LG Electronics Inc., South Korea's No. 2 smartphone maker, said Wednesday it will start selling its latest flip smartphone in Europe and the neighboring region this week, following its domestic release late last month. 

The LG Gentle will be available in Europe and subsequently in the Commonwealth of Independent States including Russia and Uzbekistan, for around 200,000 won ($171), the company said in a statement.

The foldable smartphone has been sold in the same price range in South Korea from July 27.

It is the latest low-end model made by LG after the Wine and Ice Cream lineups that were released in September last year and early January of this year. 

LG said, quoting a report from market researcher GfK, flip-style smartphones account for about 20 percent of the entire market, and that there is a plenty of growth potential with the cheaper model.

The smartphone comes with a 3.2-inch display in navy and burgundy casings and boasts a 3-megapixel camera on the back.

Powered by Google Inc.'s Android 5.1 Lollipop, it has a 1.1 GHz Quad Core Processor. Its detachable battery capacity stands at 1,700 mAh.

It also comes with a "Q button" that allows users to instantly activate the most frequently used applications. (Yonhap)