LG Electronics ramped the activity around its anticipated G6 flagship, which is set to debut at Mobile World Congress this weekend.

The device is a significant one for LG: while its previous flagship, G5, featured an innovative modular design intended to create an ecosystem of supporting peripherals, it failed to find traction with buyers.

Much attention was focused on what the company described as the FullVision screen, a previously-disclosed 5.7-inch 2880×1440 pixel screen with 18:9 aspect ratio which “almost entirely fills the front of the smartphone”.

The company said its mobile UX 6.0 user interface has been customised to take advantage of the screen. It is said to offer a “differentiated experience” for content viewing; an improved camera interface which “maximises the extra real estate” provided by the 18:9 format; and offer square side-by-side windows for multi-tasking.

Indeed the company used the word “square” frequently in its marketing material. The camera app has a Square Camera feature enabling customers to shoot 1:1 images – apparently popular on “social media apps such as Instagram” – and review them in the adjacent window.

LG said the device is “expected to kick-off an era of premium smartphones with 18:9 screen aspect ratio”, with G6 also including features to enable customers to view existing 16:9 content easily.

“The LG G6 with FullVision was inspired by the philosophy of experts in the movie industry who believe that an 18:9 ratio screen would be the best solution for viewing both old and new cinematic content in the digital age. We’ve not only embraced that philosophy in our newest smartphone but taken it to a whole new level by incorporating the 18:9 format in many other ways,” said Juno Cho, president of LG Electronics Mobile Communications.

It was not only the screen LG talked up. It said “globally renowned industrial designer Torsten Valeur” described G6 as “the ideal fusion of… beautiful shape and clever solution and obviously great user experience… the essence of what a smartphone is”.

The company also said the device features a metal frame which wraps around the perimeter of the phone, and a flat back without camera bump.

It has also been mooted the G6 will be water resistant.