LG Electronics Inc. will roll out two mid-tier smartphones that were spun off from its flagship G4 in global markets starting later this month, the company said Tuesday, as it seeks to bolster overseas sales of the latest models.
  

The G4 Stylus, which touts a slightly larger screen of 5.7 inches than the 5.5-inch G4, will hit shelves in North America, Europe, and Central and South America starting in late May, LG said in a statement.
  

It comes with a rubber pen accessory that helps consumers sketch or jot things down on the big display, it said.
  

LG said it will also start selling the G4c, with the little "c" standing for "compact" for its smaller 5-inch display, in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa in June.
  

Together with the G4 in the premium series, the three handsets make up what LG has named "the G4 family lineup", and it will help the company boost its global shipments, LG added.
  

"The G4 Stylus and G4c are the products for practical consumers who either want a big screen or a smaller display and more useful features. We will step up to expand our share in both the mid-tier and high-end markets," LG Electronics' mobile chief Cho Juno said. 
  

LG posted robust smartphone sales in 2014, buoyed by its preceding G3 lineup that had included four cheaper models. The company sold a record annual 59.1 million units last year, up 24 percent from a year earlier.
  

The South Korean smartphone maker thus hopes the new version of the lineup will lend support to fueling its overseas handset sales this year as well.
  

The new spinoffs share some similar specs as the flagship G4. They have a 5-megapixel front camera and run on the Android 5.0 Lollipop. They are covered with a metallic casing that comes in silver, white and gray.
  

But the Stylus can be installed with a 13-megapixel rear camera and comes with a removable 3,000mAh battery, while the G4c is also available in gold and runs on a detachable 2,540mAh battery, LG added. (Yonhap)