When LG surprised us with a teaser for the Optimus Vu smartphone, touting its 4:3 aspect ratio display, we expected an official announcement to come at Mobile World Congress. It turns out LG had another surprise in store, officially announcing the phone in a press release. Many of the previously-rumored specs proved accurate: the phone features a 5-inch 1024 x 768 IPS display, a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm processor, an 8-megapixel camera, and will support LTE. What's new is the storage capacity — the phone will come with 32GB of storage — and the full dimensions. The phone measures in at 5.49 inches by 3.55 inches, making it wider than the already substantially-sized Galaxy Note, but thinner at just 0.33 inches thick (8.5mm). Taking another cue from the Note's playbook, the Vu will support the use of a stylus as well.

The phone will be running Android 2.3 Gingerbread at launch, but LG is promising an Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade within three months. The Optimus Vu will be available on South Korean carriers LG+ and SK Telecom in early March, though no pricing has yet been announced.

See how the Optimus Vu stacks up to Samsung's Galaxy Note using our comparison tool!