Damage:
Around R4999 unless you take a contract option
What you need to know:
- Light (weighs around 134 g)
- 5″ display
- Runs on Android
- 8GB memory
- 16GB External Memory Card Included
- 8MP Camera
- Available in gold, silk white and metallic black
What we think you should know:
It’s no secret I love the G3, Th G3 Beat is the “mini” version of my first love. The G3 Beat is the smaller cheaper version of it’s big sister and, if I had to box it, I’d say it is the perfect phone for a 21 year old girl. Here’s why:
It’s not a bank breaker. The contract options available in SA are really affordable and if you buy cash it’s round R5000. It’s a lot of money but a lot less than the high end smartphones. Why does this matter? Well when I was 21 I was focused on working hard and building a life for me. I needed a good phone but I also didn’t want to be tied in to a really expensive contract that crippled me straight out of varsity. I already had a MAC makeup obsession to deal with.
It just keeps going. My biggest gripe with the G3 was the less than stellar battery. With the high end display and my twitter obsession it drained rather quickly. The G3 Beat’s battery is far better (possibly because of the toned down specs). It can last you an entire day: from gym, to varsity, to your afternoon job and it will still be going when you hit cocktails with the girls and want to snap a picture of the sunset to Instagram. The marketing behind the phone will make statements like “for the girl on the Beat.” Don’t roll your eyes. It’s designed for the busy young woman who doesn’t have time to plug her phone into a charger.
It fits snug in the palm of your hand. I’ve received some flack for saying this in the past but you know what – I have small hands, so how a phone fits in them matters to me. When you live your life on the go, rushing around, you need something that you can hold and use with one hand (well, I do anyway). I want to hold a glass of champagne while snapping a picture with my phone. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one. The G3 Beat is a bit smaller than its big sister and fits really well into your hand. It has a curved back which aids in not slipping as much and allows for better one handed typing (really). The signature LG back buttons work a treat. The power and volume buttons sit on the back of the phone.
And now for the not so good stuff, because this is a LG G3 Beat Review and not a marketing pitch: I really do not like having to remove a back cover AND a battery to place a sim in a phone. I pride myself on pretty nails. They happen to be fake… which makes them useless for this task. I’m not feeding stereotypes here, just talking truth. These fingernails cost good money. I don’t want to snap them pulling out a battery. Most phones have moved away from this process. I think LG should too.
There are too many apps. The G3 bragged that simple is the new smart. It didn’t come preloaded with a stack of apps you didn’t want or need. It seems like every app they took off the G3 they added to the G3 Beat. Sometimes we just don’t want all the things.
I like taking selfies. Sadly, the G3 Beat selfie cam is only 1.3 megapixels and disappointed me somewhat. Saying that the main camera brags 8 megapixels and really takes gorgeous crisp photos. So would I buy this phone tomorrow? No. I wouldn’t. But I’m in my late twenties and have much higher demands of my personal phone. Would 21 year old Sam buy this phone? It would cost me two months of my part time job salary to cover it but I’m 99.9% sure I’d have been all over it.
So rad:
- It’s perfect size
- Fab main camera
- Extra microSD card for more storage
Makes us sad:
- Weak selfie camera
- ALL. THE. APPS.