LG Electronics said Thursday that it will launch four new wireless gadgets, including a 5-inch smartphone, by the first half of this year.

Starting with the release of its tablet PC Optimus Pad LTE, the firm will unveil three more smartphones as it aims to make a comeback this year with devices that run on the fourth generation Long Term Evolution network.

“Including the Optimus Pad LTE and the 5-inch smartphone, we plan to roll out two other smartphones in the first half,” said an LG official.

The 5-inch smartphone, which is expected to come with the digital pen function, is likely to compete with its rival’s Galaxy Note, a device in between a tablet PC and a smartphone, which has sold more than 500,000 units in just two months.

LG added that the development of the 5-inch smartphone was being conducted at a similar pace with the Galaxy Note, but the company is currently a step behind.

Other than the two gadgets, an updated version of the Optimus 3D smartphone and a low-tier LTE smartphone are projected to hit the market through the country’s three telecoms by June.

On a related front, the company announced earlier on Wednesday that its worldwide sales of LTE smartphones topped the 1 million mark as of last week. Of the LTE phones, 600,000 handsets were sold in the local market.

By Cho Ji-hyun (sharon@heraldcorp.com)