LG Electronics will begin rolling out of its fun and customisable AKA Android smartphone in Hong Kong next week followed by China, Taiwan, Singapore and Turkey.
Specifically designed for the domestic market, AKA was first introduced to Korean customers at the end of last year, where it has seen decent sales and positive feedback for its sense of humour.
The smartphone is available in four different personas -- Eggy in yellow for who falls frequently in love, the ever-so-impulsive Wooky in white, the soft-hearted and music-loving Soul in navy and Yo-Yo in pink who is always on a diet.
The characters' personalities are an integral part of each phone model as they are woven into wallpapers, widgets and ringtones. In addition to each AKA's interactive, animated eyes, owners can customise their phones with stickers, markers or paint, for a true DIY experience. This customer-centric thinking helped AKA win an iF Design Award for its unconventional approach to smartphone design.
With a global audience in mind, LG tweaked the AKA lineup by adding an emotional UX element. Some of the additional features include customisable glasses and eyebrows for each pair of eyes. Another unique UX feature is the included Art Toy figurine, which can be digitised and integrated into the phone's user experience. Snapping a photo of the accompanying figurine with AKA's Snapshoot tool creates an animated 3D version of the figure that appears alongside selfies. Other camera features come straight from LG's premium handsets and include Laser Auto Focus, Touch & Shoot and Gesture Shot.
Boasting a 5-inch HD IPS display, the LG AKA packs a Quad Core 1.2GHz processor with 1.5GB worth RAM, 16GB ob-board memory and expandability support through Micro SD card. The 4G LTE smartphone has been powered by a 2,610 mAH battery and couples a 8-megapixel rear camera and a 2.1-megapixel front camera accompanied by Laser Auto Focus.
To celebrate AKA's overseas rollout, LG is collaborating with TUBA Entertainment, the creators of the popular Larva animated series, to produce a new series called Rotary Park. The first episode of Rotary Park will debut on 20 March on YouTube.
"AKA is the first smartphone that gives owners a blank canvas to express their own personalities via a customized user experience," said Juno Cho, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. "AKA is about being creative and never losing sight of the things that make us young and interesting. This is a whole new direction in smartphone UX and we're excited about where it may take us."
Key Specifications:
Chipset: 1.2GHz Quad-Core
Display: 5.0-inch HD IPS
Memory: 16GB / 1.5GB RAM / microSD slot
Camera: Rear 8.0MP Laser Auto Focus / Front 2.1MP
Battery: 2,610mAh (removable)
Operating System: Android 4.4 KitKat
Size: 138.7 x 71.9 x 9.9mm
Weight: 135.5g (without font slide cover) / 157g (with front slide cover)
Network: 4G LTE
Connectivity: Wi-Fi / Bluetooth 4.0 / NFC / A-GPS / USB 2.0
Color: White / Yellow / Navy / Pink
Other: Art Toy / Stickers
