It looks like the LG G3 will get a mini-version to coexist alongside the flagship, but the South Korean manufacturer will not follow the “mini” philosophy, with new leaks showing a five-inch smartphone, similar in size to the HTC One M8 and Galaxy S5.
Named the LG G3 Beat in leaks, it looks like this will be the second smartphone in the G3 brand. HTC and Samsung are known for having half a dozen smartphones stemming from one brand, but LG has opted to keep the G line pure in previous years.
This might be the South Korean company embracing choice for the consumer, the “mini” version might not be what we were expecting, but it is definitely a nice choice for anyone who thinks 5.5-inch is just too big, edging on the phablet zone.
Internally, the LG G3 Mini might not be the beast the LG G3 is, but it can still hold up against top-notch devices. The 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and 2500mAh battery almost match the HTC One and Galaxy S5.
The LG G3 Mini will be running Android 4.4.2 out of the box, not the newest update to KitKat or the upcoming version. This is the most stable version for LG’s own UI skin software, since 4.4.3 and 4.4.4 have still not been fully tested.
We do expect LG to add Android L onto both the LG G3 and LG G3 Mini once they go worldwide, perhaps the LG G2 will also receive the update. LG has not been the kindest when it comes to older devices, normally leaving them before 18 months.
The release date timing for the LG G3 Mini should be around August/September time, a few months after the LG G3 gets global. At around 2,500 yen, the device should come to the US at around $400 off contract, a good price for essentially a smaller version of the LG G3, missing a bit of the beef.
