After selling well in South Korea, the LG AKA is poised to conquer the rest of the world.
This unique handset, which looks like a novelty item for its customizable outer cover (more like cartoonish with those eyes) and software, is scheduled to launch in Hong Kong by April. It will then be available in Turkey, Singapore, China, and Taiwan afterwards.
This smartphone is not just a looker, and carries decent specs as well. It has a 1.2GHz quad-core CPU and 1.5GB RAM with 16GB internal storage (expandable to 32GB via microSD). Its 5-inch LCD has a display resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels (IPS HD), which complements its 8MP main camera and 2.1MP secondary camera. Released in November 2014, it runs on Android 4.4.2 (Kitkat) OS. For a power supply, it has a 2610 mAh Li-Polymer battery unit.
It's also compact and lightweight, with its 135-gram frame and 138.7 x 71.90 x 9.90mm physical dimension. The LG AKA also has five color variations: white, yellow, blue, and pink. Oh, and they're named Wooky (slang speaking), Eggy (the romantic), Soul (the beer and music lover), and Yo-Yo (the diet addict) respectively.
With the right accessories, the eyes at the back of the device lights up and becomes animated.
It's also affordable with its US$455 price tag, and reportedly LTE-ready to boot.
This quirky phone earned a huge following in the local South Korean phone market, winning an IF Design Award for its "unconventional approach to smartphone design". When it first came out, the LG AKA ws meant to be an exclusive South Korean phone model, but gained worldwide attention due to its unique design.
Later on, the South Korean phone manufacturer plans to release this phone in North America.
"AKA is the first smartphone that gives owners a blank canvas to express their own personalities via a customized user experience," said Juno Cho, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. "AKA is about being creative and never losing sight of the things that make us young and interesting. This is a whole new direction in smartphone UX and we're excited about where it may take us."
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