It was only a matter of time before LG decided to make another phablet. Today the company announced the new LG G Pro 2, the sequel to its original Galaxy Note fighter, with a selection of improved hardware and software features. Since it's a phablet, the screen is what you're probably most interested in - it's a 5.9-inch 1080p LCD panel, appropriately matching the screen on the Note 3. LG says it has "an industry-leading screen-to-frame ratio of 77.2 percent."

Under the hood you get a 2.26Ghz Snapdragon 800 processor, 3GB of RAM, an impressive 13MP rear camera, and a whopping 3,200mAh removable battery. The internal storage will be either 16GB or 32GB, plus whatever you can cram in the MicroSD card slot. In the photos you can see LG's new standard rear-mounted volume and power buttons beneath the camera, and the phone will be offered in at least three colors with a unique texture on the battery cover. LG is particularly proud of a new 1-watt speaker, which is 30% louder than the previous model.

LG hasn't said when the phone will launch, but when it does it will run Android 4.4 plus LG's usual suite of add-ons. These include a new selfie-friendly picture mode which shrinks the preview window and borders it with white for better facial lighting. They call it "Flash for Selfie," but there's no actual flash on the front, and the front-facing camera is still a rather paltry 2.1MP. The rear camera benefits from optical image stabilization, 120FPS high-speed/slow motion shooting, and a 4K recording mode. Other goodies include a "display shrink" option that limits the size of the screen for one-handed operation and a splitscreen web browser.

LG hasn't said when the G Pro 2 will be available or for how much, but you can bet it will be hitting all the major markets before too long. LG will be showing off its new baby at Mobile World Congress in a little over a week.

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SEOUL, Feb. 13, 2014 ― Today LG Electronics (LG) introduced the LG G Pro 2, its follow-up to the award-winning G Pro, to the Korean public. Much like last year’s G Pro, which was recognized as the Best Smartphone of MWC 2013, the G Pro 2 comes equipped with a state-of-the-art display and new UX features to take user convenience to the next level.

With a stunning 5.9-inch Full HD IPS display and extra slim bezel of 3.3mm, the G Pro 2 offers an industry-leading screen-to-frame ratio of 77.2 percent. A thicker, high-power 1W Hi-Fi sound that’s 30 percent louder than in the G Pro delivers clearer sound with more powerful bass. And to simplify the powering on and unlocking process, LG engineers developed a completely unique feature called Knock Code™ which makes unlocking and using the G Pro 2 easier and more convenient than ever before.

“Knock Code is an example of LG bringing simpler, more convenient solutions to consumers’ mobile lives,” said Dr. Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “Whereas in the early years of smartphones it was a contest to see how many features could be stuffed into the phones, our researchers took a long, hard look at how consumers were really using their devices in their daily lives and included just the most useful UX features. We think customers will agree.”

An evolution of the popular KnockON feature that was first unveiled last year in the LG G2, Knock Code allows owners to power on and unlock their G Pro 2 smartphones in one easy step by tapping their screens using one of 86,367 “knock” combinations. Thanks to LG’s intelligent algorithm and advanced hardware, the knock pattern can be entered on any area of the screen ― whether the display is turned on or off ― using anywhere from two to eight taps.

The G Pro 2 is the first LG smartphone to benefit from an enhanced 13MP camera with OIS+ (Optical Image Stabilizer Plus) and advanced functions ideal for creating sharing content. LG’s proprietary OIS+ technology adds software anti-shake functionality to the acclaimed hardware-based feature already built into the slim camera module for the best photos and videos possible when in motion or in low light situations. What’s more, the sensors and lens of the rear and front camera on the G Pro 2 have increased in both size and sensitivity, for images that rival many standalone point-and-shoot cameras. Some of the other advanced image capturing features built into the G Pro 2 are:

· 120FPS HD Video Recording and Slow-Motion Editing: Records in 120fps HD and allows editing of video in three different speeds ― one-half slow motion, one-fourth slow motion and original

· 4K ULTRA HD Recording: Records video footage in ultra-high definition mode for playback on 4K TV sets

· Magic Focus: After the shot is taken, user have the option to select the preferred depth of focus before saving. Users can also press the all-in-focus icon to make every object in the frame look their sharpest

· Natural Flash: Offers more balanced color temperature and exposure for the most natural-looking photos compared to images taken with a normal flash

· Flash for Selfie: Reduces the size of the preview screen and adds a bright white background for more “soft” lighting in self-portrait mode

· Burst Shot: Takes up to 20 continuous shots and automatically edits them to create a video of the captured images

· Gallery Collage: Allows users to select photos from their gallery to create a collage for easy uploading to favorite social network sites

In addition to the latest components, the G Pro 2 also boasts a collection of upgraded features that complements today’s mobile lifestyle where much of the information we need is in the palm of our hands or in our back pockets. Some of these new UX features include:

· Content Lock: Provides users more security with the ability to lock files, photos, videos and memos with a unique password

· Mini View: Enables users to comfortably use the G Pro 2 with one hand by shrinking the display to a size ranging from 3.4 inches to 4.7 inches, depending on the user’s preference

· Dual Browser: Divides the expansive screen into two separate browser windows for more convenient surfing

Availability of G Pro 2 in markets outside of Korea has not yet been determined but attendees to the 2014 Mobile World Congress can experience the G Pro 2 and its features first-hand at LG’s Booth in Hall 3 of Fira Gran Via.

Key Specifications:

- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 800 (2.26 GHz Quad-Core)

- GPU: Qualcomm Technologies Adreno™ 330

- Display: 5.9-inch Full HD IPS (1920 x 1080), Slim Bezel

- Memory: 3GB DDR3 RAM / 16GB/32GB eMMC ROM / microSD slot

- Camera: Rear 13.0MP OIS+ / Front 2.1MP

- Battery: 3,200mAh (removable)

- Operating System: Android 4.4 KitKat

- Size: 157.9 x 81.9 x 8.3mm

- Weight: 172g

- Network: LTE / HSPA+

- Connectivity: Bluetooth Smart Ready (BT 4.0) / USB / WiFi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) / NFC / SlimPort

- Colors: Titan, White, Red

- Other: Knock Code™, 1W Hi-Fi Sound, Content Lock