(LEAD) LG Electronics to showcase new flagship smartphone next month

All News 08:40 July 13, 2017

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SEOUL, July 13 (Yonhap) -- LG Electronics Inc. said Thursday it plans to reveal a new flagship smartphone in Berlin next month ahead of an international tech convention.

The South Korean tech giant said it will showcase the presumed V30 smartphone on Aug. 31, ahead of the opening of the Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin (IFA) 2017. It marks the first time for LG to showcase a flagship device at the IFA.

Industry watchers said the move can be considered one of the company's efforts to tap deeper into the European market. The V10 and V20 smartphones were introduced in South Korea and the United States, respectively.

LG said the new device will come with the 18:9 ratio Full Vision display that was adopted by the G6 smartphone.

The company has been posting lackluster performances in the mobile business, apparently due to heightened competition with Samsung Electronics Co. and Apple Inc. in the high-end sector, while Chinese players also expanded into the budget smartphone market.

Accordingly, industry watchers said the presumed V30 smartphone will play a decisive role in revitalizing the division's earnings, especially as the G6 released earlier this year also failed to meet expectations.

While no detailed specifications have been revealed so far, industry sources said the new flagship may come with a 6.2-inch display and supports Google Inc.'s Daydream virtual reality platform.