LG presents scaled-down version of its G3

Just as the G3 begins arriving in the hands of US customers, LG has already introduced a slightly smaller, more affordable version of its latest flagship smartphone.

The-LG-G3-Beat-left-has-a-5-inch-screen-just-slightly-smaller-than-the-5-5-inch-screen-of-the-original-G3-Photo-AFP

Just as the G3 begins arriving in the hands of US customers, LG has already introduced a slightly smaller, more affordable version of its latest flagship smartphone.
With a 5-inch screen, the G3 Beat is positioned as a mid-range smartphone but is nonetheless equipped with a number of innovative features, including a camera with laser-powered auto-focus.

Naturally, the main difference between the two new smartphones lies in their screens. The LG G3 Beat has a 5-inch screen with 1280X720 pixels, compared to the original G3's 5.5-inch screen with 2560X1440 pixels.

Otherwise, the LG G3 Beat has an 8MP camera equipped with the same laser-guided autofocus seen on its big brother, which allows it to calculate depth of field extremely accurately and focus every shot perfectly. The smartphone is also 4G compatible and runs Android KitKat 4.4.2. Under the hood, the device has a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor and 1GB of RAM.

LG's strategy echoes the approach taken by Samsung and HTC, who launched their respective high-end smartphones, the S5 and the One, alongside slightly more affordable versions with smaller screens and different components. Apple could also take this route with its forthcoming iPhone 6, which rumors suggest will be launched in both 5.5-inch and 4.7-inch versions.

The LG G3 Beat will be launched exclusively in South Korea on July 18 before arriving in Europe during the following weeks. No information has been released on US availability.