“What I love about the V10 is that it’s something different than the endless parade of slab phones we tend to see month after month after month. That’s impressive,” IT blog Gizmodo said in its recent article about the V10.

The IT blog also praised the two 500MP cameras fitted on the front of the phone, which it says allow to “shoot incredibly wide-angled selfies.”

Many news media and blogs also expressed satisfaction with the LG phone, which the Korean firm insisted would give a whole new experience that cannot be found in those products with common specs and dull design.

They anticipated that the V10 would be able to appeal to, especially, the selfie generation who are familiar with multimedia technology

A tech blog said the high-end phone seems to be “one of the most unique devices of 2015,” and it is “rugged, innovative and very powerful.”

Android Authority, a blog which conducted a drop test of the LG phone, said “before this final drop test (which included 15 drops), the smartphone only had minor cosmetic damage -- scratches and nicks here and here.”

Still there were some negative outlooks on LG’s new premium phone.

“It may be a long shot for LG to see a stunning increase in market share, especially in the U.S. market, not to mention to catch up with its two strong market leaders Apple and Samsung,” said an analyst who wished to remain anonymous.

Apple and Samsung have recently released their smartphones iPhone S6 and Galaxy Note 5, respectively.

In the second quarter this year, LG grabbed a 15 percent market share while those of Apple and Samsung accounted for 31 percent and 24 percent, respectively, according to market research firm Counterpoint.

LG has been sidelined by Chinese phone makers Huawei, Xiaomi and ZTE in the global smartphone markets, taking up only 4 percent of market share.

Cornered by its rivals Samsung Electronics and Apple and emerging Chinese handset makers, the mobile business of LG Electronics has gone downhill during the past few quarters posting decremental margin.

Aiming to regain the past glory which it had enjoyed long ago with its 2G slider phone, the Chocolate, or at least get back on the right track, LG took the wraps off its latest high-end handset V10 last week in Seoul and New York.

Pinning high hopes on the new device, CEO Cho said at the unveiling event in Seoul that the smartphone, a new premium brand, will “spearhead the business unit and the entire company.”

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)