Korean tech company LG has finally launched its second generation Optimus L series in South Africa, which was first unveiled during MWC 2013 in February. The Optimus L7 II and L5 II will be the first of the new series to launch locally.

Just like the previous iteration, the LG Optimus L7 II, which measures 121.5 x 66.6 x 9.7 mm; and weighs 118 g, boasts a 4.3" (480 x 800 pixels; 217 ppi pixel density) IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen. Powering the smartphone is a 1 GHz dual-core Qualcomm MSM8225 Snapdragon CPU that is coupled with 768 MB of RAM.

Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean) runs the mobile OS show along with LG’s Optimus UI skin. Also onboard is a large 2460 mAh Li-Ion battery, 8 MP rear-facing camera, VGA front-facing snapper, Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP, and Wi-Fi 802.11 n. Users only get 4 GB worth of internal storage, but this can be expanded by up to 32 GB via a microSD memory card slot.

LG Optimus L5 II

The Optimus L5 II is a bit more compact than its bigger L7 II sibling, measuring in at 117.5 x 62.2 x 9.2 mm and weighing 103.3 g. It boasts a 4" (480 x 800) IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen and also runs Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean). In terms of optics, users get a 5 MP rear-facing camera and VGA front-facing snapper for video calls and capturing selfies.

Like the Optimus L7 II, this smartphone offers 4 GB of internal storage. Since only 1.4 GB of this is user accessible storage, the microSD memory card slot that supports cards up to 32 GB in size, will be a necessity rather than a luxury.

LG’s Optimus L5 II is powered by a single-core 1 GHz MT6575 processor and sports just 512 MB of RAM. Also onboard is dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 n, 3G HSDPA connectivity, Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP, FM radio with RDS, and a 1700mAh battery.

“Refined design, striking performance and smart usability is what the L7 II offers the consumers. LG has a history of pushing the envelope when it comes to style and the Optimus L Series II builds on this heritage of design innovation,” said Deon Prinsloo, GM for Mobile at LG Electronics.

The recommended retail price of the Optimus L7 II is R2 600, whilst the Optimus L5 II goes for R2 000.

In related news, LG also recently revealed that the Optimus G Pro smartphone will be locally available from 1 September from Vodacom and Cell C for a recommended retail price of R8 000.