BARCELONA -- Technical finesse, practicality and sincerity seem to be the main elements that LG Electronics are betting on for its new flagship smartphone, the G6, which the tech giant hopes will bring a long-sought-after turnaround in its handset business.

Looking to continue the hype created by its unveiling of the phone Sunday, LG’s mobile chief held a press conference, expressing his confidence that the new device would record strong sales and stressing its focus on the basics.

“Over the past years, we put a lot of effort into setting our devices apart from rivals in terms of design, quality and functions. However, it seemed we overlooked something fundamentally important for our mainstream users,” LG Electronics’ mobile communications chief Cho Jun-ho said at a press conference Sunday after the launch event.

“This time, we decided not to pursue uniqueness but try to be just a step ahead of our mainstream users’ expectations, such as with longer battery lifespan or a big screen with a small handset,” he said.

The G6 has no dramatic changes in hardware and software.

Instead, it has slightly improved features in frequently used areas such as its screen and camera. The G6 features reduced blank space at the edges of its screen, with an 18:9 aspect ratio that creates a wider landscape image. A square camera mode on the device splits the screen in two so you can see the picture you’ve just taken while you line up your next one.

Cho described the G6 as “a product that one can recommend to loved ones with confidence, to a wife, a husband, a boyfriend or a daughter, with the words ‘you won’t regret it.’”

LG also said it will not repeat the same supply mistake it made for its predecessor G5, which brought massive losses to the company’s smartphone business last year. Despite the initial favorable response for the G5, LG failed to secure sufficient supply during the first two months due to a yield issue.

Recalling the G5’s failure, he said, “It was almost a disaster. Not to repeat the same mistake for the G6, we worked together with our partners from the beginning to secure productivity, yield and quality. We are now fully prepared for sufficient supply.

However, Cho remained cautious over whether the company’s mobile business would make an immediate turnaround in the second quarter because the company is considering heavy investment in marketing during April and May.

“One thing for sure is that the G6 will sell more than the V20 because the G6 has a wider appeal than the V20, which is loved by users opting for deeper multimedia experiences,” Cho said. The V20 has been well received in the US since its rollout there in October.

The company will continue to focus on its lucrative North America and European markets although the launch will be global. In emerging nations such as Central America and Asia, the company plans to focus on its affordable X and K series.

The G6 launch event Sunday was packed with more than 2,200 people from global media companies and tech specialists. Google Assistant lead engineer Scott Huffman was on stage on the day alongside Dolby’s Vice President Giles Baker, Oscar winning director Vittorio Storaro and Dr. Andris Freivalds from Pennsylvania State University. 

By Shin Ji-hye (shinjh@heraldcorp.com), Korea Herald correspondent