The LG Optimus G Pro smartphone hits shelves in South Korea this week, but when will it be available in the United States?
"LG often sells its phones first in its home market of South Korea, and it looks like that's the plan for the Optimus G Pro, too. But it'll arrive in other areas, too, including North America and Japan in the second quarter of 2013, LG said in an announcement a week ahead of the Mobile World Congress show," writes CNET.
The Optimus G Pro's form factor echoes the Samsung Galaxy Note II, the "phablet" device sold by LG's competitor than crosses a smartphone with a tablet in a huge package that comes with a stylus.
"With the largest display yet to appear on an LG smartphone, the 4G LTE-equipped Optimus G Pro with 5.5-inch Full HD IPS display and new UX features was developed to meet the growing demand for smartphones with large screens," says an LG press release.
"The Full HD IPS display on the Optimus G Pro - developed in partnership with LG Display - delivers 1920 x 1080 pixels at 400ppi. The smartphone offers the largest battery capacity in its class at 3,140mAh, allowing for Full HD viewing enjoyment for hours on end. And with an improved 13MP rear and 2.1MP front camera, users can also capture images and videos in Full HD, the same quality found on high definition TVs."
A Japanese release should be coming sometime in April, paving the way for European and American releases later in the year, likely before July.
For those who can't wait that long, the Optimus G Pro will be available unlocked in South Korea for $895 in the meantime.