Images of the LG Optimus Vu have emerged from a video launched in South Korea to promote the upcoming smartphone.

The fact that LG is launching a fresh new handset is not unusual in itself, but the Optimus Vu is definitely a unique beast thanks to its slightly odd display.

While most modern mobiles have a widescreen aspect ratio, the Optimus Vu will apparently feature a square 4:3 display with a native resolution of 1024x768.

This will mean that the phone gives you a usable area that is more akin to old CRT monitors than modern smartphones, although the IPS panel technology should make it as crisp and clear as its contemporaries.

The rest of the hardware within the Optimus Vu seems to be just as modern, with a dual core 1.5GHz processor and 1GB of RAM sitting alongside eight gigs of storage space and an eight megapixel camera.

An NFC (Near Field Communication) chip will allow it to make contactless payments and Android 2.3, not 4.0, will be preinstalled. LG will presumably have its own customised interface in order to deal with the unusual aspect ratio of the screen.

Of course long time fans of LG will know that it has not been afraid to use odd displays in the past. The LG Chocolate BL40 was perhaps the best example thanks to its four inch screen with a 800x345 resolution.

The BL40's display was able to showcase cinematic movies in their native aspect ratio, with no black bars getting in the way of the action. This did make it longer and more slender than most other mobiles on the market at the time, but it was an interesting experiment, nevertheless.

Quite what purpose the Optimus Vu might serve is not as clear, because at five inches across the diagonal, its screen is very large, adding width rather than length to the smartphone.

The Samsung Galaxy Note is arguably the main target for the Optimus Vu because this mobile/tablet hybrid gives users acres of space and stylus compatibility.

The Galaxy Note has been selling surprisingly well given its seemingly niche appeal, which could suggest that there is room for the LG Optimus Vu on the market. Hopefully, LG will commit to launching this mobile outside of its native South Korea, so that people in the UK can get the chance to invest in this handset.