LG’s Next Flagship Smartphone Will Launch On May 27

Smartphone maker LG is preparing to take the wraps off a new flagship handset at six launch events in cities around the world planned for May 27 and 28 .

It’s not specifying the name of the forthcoming flagship — saying only that it will be unveiling its “next big global device after G2” — but it’s not a huge stretch to expect this phone to be called the G3, being as it’s the sequel device to the G2.

In an email sent to TechCrunch, the company said it will be holding simultaneous launch events in London, New York and San Francisco on May 27, with additional launch events taking place in Seoul, Singapore and Istanbul on May 28.

The invite for the event shows a quote from American writer and poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson, talking about the merits of simplicity, with the letter ‘G’ in the word ‘Great’ highlighted. (Let’s hope they handsomely rewarded the marketing bod who came up with that.)

The quote is set on what looks like a dark charcoal metal background, which could be a hint of more premium construction materials for the G3 — instead of LG’s usual plasticky fare.

The invite does not include any specific details about what to expect from the new flagship, but LG is going to need it to stand out from its existing crop of high end devices — which include the LG G Flex 6-inch curved screen quad-core phablet, the quad-core LG G Pro 2 phablet (5.9-inch screen), and indeed the quad-core G2, which has a 5.2-inch screen.

As the Verge notes, LG has previously said it plans to release the G2 sequel in the second quarter of this year — so presumably the device will ship soon after the launch event.