Korean tech giant LG Electronics plans to give tough competition in the high-end large screen smartphone market dominated by Samsung and Apple, with its ace in the hole ― G4 Note, according to sources.

The sources said Thursday that G4 may not be the only flagship handset of LG Electronics this year as it has a new phablet, called the G4 Note, in the works.

The smartphone-maker has already applied for a trademark of the phablet at the Korean patent office last month.

Some market watchers speculated that the new phablet could be the premium device mentioned by LG’s new mobile business chief Cho Ju-no at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona last week. 

CEO Cho said at a press meeting that the company would unveil the next flagship smartphone, G4, in the second quarter, and another high-end product in the second half.

Cho did not elaborate on details about the handset, but he referred to the device as a “higher-end product,” than the G4.

LG had previously released phablets ― Optimus G Pro and G Pro 2 ― to counter its local rival’s Galaxy Notes, but ditched the Pro lineup since it cannibalized LG’s other flagship smartphones featuring larger displays.

Other global makers Samsung Electronics and Apple have utilized a two-track marketing strategy by releasing two main flagship products.

LG is confident of competing in the global high-end smartphone market largely due to the success of the G3 released last year.

“The firm will grab the third place in terms of sales in the global mobile market,” said Cho during the MWC, adding “the upcoming premium phones would help it obtain that spot.”

LG was able to garner rave reviews with its G3 smartphone for its outstanding features such as the world’s first QHD display, and superb cameras.

Last year the company shipped around 7 million units of the G3, which was released in May, and the handset is expected to surpass the 10 million threshold in sales in the latter half this year.

The upcoming G4, meanwhile, is expected to feature an improved display, a better user experience, and enhanced cameras as told by the CEO.

The device will reportedly be equipped with a 5.5-inch 3K display, which is reportedly curved and would boast a better pixel density ― 600 pixels per inch ― than Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus, and 16MP front-facing and 5MP rear-facing cameras.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)