is expected to hit the stage this month at the MWC in Europe, and it might go on sale in Q2.
In related news, Samsung and AT&T will start selling the Galaxy Note in the United States this month with the bonus Long-Term Evolution, the faster wireless network technology that will allow customers to enjoy faster web browsing, video streaming, etc. The international (unlocked) variant is offering the HSPA+ only.
Can the Samsung Galaxy Note attract the smartphone customers by offering a larger screen? Plus, can the new Optimus Vu outsell the Note?
According to Samsung, the Note surpassed its first 1 million shipment last December, two months before the release of the phone in United States, and one month after releasing the first Android 4.0 phone, the Galaxy Nexus.
According to multiple third-party retailers, the Galaxy Note is more expensive than the Galaxy Nexus.
