We go hands-on with the newest members of the G3 family

LG launched the newest members of its G3 family yesterday, and we managed to get a hold of both of the devices for a little hands-on. Both the G3 Beat and the Stylus retain much of the same design language that’s in the company’s excellent G3, though obviously both devices have received downgrades in hardware to compete in the mid-range price point. Just how much G3 DNA is left in both devices? Join us in our hands-on to find out.

LG G3 Stylus specs

• 1.3GHz quad-core processor
• 1GB of RAM
• 5.5-inch qHD IPS display, 960 x 540 resolution
• 8GB of storage, expandable via microSD
• 13-megapixel rear camera
• 1.3-megapixel front camera
• WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, A-GPS, NFC
• Dual-SIM
• 3G
• 3,000mAh battery
• Android 4.4 KitKat
• 149.3 x 75.9 x 10.2mm

LG G3 Beat specs

• 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor
• 1GB of RAM
• 5-inch HD IPS display, 1280 x 720 resolution
• 8GB of storage, expandable via microSD
• 8-megapixel rear camera with laser autofocus
• 1.3-megapixel front camera
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, NFC
• 3G
• Dual-SIM
• 2540mAh removable battery
• Android 4.4.2 KitKat
• 137.7 x 69.6 x 10.3mm

Hands-on, first impressions: just enough G3 to keep things interesting

Both the G3 Beat and the Stylus are styled after LG’s flagship, so much so that its hard to tell which one is which when they’re put side by side. The only clue that you’ll get that there’s something different with the two phones is the size (for the G3 Beat) and the stylus holster on the back (for the G3 Stylus). Both devices retain the G3’s rear key setup, which is good news for people planning to transition from the G2 to the more affordable G3’s.

Both devices use roughly the same materials and build process as the flagship G3 – you still get the not-really-metal finish on the plastic body, and build quality is still top notch. Both devices sport small bezels on the side, so they’re a bit smaller than your typical 5 and 5.5-inch smartphone.

Just like its name suggests, the G3 Stylus has a stylus that’s situated in a holster on the back of the device, on the upper left side.

As far as the spec sheet goes, the G3 Stylus is the runt of the two devices, as it uses a larger, but lower resolution 5.5-inch qHD display, 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek processor and 1GB of RAM. Folks hoping for built-in digitizer for the stylus will be disappointed to know that the G3 Stylus only uses a passive system.

The G3 Beat meanwhile, looks to be the better of the two devices. It uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor and a higher resolution HD display though the screen size has been reduced to just 5-inches.

The G3 Beat also retains the laser autofocus of the flagship G3, though now it’s paired with a lowly 8-megapixel camera. It’s also quite cheaper compared to its bigger brother, coming in at just Php 13,990 compared to the Php 16,990 price of the Stylus.

As far as benchmarks go, both devices didn’t wow us with their performance, which is understandable considering the hardware inside both. These devices are obviously nowhere near the performance levels of the G3, though they still have the look of the flagship and the nice and minimalist UI that we like a lot.

That’s it for this hands-on. Both devices should now be on sale where LG products are sold.