LG extends its fashionable L-Series Android smartphone range with the Optimus L9

LG has announced the dual-core Optimus L9, a new addition to its L Series family of attractive Android smartphones.

Hot on the heels of the Optimus G, LG’s exciting Snapdragon S4 Pro-powered range-topper, comes another new smartphone from the Korean company: The Optimus L9.

While not quite as high-spec as the Optimus G, the L9 still sits at the top of LG’s L Series line-up — introduced during Mobile World Congress earlier this year, and consisting of the L3, L5 and L7 handsets — meaning style and design is equally as important as the phone’s specification.

Like the other L Series phones, the Optimus L9 is a slim, square slab that uses metal throughout the construction of its chassis. The 125 gram overall weight is still low, although the 9.1mm thick handset may feel a little more chunky than many of its rivals, and is even slightly thicker than the 8.7mm L7.

What separates the L9 from its siblings is its massive screen — a 4.7-inch IPS panel, however at this early stage, LG hasn’t provided any information on the resolution. It’s probably a little too much to hope it’ll be the same 1280 x 720 screen seen on the Optimus 4X HD, especially as there’s no mention of it being a TrueHD display, so expect it to share the same 480 x 800 resolution as the L7.

Dual-core power for the Optimus L9

Inside the new phone beats a 1Ghz dual-core processor along with 1GB of RAM, which considering the L7 has a single-core Snapdragon chip and 512MB of RAM, makes it a considerable upgrade.

A 5-megapixel camera and a VGA forward facing lens take care of imaging duties, plus the 2150mAh battery should be tough enough to keep the phone up and running for a sensible amount of time.

Google Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is its operating system, and LG has included several new software features to accompany it, such as the QTranslator, the My Style Keyboard and QMemo.

QMemo is a note-taking app and is similar to that seen on the Optimus Vu and other LG phones, while the QTranslator lets you scan foreign language documents with the camera, then uses OCR technology to translate the text. Finally, the My Style keyboard alters itself to make typing easier, based on the way you’re holding the phone and whether you’re typing with one or both hands.

LG hasn’t provided a release date or retail pricing for the Optimus L9 yet, but we’d expect to hear more about it during the IFA 2012 show, which begins in Berlin at the end of this week.