From DailyTech: As usual, when it came to the unveiling of the LG G4 -- the fourth generation G Series flagship smartphone -- South Korea's LG Electronics Inc. (KRX:066570)(KRX:066575) opted for a late-spring unveil of its flagship smartphone in the Apr.-May window. The later launch is wise as it allows LG to avoid going head to head with domestic rival Samsung Electronics Comp., Ltd. (KRX:005930) (KRX:005935) and Taiwan's HTC Corp. (TPE:2498), who typically vie for attention with Android flagship launches in the Feb.-Mar. window.
While the timing may be well planned and the hardware upgrade modestly impressive, the buzz for the LG G4's rollout is a bit more sedate. That's due to one factor outside the company's control -- Samsung's hot flagship models, the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. Much as last year's lacksadaisical Galaxy S5 fueled buzz to grow around the LG G3, the reverse holds true this year -- the ambitious, bold redesign of the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are putting a dampener on the launch of the LG G4.
But more choice is always better, and for better or worse the LG G4 soldiers forth this week into the international marketplace. In a Monday press release the phonemaker laid out a rough schedule of the rollout, commenting:
"LG G4 will begin rolling out this week to consumers in key markets around the world, continuing throughout the month into June and beyond as more retailers and operators see what LG G4 has to offer their customers. Starting in Hong Kong, the G4 will follow with rollouts in Turkey, Russia and Singapore, eventually including most of Europe, North America, CIS, Southeast Asia, Middle East/Africa and South/Central America. Approximately 180 carriers and retails are already on board as G4 partners."
To add a bit of a wrinkle to the equation, LG also announced two more upcoming models -- the LG G4c and G4 Stylus. While the name may suggest these are close siblings of the flagship model, they're actually budget models, analogous to Samsung's Galaxy A Series.
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