LG expands Optimus smartphone lineup with the new F5 and F7

On Thursday, South Korean mobile device manufacturer LG unveiled the new Optimus F series, comprised of two smartphones, the Optimus F5 and the Optimus F7, that will debut at MWC (Mobile World Congress) in Barcelona, next week.

The Optimus F series slots under the Optimus G lineup, the latter of which includes the Optimus G and Optimus G Pro Android flagship smartphones, sporting smaller displays and less powerful processors. Both the Optimus F7 and the Optimus F5 ship with Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean out-of-the-box and 4G LTE cellular connectivity. But what separates the two?

The Optimus F7 comes with a 4.7-inch True HD IPS display with resolution of 1280 by 720 and a 312 pixels-per-inch density. The smartphone is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor (likely a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4), 2GB of RAM and a 2540 mAh battery.

The Optimus F7 features 8GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot, the latter of which can accommodate up to 32GB of extra storage. Other specs include 8MP back-facing camera with autofocus and a 1.3MP front-facing shooter. The handset comes in at 131.7 x 86.2 x 9.6 mm.

The Optimus F5 features a smaller display, a 4.3-inch IPS panel with a resolution of 960 by 540 and a 256 ppi density. Power comes from a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM and a 2,150mAh battery.

The smartphone also sports 8GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot, similar to the Optimus F7. Other specs include a 5MP back-facing camera with autofocus and a 1.3MP front-facing shotter. The Optimus F5 measures 126.0 x 64.5 x 9.3 mm.

On the new Optimus F5 and Optimus F7, Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company says: "With adoption of LTE expected to explode in 2013, we are sending a clear message to consumers with the Optimus F Series that LTE isn’t just for heavy content users and techies anymore. It’s for everyone".

On both devices LG adds its traditional "UX features", which include QSlide, allowing the user to view two apps at the same time, and Live Zooming, that can be used to zoom into a certain area while watching a video. Other software features are QuickMemo, QTranslator, Video Wiz and Safety Care, among others.

The Optimus F5 will be available in Europe in the second quarter of 2013. The Optimus F7 will follow in "selected markets". Obviously, LG will provide more details as to the availability and price of the two smartphones "at a later date".