LG states that the flip phone form factor is beneficial to the elderly and those who have trouble pressing buttons on a touch screen because of the large physical keypad. I am not sure if it’s an issue of function, or simply nostalgia, but it appears there’s still an ample enough market for flip-phones that LG has decided to release one using the latest and greatest version of Android, 5.1 Lollipop. The LG Gentle, or LG U Plus, will be sold for 200,000 Korean Won (roughly $171 USD) to early adopters, and be available in both navy or burgundy. LG is expected to start shipping the Gentle in South Korea from July 29th and the flip phone is expected to remain a Korea-exclusive.
Advertisement
The flip phone options at most North American carriers may be limited to nothing more than a few barebones models these days, but it isn’t like that everywhere. The Wine Smart launched with Android 4.4 KitKat and featured a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor, 1 GB of RAM, 4 GB of expandable memory, 8 megapixel rear camera, and a 3.5 inch touchscreen display. “When you flip the device open, the 3.2” display (480 x 320) greets your eyes, plus a somewhat familiar Android look. Besides, the smartphone has 4GB internal storage along with microSD card support.
Advertisement
The LG Gentle smartphone features a T9 keyboard and also comes with a leather-like finish on the rear panel.
