LG has officially announced its first high-end waterproof smartphone, the LG Optimus GJ, which is essentially LG Optimus G with waterproof features.

Rugged, weather-proof handsets are getting increasingly popular these days and the trend is bound to continue. Sony's new Xperia Z flagship sports a waterproof and dustproof design, while Samsung is reportedly planning to bring its own Galaxy S4 Active to the market as a rugged version of its current flagship. LG is following the same trend by releasing a rugged version of its Optimus G, as the model number suggest - the LG Optimus G is the E975, while the Optimus GJ has the model number E975W (W being, possibly, for waterproof).

LG unveiled the new waterproof handset in Taiwan. The LG Optimus GJ is slightly larger and thicker than the original Optimus G, but boasts an IPX7 certification, which means it can stay underwater for up to 30 minutes. Other features of the new LG Optimus GJ include a 4.7-inch IPS HD display, Bluetooth 4.0, a 13-megapixel rear camera, a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor clocked at 1.5GHz, 2GB of RAM and a 2,280 mAh battery. The smartphone comes with 16GB of internal storage but has a micro SD card slot for expandable memory. Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean runs the show right out of the box.

At least for now, the new LG Optimus GJ seems to be coming exclusively to Taiwan starting June. Retailer ePrice lists the handset with a $17,990 TWD price tag, i.e. about $600. The waterproof smartphone will be available in two color versions: all black, or a black and red combination. It remains unclear at the moment whether LG plans to launch this handset in other markets as well.

It looks like Sony has started a trend with its Xperia Z device, which is the world's first widely-available high-end Android smartphone with such capabilities. Creating rugged handsets that are able to handle active lifestyles is a very smart move, especially since smartphones aren't exactly cheap. Investing a small fortune in a high-end smartphone just to break it in a little while is definitely not desirable, but rugged, weather-proof handsets are designed to protect that investment.