LG has never really been known to be a front runner of innovative tech in their smartphones.

Besides its tap to unlock "Knock Knock" feature, LG has been playing catch-up with the rest of the big boys such as Apple, Google and Samsung.

As MWC nears, the launch of the next-generation LG flagship, the LG G5, is just around the corner. The company was also expected to introduce its new mobile payments solution at MWC 2016.

That, however, has been delayed so as not to take away any of the limelight from the G5. At least that's what LG says, according to the Korea Times.

"LG Electronics has delayed the official launch of LG Pay to the second quarter of this year to help the new LG flagship smartphone – G5 – receive more media attention," an LG official explained late last week.

Other reports say LG's decision to delay the launch of its mobile payments offering is due to a lack of support from major credit card companies in target markets such as the United States. Regardless, the G5 has picked up a lot of interest as an increasing number of photos and rumored features about the device are surfacing online.

What rumors revealed about the device so far though is that the G5 will come equipped with at least a 5.5-inch flexible display supplied, of course, by LG Display. The smartphone is also expected to feature an all-metal body that may just incorporate a semi-modular system, allowing for a removable battery and extra storage.

It will be the first major product under LG's mobile head and overall CEO, Cho Juno. Regardless of the rumors, it seems like a safe move on LG's part to pull all the focus onto the G5 flagship instead of spreading it thin over any other devices and services LG might have on offer.

LG Pay would be coming up on the heels of Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Android Pay. To its benefit, LG does have a few different things in mind about the mobile payments market. But LG needs a real winner. If delaying the launch of LG Pay helps in the effort, we'll have to wait and see how the market reacts at next week's MWC.

Photo : Kārlis Dambrāns | Flickr