LG's 5-Inch Optimus VU Shown Next Week, More

LG will sport a bunch of new phones next week at Mobile World Congress including the 5-inch Optimus Vu and Optimus LTE Tag.

On Sunday, LG unveiled the Optimus Vu, a 4G LTE smartphone sporting a huge 5-inch (1024 x 768) IPS display. The phone is scheduled to make its first appearance next week during the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona. So far LG hasn't announced a release date, but we expect to hear more about that during the show.

A list of key specifications show the device featuring a 1.5 GHz dual-core SoC, 1 GB of DDR2 RAM and 32 GB of internal storage (eMMC). It also comes packed with an 8MP rear-facing camera (with an AF LED flash), a 1.3MP camera on the front, a 2,080 mAh battery, HDMI output, DLNA support, and Google's Android 2.3 "Gingerbread" OS (an update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is already in the works).

"At only 8.5-mm, the Optimus Vu: is the slimmest among all LTE phones currently on the market and is perfectly suited for a hand and fits comfortably in a jacket pocket. Despite the large 2,080mAh battery, the Optimus Vu: adopts LG’s exclusive floating mass technology to appear slimmer than its actual dimensions," the company said.

After announcing the Optimus Vu, LG then revealed on Monday the Optimus LTE Tag for the Korean market. This phone features LG Tag+ technology which uses NFC (Near Field Communication) to communicate with special stickers or "tags" that can be programmed to automatically change the phone’s settings. As an example, owners swiping a tag upon entering the office could put the Optimus LTE Tag in silent mode and activate Wi-Fi.

In addition to the NFC tech, the phone has a 1.2 GHz dual-core SoC, a 4.3-inch (800 x 480) IPS screen, 16 GB of internal storage, a 5MP rear-facing camera and a 1.3MP front-facing camera. Other features include DLNA support, a 1,700 mAh battery, MHL (Mobile High Definition Link), and Android 2.3 "Gingerbread." Additional information is expected to be revealed next week.

Finally, to round out LG's trilogy of announcements over the past three days, on Tuesday company stated that it will showcase its new design identity, called L-Style, next week at Mobile World Congress.

"Design is consistently the top or second most important factor for customers when choosing a mobile phone," said Dr. Jong-seok Park, President and CEO of LG Mobile Communications Company. "With smartphones, we sometimes took a more functional approach to design but with L-Style we’re going back to our roots as a company focused on how our products fit into the lifestyle of our customers."

LG said that its L-Style philosophy comprises of five "aesthetic statements." These include a Modern Square Style for excellent grip, Floating Mass Technology for a slimmer look, Seamless Layout "for a more intuitive arrangement of keys," Harmonized Design Contrast which uses metallic accents, and Sensuous Slim Shape to make it look oh so sexy. We might need a cold shower after all of that.

Three new smartphones using the L-Style philosophy will make an appearance next week: the 3.2-inch Optimus L3 which is scheduled to launch first in Europe next month, and the 4-inch Optimus L5 and 4.3-inch Optimus L7, both of which are scheduled to launch sometime in the first half of 2012.

Market availability and additional hardware specifications of all three models will be announced at a future date, LG said.