14 DAY TRIAL // South Korean mobile phone maker LG Electronics did not come to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this year empty-handed, but it brought along a smaller version of its latest flagship model, suggestively called LG G2 mini.
Unlike other similar devices out there, however, the G2 mini does not move too far away from its larger counterpart in terms of internals, which allows it to deliver an appealing experience to users, courtesy of high-end performance capabilities.
Sony was the first to make such a move with the launch of Xperia Z1 Compact, which included all the Xperia Z1 features in a smaller form factor, and LG made a similar move, offering a viable alternative to the 5.2-inch LG G2 that went official at IFA in September 2013.
The smaller LG G2 mini comes with a 4.7-inch IPS touchscreen display that can deliver a qHD resolution (540 x 960 pixels), but still features a 1.7GHz quad-core Nvidia Tegra 4i processor inside.
The downside of this smartphone, however, is the fact that it will still arrive in some markets out there under-spec’d, with said processor being replaced by a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm MSM8926 CPU.
In fact, it seems that this is not the only downgraded hardware that will be included in this version of the phone, as it will also sport only LTE Cat 3 and an 8-megapixel camera on the back in said markets.
Aside from this, the phone’s specs remain about the same across markets, starting with the 1GB of RAM and moving to the 8GB of internal memory, paired with a microSD memory card slot with support for up to 64GB of external storage.
LG G2 mini also comes with a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video calling while on the go, as well as with a 2440 mAh removable battery. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS receiver and the usual set of sensors were also included on this phone.
It arrives on the market with Google’s Android 4.4 KitKat operating system, as well as with LG-specific features, such as Knock Code, Guest Mode, Clip Tray, Plug and Pop, and more.
Overall, the G2 mini can offer an appealing experience to its users. We found it to be quite snappy and easy to hold in the hand, especially due to the smaller form factor. Not to mention that it feels great to the touch, something that is influenced by the back cover texture.
The handset will come in four color versions, including Black, White, Gold, and Red, and will also be accompanied by special covers meant to further increase its usability.
