When LG launched their new flagship phone, the LG G3, they promised that simple was the new smart. Designed to be easy to use and full of features to make your life simpler, the LG G3 was a top of the range device. Now LG has released the mid-range version called the LG G3 Beat (Or LG G3 S) – is it still excellent and simple, or does it lose its simple charm?

Look and feel

LG G3 beat 1

The LG G3 Beat is a rather gorgeous phone. It’s meant to be a smaller version of the L3 G3, but with a 5″ screen it certainly isn’t small. It designed to fit in smaller places than the L3 G3, though, which it certainly does, fitting easily in jeans pockets or smaller pouches in a handbag.

The smaller size also makes the phone much easier to use with one hand. Thanks to a curved and brushed back, the Beat doesn’t slip out of the hand and instead feels comfortable whether using with once hand or two. The rear button controls are fantastic when the phone is in use – I loved being able to adjust volume or turn the screen off with my finger where it naturally rests when holding the phone.

With a screen resolution of 720 x 1290 pixels (~294 ppi pixel density) you can get some pretty good image reproduction on the screen. Websites and apps look vibrant and clear.

Look past the pretty face

LG G3 beat

Of course, beyond looking and feeling good, the phone needs to have excellent features and perform well in other ways. Running Android’s Kit Kat, the Beat has all the benefits of Android – it’s easy to switch over from iOS, and mind numbingly simple to set up if you’ve ever used an Android phone before. Thanks to the power of Google, all your favorite apps will simply appear and be good to go, and it’s easy to find more apps via Google Play if you’ve previously been on other devices. So, what does LG bring to the table that’s new?

First up, we have the knock code. The phone is unlocked using a series of taps on the screen. This can be done whether the screen is turned on or not, allowing quick, easy and secure access to your device. It is surprisingly quick and easy to use and allows for a sequence of up to nine taps (I opted for the simplest with four taps). It also avoids people around you figuring out your unlock code simply by looking at the common swipe fingerprint on your screen.

One of the most touted features of the phone is the selfie. While using the secondary camera, simply show your hand, make a fist and a countdown from three will begin. This allows you to take the perfect selfie without worrying about getting your finger on the button or those last second camera movements. This feature was a whole lot of fun, and worked most of the time… except in darker environments. However, LG has a solution to that, too – they found a way to make a selfie flash. It’s not nearly as dirty as Darryn would hope; when you turn on the flash while using the secondary camera, the frame of the picture gets smaller, while the surroundings on the phone go bright white to help light up faces and see your hand gestures. This should help your nightclub selfies.

LG G3 beat 2

However, the selfie camera does leave quite a bit to be desired with its 1.3MP camera. The main camera is much better, featuring an 8MP laser autofocus. With touch focus and face detection, taking pictures of others (which we really should do more of instead of selfies) is quick, easy and results in some excellent images.

While the phone is slick and full of fun features, it also lasts. The LG G3 was known for dying before your lunch break, while the G3 Beat actually survived with me through rAge despite all my tweets, messages and Instagramming. That said, the more time I spent with the phone, the shorter my battery life seemed to be. It still always made it to the end of the day for me, but I did find that it seemed to run apps and updates in the background, leading to some unexpected battery levels.

Similarly unexpected is the speed of the phone. The LG G3 Beat is a mid-range phone; inside is a Quad-core 1.2Ghz processor, and you can notice some lag when moving between apps or even just turning on the screen. It hangs for about a second before taking your desired action. That doesn’t sound like much, but it makes the “simple is the new smart” phone seem more simple than smart.

Specs

Body

  • Dimensions: 137.7 x 69.6 x 10.3 mm (5.42 x 2.74 x 0.41 in)
  • Weight: 134 g (4.73 oz)

Features

  • OS: Android OS, v4.4.2 (KitKat)
  • Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 400
  • CPU: Quad-core 1.2 GHz
  • GPU: Adreno 305
  • Battery: Li-Ion 2540 mAh battery (Standby time: 550 Hours Hours;
    Talk time: 15.8 Hours Hours)
  • Internal memory: 8GB, 16GB External Memory Card Included
  • RAM: 1GB

Camera

  • Primary: 8 MP, 3264 x 2448 pixels, laser autofocus, LED flash
  • Video: 1080p@30fps
  • Secondary: 1.3 MP

 

RRP: R4999

 

Last Updated: October 22, 2014

LG Beat 3
While this smaller version of the LG G3 doesn't live up to the flagship phone's performance, it is still a pretty decent phone for the price point. Looking for a smaller, cheaper Android phone that will help you take selfies in dark places? The LG G3 Beat might just be your best choice.
Rad

28 Comments

  1. Admiral Chief 0

    October 22, 2014 at 15:35

    LOL @ Darryn joke

    Reply

  2. RinceThis

    October 22, 2014 at 15:37

    Perfect selfishot. It did however, take a few tries to work 😛

    Reply

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      October 22, 2014 at 15:40

      Did the camera keep breaking?

