LG takes the wraps off of X2 budget phone

LG Electronics on Thursday unveiled its budget LG X2 smartphone, which comes with a 5-inch HD screen and will be distributed through local mobile carriers.

The company said the LG X2 will come with a price tag of 198,000 won ($176) and have an Auto Shot feature that automatically recognizes faces when taking selfies.

The smartphone will have an 8-megapixel camera on the back along with a 5-megapixel camera on the front. Its battery capacity will be 2,500mAh.

LG Electronics, which has been suffering from losses in its mobile business, claimed that the release of the new budget model will help the company reach out to a wider range of consumers.

The company released its flagship LG G7 ThinQ model earlier this year, along with the LG V30S ThinQ, which came with stronger artificial intelligence features.

In 2018, LG also introduced the LG X4 and LG X4 Plus with more affordable price tags, along with the LG X5, which has a large battery capacity of 4,500mAh. The company released the LG Q7 and Q7 Plus, too.

The company said it aims to continue rolling out various smartphones with strong durability and improved features.

LG’s mobile operations have effectively posted operating losses for 12 consecutive quarters as of the January-March period this year. It did manage to report an operating profit in the first quarter of 2017 through an adjustment by reflecting returns from its accessories business. LG originally said it posted a loss for the period.