LG G2 brings Snapdragon 800 and rear buttons to Android smartphone

Korean company says 130 networks already signed up to carry the handset

Korean tech company LG has unveiled its latest flagship G2 smartphone, confirming over 130 carriers have signed up to support the Android handset.

LG president and chief executive of electronics mobile communications Dr Jong-seok Park said the smartphone is designed to take on top-end handsets like the Samsung Galaxy S4 and Apple iPhone 5 and will boast a host of custom hardware and software inspired by customer research.

Park highlighted the phone's design as its key selling point, promising the phone button's rear button placement will offer customers a far more intuitive smartphone experience. "This is the result of thousands of hours of research and development with you in mind. The most innovative aspect of the G2 is its design, with the real key being the feature everyone's been talking about since it was announced," he said.

"The purpose of the design shift was not to be different. It was born from our human research. Think about where your index finger is when you're making a call. It's on the back of the device. Moving the volume and power buttons to the back changes the way we interact with the phone. Put simply everything is more convenient."

Park said that by placing the phone's buttons on the back, it could reduce the bezel size, allowing it to boast a 5.2in full HD IPS 1920x1080, 423ppi display, despite measuring in at 139x71x8.9mm. Park said the company chose the screen size as "a phone with a 5.2in display is the largest size a regular smartphone user can hold comfortably".

The LG G2 is the first ever smartphone to run using a 2.26GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, which Park claims will make it one of the fastest in the world. Outside of this, the phone will feature a 13MP rear camera and be powered by a 3000mAh battery LG lists as being able to last "a full day's work".

LG claims the rear camera's advanced Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS) technology and custom Sapphire Crystal Lens will allow it to compete with top-end camera phones, like the Nokia Lumia 925, when it comes to image quality.

The LG G2 will be powered by a customised version of Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2, running LG applications and software features like Answer Me, Plug and Pop, Text Link, Slide Aside and Guest Mode.

Answer Me lets users answer calls by holding the phone next to their ear, while Plug and Pop pulls up app and action recommendations when earphones or a USB cable is connected to the device. Text Link is designed to let customers access information stored in previous messages without exiting the email or text application. Slide Aside improves Android's native multitasking, letting users move between open apps using a three-finger swipe motion.

Guest Mode offers similar services to the Restricted Profiles service built into the new Android 4.3 Jelly Bean version, letting administrators choose which apps are available when guests access the phone with a secondary unlock pattern.

There is currently no official word on how much the LG G2 will cost, or when it will arrive in the UK. All LG has confirmed is that the LG G2 will be rolled out globally in the next eight weeks starting in South Korea, followed by North America and Europe.