      Reply

      • RinceThis

        October 22, 2014 at 15:41

        Yes? What could you mean by that question though?

        Reply

        • Alien Emperor Trevor

          October 22, 2014 at 15:49

          Only that there were possibly technical difficulties. What else could I have meant? 🙂

          Reply

    • Captain JJ in the shadow

      October 22, 2014 at 15:41

      Zoe! Behind you! Run!!

      Reply

      • Mossel

        October 22, 2014 at 16:02

        Reply

        • Alien Emperor Trevor

          October 22, 2014 at 16:08

          I totally buy that, the nail polish & wedding ring make it believable.

          Reply

        • Captain JJ in the shadow

          October 22, 2014 at 16:15

          looool

          Reply

    • Weanerdog

      October 22, 2014 at 15:49

      That is because you are making a fist incorrectly.

      Reply

    • dave

      October 22, 2014 at 21:36

      Real classy!

      Reply

  3. Alien Emperor Trevor

    October 22, 2014 at 15:39

    In related news, Autopage REALLY want me to upgrade RIGHT NOW. They’re getting very persistent & demanding – guy I spoke to now tried talking to me like I was a naughty kid avoiding my responsibilities. They’re so irritating I’m considering porting to another provider just to spite them.

    “Do you know your contract expired at the end of August?” Actually yes, I do. You’ve only been phoning, emailing & smsing to remind me every week since June.

    Reply

    • Captain JJ in the shadow

      October 22, 2014 at 15:40

      You with Autopage?
      Shame man.
      How have to managed to make it with them for this long?

      Reply

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        October 22, 2014 at 15:47

        Generally by ignoring them. When someone phones me I tell them I can’t talk now & to phone me after 5. Which is when I’m at the gym, without my phone. 🙂

        I ignored the first 2 calls today but made the mistake of picking the 3rd, then had the pleasure of dealing with someone who practically demanded I drop what I’m doing & upgrade my phone contract. Didn’t seem to happy when I said no.

        Reply

        • Captain JJ in the shadow

          October 22, 2014 at 15:58

          I’ve heard some bad stories.
          My gf switched from them because they couldn’t help her and after she called Vodacom they told her that they’re tired of helping Autopage clients, because there are always problems.

          Reply

    • RinceThis

      October 22, 2014 at 15:43

      HAHAHA 🙂

      Reply

    • HvR

      October 22, 2014 at 16:42

      Run away!!!! The only time they have been remotely efficient is to bug me to renew the contract. I switched banks it took them 6 months to update the bank details correctly. Also took me 5 tries to get the contract cancelled. Major billing issues that they kept sending me to MTN to be told to talk to Autopage.

      Reply

  4. Captain JJ in the shadow

    October 22, 2014 at 15:39

    Very nice.
    I’m not one for these new large phones, but they are pretty cool.

    Reply

  5. Captain JJ in the shadow

    October 22, 2014 at 15:46

    Deon and I are such upvote whores.

    Reply

  6. Cadis Etrama Di Umar

    October 22, 2014 at 15:53

    KISS was drilled into my head during my Uni days.

    “This can be done whether the screen is turned on or not, allowing quick, easy and secure access to your device”

    This is nice. Have to press a button on my phone before swiping

    Reply

    • Captain JJ in the shadow

      October 22, 2014 at 16:00

      Ah, sweet old school rock. ;P

      Reply

      • Cadis Etrama Di Umar

        October 22, 2014 at 16:08

        Not the tongue band lol

        Reply

  7. OVG

    October 22, 2014 at 16:10

    I will wait for the next version that comes with an APP that can detect if you have the flu by the smell of ones fart.

    Reply

  8. FoxOneZA

    October 22, 2014 at 16:14

    I tested a HiSense phone with the same specs and features and it was marked half the price of the LG and the selfie camera was rated and a whole 0.7mp more 😉

    Oh wait, that phone had a 5,5″ 720p screen and vanilla Android.

    Reply

    • HvR

      October 22, 2014 at 16:40

      HiSense have really upped their game. Even their TV’s are hitting the sweet spot.

      95% of the image quality, qaulity control now on par, none of the “Smart TV” features you never use at half the price.

      Reply

      • Brandon van Reenen

        October 23, 2014 at 12:54

        I have a Hi-Sense TV – has brilliant picture quality.

        Reply

  9. UltimateNinjaPandaDudeGuy

    October 22, 2014 at 18:08

    Must admit I was skeptical about getting my Nexus 5 based on it being LG, but it is a very good quality phone!

    Would definitely keep LG in mind when going for my next phone if I don’t go Nexus again (which is VERY unlikely)

    Reply

  10. Giga180

    March 10, 2015 at 09:25

    Went from Samsung to the LG G3 Beat and its great…Everything I needed….However is there a way to clean or tidy the RAM….Any advice welcome…Cheers

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Check Also

Turn that finger tapping into a new sick beat with Music Fingers

I can be a pretty annoying person to sit next to as I have a tendency to tap on things as …