LG Electronics Co., a South Korean smartphone maker, on Thursday revealed its newest smartphone model, the G Pro 2, paving the way for the country's No. 2 tech giant to expand its share in the large display smartphone market.

LG's phablet, a cross between a smartphone and tablet PC, boasts a 5.9-inch display, larger than its predecessor's 5.5-inch screen, and will compete with rival products such as the Galaxy Note series manufactured by Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest maker of smartphones.

The upgraded G Pro series comes at a time when Apple Inc., the world's No.2 smartphone maker, is rumored to be testing larger screen sizes for its upcoming iPhone and iPad products. Samsung Electronics has enjoyed steady demand for its Galaxy Note series for the past couple of years.

The latest phablet, which weighs 172 grams, comes with a 1-watt high performance speaker, and a 13-megapixel rear camera which boasts updated optical image stabilization.

Other cutting-edge features include high-quality Ultra HD recording, and a "Burst Shot Player," which allows users to take 20 photos in a sequence and play them like a video clip.

Its "Knock Code," an updated feature of its previous "KnockOn," allows users to unlock the device by simply tapping on the screen several times. The previous version only allowed for the device to be turned on and off.

The G Pro 2 is powered by Qualcomm Inc.'s Snapdragon 800 processor with 3,200 mAh batteries, with Google's Android KitKat 4.4.

The LG's latest G smartphone line-up will be released for sale by the end of this month on South Korea's three mobile carriers.

Samsung Electronics is also planning to release its next smartphone line-up, presumably the Galaxy S5, at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2014 that opens on Feb. 24 in Barcelona, Spain.  (Yonhap)