LG looking to move 75M with Windows Phone 8, Optimus leading the way

LG didn't come out swinging at CES 2013 with a new phone, but the Korean company is still gearing up for a record year of sales.

According to a report from the Korean Times, LG plans to sell 75 million phones, 20 million more than 2012, over the next 349 days.

Of those handsets, 45 million are expected to be smartphones with budget and feature phones filling out the rest. So many phones sales would be a new high for the company.

To boost its phone numbers in the new year, LG apparently has designs to enter into the Window Phone 8 game, an unnamed exec at an LG partner company told the Times. Coupled with a few new Optimuses, and LG could hit that many-million mark.

Things get murky

The presumed next-in-line phone for LG is the Optimus G2, which is said to sport a screen measuring at least 5 inches, if not 5.5-inches.

Many signs pointed to a CES debut for the phone but none of those nods panned out.

LG did reveal during its press conference that it plans to announce at least one top-tier phone during next month's Mobile World Congress, though it might not be the Optimus G2.

Reports surfaced earlier this week that the new G won't see the light of day until the fall, coming at around the same time the first iteration turns 1-year old.

Instead, LG might introduce a "stopgap" device at the Barcelona gathering.

That phone, codenamed "GK," is said to have a 5.5-inch display and quad-core processor.

The hold-up on the G2 could be LG's desire to pack it with Android: Key Lime Pie while still wanting to get the jump on Samsung's Galaxy SIV and Apple's next iPhone, whether it's the iPhone 5S, iPhone 6 or a budget handset.

If guessing is LG's game, it's certainly proving good at it. We're sure to hear more rumors and reports in the weeks leading up to MWC, but with that 75 million figure in mind, LG has some momentum going into the year with hopes of new flagships and Windows Phone 8 handsets.

TechRadar asked LG for comment on its 2013 phone plans and while we don't expect much will be revealed, we'll update this story if and when the company offers a response.