LG's new mid-range X phones get one flagship feature each
Dual cameras on the X cam foreshadow one of the G5's leading features
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LG has today announced a pair of smartphones that inaugurate its new X series: the X cam and the X screen. The premise with both devices is to take one particularly enticing feature from LG's premium range and bring it down to "a price that rivals mid-range smartphones." The larger X cam includes a dual-camera system at the back, featuring a 13-megapixel and a 5-megapixel sensor, with the latter likely to be used for depth sensing and facilitating some more advanced shooting modes. This has been a long-rumored feature of LG's upcoming G5 flagship handset — which is also set for an MWC debut this weekend — and the new X cam adds credence to those reports.
The X screen offers a new deployment of an already familiar LG technology: the secondary "news ticker" display above the main panel, which was first introduced with the V10 last year. It serves up notifications and basics like the time and date along with shortcuts to frequently used apps and controls for calls and music playback. The X screen's main display measures in at an unconventional 4.93 inches and LG lists its resolution as "HD", which suggests a rather outdated 720p. The X cam's 5.2-inch screen offers 1080p resolution.
"Customers shouldn’t have to pay for features that they don’t want."
Both of LG's new phones make significant cutbacks in the spec department: they have 2GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage, relatively small batteries, and low-power processors. That makes their eventual price points all the more interesting, as we can't judge LG's spec decisions without knowing exactly how much they save for the consumer. The big idea here, as expressed by Juno Cho, president and CEO of LG Mobile, is that "customers shouldn’t have to pay for features that they don’t want." With Android Marshmallow and LTE connectivity on board, both the X cam and X screen still have a reasonable chance of satisfying most users' needs, even without having the most outstanding components within. Both handsets are very thin, measuring in at around 7mm in thickness, and the X cam weighs only 118 grams / just over 4 ounces.
LG's new X series will launch in Asia, Europe, and Latin America next month, available in a choice of colors. Both handsets will be offered in white and pink gold, with the X cam also including the silver option pictured here and a gold variant, while the X screen just adds a black model. We'll get our first time with these new devices at MWC later this week, so stay tuned for more.
