There’s nothing mini about the LG G3 Beat, launching as G3 S in Europe

LG has officially announced the G3 Beat, otherwise known as the G3 S in Europe. The new mid-range smartphone borrows heavily from the company’s flagship G3, but despite rumours suggesting it was working on a smaller version, there’s nothing mini about this latest handset. With a 5in display and laser autofocus rear camera, it looks like an impressively capable device that shouldn’t make a major dent in your bank balance.

Revealed last night in a press release posted to the LG Newsroom, the G3 Beat will arrive with a 5in, 1,280×720 resolution IPS display, squeezed into a 137x69x10mm chassis thanks to LG’s incredibly thin display bezels. The bigger screen certainly makes a refreshing change from the compact ‘mini’ smartphone variants we’ve seen in the past from the likes of Samsung and LG, but physical dimensions aren’t compromised for fans of smaller handsets.

It will be powered by a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 CPU, paired with 1GB of RAM, 8GB of on-board storage and a microSD card slot. a 4G LTE modem, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11n Wi-Fi will help you get connected, while the 2,540mAh battery should help you stay topped up with charge for most of the day.

The rear camera might only have eight megapixels, and lack the optical image stabilisation seen in the G3, but it has the same laser autofocus for super-fast focusing. There’s also a 1.3-megapixel webcam on the front of the phone. The G3 Beat will run Android 4.4.2 KitKat, with LG’s revised Optimus UI on top. That means it will include the adjustable on-screen Smart Keyboard, QuickMemo+ for note taking, Gesture Shot for no-hands photos and plenty more of LG’s custom apps.

The G3 Beat is set for a formal reveal in LG’s native Korea later today, and it should be going on sale around the world later in the year with a choice of Metallic Black, Silk White and Shine Gold colours. There’s currently no indication of a UK price or availability.