LG has announced the LG Optimus Vu II in its home country of Korea, a handset that sports a mammoth 5-inch display, runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and has LTE capabilities. Yet is it enough to justify the hefty price tag?

The handset, a follow-up to the original LG Optimus Vu’s screen, has an impressive resolution of 1024x768 pixels and implements LG’s In-Plane Switching technology (IPS) with a 4:3 ratio. Judging by the press pics, LG has tried to make the most of the estate available by running the screen right to the edge of the left and right sides of the phone.

A phone of this size - 132.2 x 85.6 x 9.4 with a weight of 159g – and LG has decided to include a stylus, bundling in its Rubberdium Pen 2.0. 

In terms of processing power we’re looking at a Qualcomm 1.5Ghz dual-core CPU, while under the bonnet we’ll find 2GB Ram, a 2150mAh battery and a microSD slot. With LTE connectivity, users will also be able to make high-definition phone calls with VoLTE support.

 

The LG Optimus Vu II will also be able to operate other household electrical appliances. QRemote uses infrared signals to control the likes of set-top boxes, audio systems and air con. 

QTranslator uses the phone’s 8-megapixel camera to scan up to 44 different languages before translating them into up to 64 different dialects. The One Key key ring accessory should also prove useful, locating your LG Optimus Vu II by triggering an alarm with the touch of a button.

In black, white and pink, at present the LG Optimus Vu II is currently available only in Korea, at a somewhat eye watering price point of around £534.