LG steps up specs with G Flex 2 phone

The LG G Flex 2 smartphone is displayed during a media preview before CES International Sunday, Jan. 4, 2015, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

The company's second-generation flexible smartphone -- the G Flex 2 -- takes specifications to another level and will be going on sale in South Korea before the end of the month.

The LG G Flex got a lot of attention when it launched back in late 2013 because it was curved like a banana and was capable of healing itself if scratched. However, despite promising a glimpse of the phones of the future, it, and Samsung's equally flexible smartphone, the Galaxy Round, were really little more than novelties.

However, LG is back with a new version of the phone and this time the handset, unveiled at the 2015 International CES, has a full HD 5.5-inch curved display and a fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chip on board.

The back-side camera boasts 13 megapixels and the same image stabilization and laser focusing found on the company's current flagship non-curved handset, the LG G3.

Like the original device, the new handset has the same self-healing properties so that a scratch or little dent to the back panel should disappear in a matter of seconds, and LG claims that the phone is even more robust than its predecessor.

The curved display is 20 per cent stronger than before so it will survive being sat on when left in a back pocket.

As the demand for larger 5-inch+ display handsets continues to grow, using curves and bends is starting to make more sense. As does LG's decision to make this version of the handset slightly smaller. The original Flex had a 6-inch display.

The G Flex 2's curves make the handset easier to hold with a single hand and easier to use as a device for making voice calls as the microphone is closer to the user's mouth when held up to the ear.