LIVE FROM CES 2015, LAS VEGAS: South Korean smartphone player LG kicked off this morning’s official ‘Press Day’ with the launch of the successor to its curved G Flex device.

G Flex2 sports a slightly smaller (5.5 inch) screen than its predecessor (6 inches) but full HD, and claims to the the world’s first to support Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 processor featuring octacore 64-bit technology optimised for Android’s 5.0 Lollipop OS.

LG talked up an improved version of the original’s ‘self-healing’ back cover. “The G Flex2’s cover glass is approximately 20 per cent more durable, thanks to a special chemical treatment technology developed by LG,” claimed the company.

“The Self Healing back, which keeps the phone looking new even through the nicks and scratches from normal everyday use, has also been improved with significantly faster healing time.” LG said it has reduced the healing time from about three minutes to just within 10 seconds at room temperature.

LG also claimed that the device has “not one curve but four,” across the front, back, sides and top-to-bottom edges.

Pricing details were not given, and the company only stated that it would be launched in Korea at the end of January and “across the world shortly”. The device will initially be available in two colours: Platinum Silver and Flamenco Red.

CCS Insight analyst Ben Wood tweeted that it’s a “nice looking device but unremarkable in [the] sea of Androids and Apple’s high tier dominance”.

Elsewhere at its press launch LG gave a big focus on the Internet of Things (IoT) – clearly a major theme of this year’s CES.

“The Internet of Things isn’t about just some devices and the apps that control them,” said CTO Dr. Skott Ahn. “It’s what connects everything we value with the innovations that are centred around our lives. At LG, we’re taking an open approach to maximise the value offered to our customers through platforms, connectivity and the overall IoT ecosystem.”

And Ahn unveiled its WebOS 2.0 platform for smart TVs. It claimed that 60 per cent of its TVs this year will support 4K, and also launched a flexible OLED TV that can change its angles from curved to flat at the touch of a button.