LG officially announces its mid-range LG G4 Beat smartphone

It was inevitable that LG was going to announce a mid-range version of its flagship LG G4, and that device has been made official today as the LG G4 Beat. If you can imagine a slightly smaller, slightly less powerful version of the LG G4, and you’ve pretty much got the LG G4 Beat – headlining specs for the device include an octacore Snapdragon 615 processor clocked at 1.5GHz, a 5.2-inch 1080p IPS display and a 8MP rear camera that inherits LG’s nifty camera features like Color Spectrum Sensor and Laser Auto Focus.

Of course, the device was never meant to turn too many heads, but it is a decent offering at the mid-range, and it does have the added incentive of sharing the LG G4’s unique looks and design. Unfortunately, LG Beat devices of old have often been just a tad too expensive to truly be competitive with the likes of the Moto G, but we’ll see what the pricing is like when the device is actually available. LG says to expect the LG G4 Beat in Europe and Latin America this month with Canada, India, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey and others to join at a later date. 

The full list of specifications for the LG G4 Beat are:

• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragonâ„¢ 615 Processor
• Display: 5.2-inch Full HD IPS LCD (1920 x 1080, 423ppi)
• Memory: 8GB eMMC ROM / 1.5GB RAM
• Camera: Rear 8MP LDAF (13MP in Latin America) / Front 5MP
• Battery: 2,300mAh (removable)
• Operating System: Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
• Size: 142.7 x 72.6 x 9.85mm
• Weight: 139g
• Network: 4G LTE / HSPA+ 42.2Mbps (3G)
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b, g, n / Bluetooth 4.1 / NFC / A-GPS / Glonass / USB 2.0
• Colors: Metallic Silver / Ceramic White / Shiny Gold
• Other: In-Cell Touch / Color Spectrum Sensor / Gesture Interval Shot / Full HD 1080p Video

What do you think about the LG G4 Beat? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Press Release

LG G4 BEAT DELIVERS PREMIUM DESIGN,
SUPERIOR FEATURES IN A MID-TIER PACKAGE

Advanced Display, Advanced Camera and Striking Design Come
Together to Create an Exceptional Phone Without the Exceptional Price

SEOUL, July 9, 2015 ― LG Electronics (LG) officially unveiled its newest variant of its widely praised LG G4 flagship smartphone. The LG G4 Beat¹ retains the best features and functions of the LG G4, delivering value without compromising performance or usability. The LG G4 Beat will make its debut this month in key markets in Europe and Latin America, including France, Germany and Brazil before rolling out globally in markets such as Canada, India, Russia, Singapore, South Africa and Turkey, among others.

The LG G4 Beat comes with a 5.2-inch Full HD IPS Display, which is clearer, sharper and more responsive than anything offered by LG before in this category. A powerful Qualcomm Snapdragonâ„¢ 615 processor running eight cores at 1.5GHz with integrated 4G LTE delivers an optimal balance of power, performance and battery life.

LG G4 Beat’s camera features are equally as impressive as the hardware. On the back is a 8MP camera ², supported by LG’s exclusive Color Spectrum Sensor and Laser Auto Focus. Manual Mode, one of the most acclaimed features in the G4, allows full creative control over every detail in each shot. LG also enhanced the 5MP front-facing shooter with Gesture Interval Shot to allow users to take four consecutive selfies with a single hand gesture, increasing the odds of capturing that perfect shot.

“Too often, mid-tier phones sacrifice overall usability in order to include that one killer feature,” said Juno Cho, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “Our goal with the LG G4 Beat was to create a phone that was not only well- balanced in terms of display, camera, performance and design but delivered terrific value and satisfaction.”

Highlights and Features of the LG G4 Beat are:

• High Performance Multimedia made possible by a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragonâ„¢ 615 Processor with Octa-Core performance and speed, which can handle Full HD 1080p playback at 60fps and capture at 30fps.
• Color Spectrum Sensor to measure the exact RGB and infrared values of ambient light and objects, resulting in colors that are truer to nature.
• Manual Mode to give users fine control over every detail of a shot, including shutter speed, ISO, exposure and white balance.
• Gesture Interval Shot improves on the original Gesture Shot by increasing the chance of getting that perfect shot even under challenging conditions.

Prices and details of availability will be announced locally at the time of launch.