[Technology ★★★]
(P1) LG Electronics launched its latest 5.7-inch smartphone, Wednesday, in a bid to expand its presence in the mid to low-end handset market.
(P2) The company said in a statement that it launched the Stylus 2 Plus in Thailand, and would start selling the firm’s largest-ever handset into other key markets ― including Mexico, India, and the United States.
(P3) LG hopes the new handset serves as a key profit booster, as demand for cheaper and bigger smartphones grows across the globe.
(P4) The Stylus 2 Plus is equipped with a 1.4-gigahertz (GHz) octa-core processor and features 5.7-inch full high-definition (FHD) display.
(P5) “The new handset will cost around $350, but the price may vary in each country,” said an LG Electronics official.
(P6) He said the device also comes with a fountain pen.
(P7) “The Stylus 2 Plus is a budget smartphone focusing on multimedia functionalities,” LG Electronics’ mobile chief Cho Juno said in a statement. “We expect the handset to forge our competitiveness in the global market.”
(P8) The company will not launch the smartphone in the Korean market, as its predecessor Stylus 2 is still popular here.
WORDS: 182
SOURCE: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/tech/2016/06/133_206061.html
VOCABULARY: presence, handset, firm’s, booster, globe, fountain pen, forge, predecessor
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
- Briefly, summarize the content of the article in your own words.
- Which smartphones are popular in your country? In your opinion, why?
- Would you buy LG’s new 5.7 – inch phone? Why or why not?
- Have you ever used a fountain pen with a smartphone? If yes, do you like it? If no, do you want to use one?
READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:
- LG wants to grow sales in the mid to low-end area for the new 5.7-inch mobile phone. (T or F)
- Which processor does the new mobile phone have?
- The Stylus 2 Plus is an expensive higher end smartphone. (T or F)
- Which market will LG not sell this device in?
EXPRESSIONS or PHRASES:
What do the following expressions or phrases mean?
- Mid to low-end (P1)
- Largest-ever (p2)
- Key markets (P2)
Image source: by LG전자 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LG%EC%A0%84%EC%9E%90,_%E2%80%98%EC%8A%A4%ED%83%80%EC%9D%BC%EB%9F%AC%EC%8A%A42_%ED%94%8C%EB%9F%AC%EC%8A%A4%E2%80%99_%EA%B8%80%EB%A1%9C%EB%B2%8C_%EC%B6%9C%EC%8B%9C_(27352447376).jpg