LG Electronics has officially ditched the Optimus brand, announcing on Thursday its decision to name its latest flagship smartphone “LG G2.”

The name change was perceived mostly as an attempt to revamp brand image, and even LG conceded that it was time for a change as LG smartphones have been associated with mainly mid-end devices.

“Without the Optimus brand, we believe that the G series will be more competitive in the global premium handheld market,” an LG official said. 

Built with Qualcomm’s 2.3 GHz Snapdragon 800 processor, the LG G2 offers functions such as top quality display and high battery efficiency, according to the company.

It is also equipped with a 5.2-inch screen and a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera.

Providing support for the LTE Advanced network, users can take advantage of connection speeds of up to 150 Mbps.

Prior to unveiling the LG G2, however, some market insiders criticized that its technological specifications offer no particular difference from its major competitor, Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE-A version, which hit the market in late June this year.

LG’s decision to drop the Optimus brand name, therefore, was also seen as a move to challenge the world’s top smartphone maker’s Galaxy lineup, according to market insiders.

“Both in the domestic and foreign markets, LG has thus far not been so successful in achieving consistency when looking at the marketing strategy of its various smartphone brands,” an industry watcher said on condition of anonymity.

“Our new brand strategy with the launching of the new G-series is expected to be promising for LG to step up its game in the global smartphone market,” LG Electronics’ mobile chief Park Jong-seok said.

LG will also do away with the Optimus brand for another smartphone lineup called Vu series, the company said.

The LTE-A compatible LG G2 is expected to be released at a launch event in New York City on Aug. 7.

By Kwon Bum-joon (bjkwon@heraldcorp.com)