LG Electronics to launch new curved smartphone next week in South Korea

LG Electronics Inc. says it will start selling its latest curved smartphone next week.

The Korean company said Thursday that the G Flex 2 will be launched locally on Jan. 30 and overseas in coming months.

The smartphone is LG's latest effort to expand the use of curved screens as a way of differentiating its smartphones from those of competitors.

When LG released its first version of a curved smartphone in 2013, it was a niche product. The latest iteration shows LG is targeting a bigger market.

The phone features a 5.5-inch screen curved from top to bottom. In an improvement from its predecessor, the phone's self-healing back can repair scratches in seconds rather than minutes.