South Korea's No. 2 tech giant, LG Electronics Inc., said Monday it will begin global sales of four low-end smartphones, which were first introduced at the Mobile World Congress 2015, in April in line with its efforts to get ahead of Chinese rivals.

The company said the four smartphones -- the LG Magna, LG Spirit, LG Leon and LG Joy -- will be available for purchase in major markets, such as Latin America, Europe, North America and Asia, next month. They are set to replace LG's previous low-end models, the L and F lineups.

The 5-inch LG Magna, which boasts the highest specs of the four, will run on Google Inc.'s latest Android 5.0 Lollipop and come with an 8-megapixel camera on the rear and a 5-megapixel one on the front. Its battery capacity is 2,540 mAh.

The LG Spirit, LG Leon and LG Joy will come with a 4.7-, 4.5- and 4.0-inch display, respectively, LG said.

The low-end models will still have LG's key unique features seen on high-end devices, including "Gesture Shot," which allows users to take photos on a three-second timer by curling one's fingers into their palm while facing the camera.

Market sources earlier said LG also plans to roll out its next flagship smartphone at end-April, presumably the G4, seeking to take on its bigger rival Samsung Electronics Co. that plans to commence the sales of the 5.1-inch Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge on April 10.

LG also tapped the high-end market by starting sales of the offbeat G Flex 2, the latest of its curved-smartphone lineup. (Yonhap)