LG planning to launch $200 NFC phone?

Reports in two Korean publications suggest that LG is planning to launch a US$200 mass market phone with built-in NFC capabilities at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month.

Both PlusNews and Etnews report the new LG Pecan will run Android 2.2 which does not include native support for near field communication, however — NFC support is currently only available in phones running Android 2.3 Gingerbread. According to Etnews:

LG’s Pecan, another prospective ten-million seller, is unveiled at MWC 2011, too. The manufacturer is planning to set its price lower than that of the Optimus One. “Though the Pecan has a somewhat downgraded display panel and processor, it will be a decent smart phone nonetheless, employing the Android 2.2 and NFC and enabling its users to browse the web fast enough and enjoy social networking services to the full,” said the electronics giant. It continued, “It will beef up our presence in the popular market and help us win over high-end customers in the long term.”

Rumours of other NFC phones expected to arrive at the Mobile World Congress include the successor to the Samsung Galaxy S, referred to as the S2 or Seine, as well as two BlackBerry devices — the Dakota and the Apollo — plus the Google Nexus S which is now shipping in a number of countries around the world.

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