LG G2 Mini packs in quad-core and KitKat, but cuts some crucial corners

LG's new G2 Mini comes in black, white, red and gold.

(Credit: LG)
Most smartphone makers seem to have got the message that we don't all want 5-inch-plus monster mobiles. But where some have taken it to heart, producing smaller phones with all the power of their big-boned brethren, others are making low-power 'mini' variants that are frankly disappointing.
LG looks like it's plumping for the latter strategy with the G2 Mini, a compact 4.7-inch Android phone with all the glitzy style of the admirable G2 -- but much less impressive hardware.
Its screen ekes out a fairly meager 960x540 pixels over those 4.7 inches, for a density of 234 pixels per inch. That's nowhere near the retina quality of the best screens on the market.

Where the G2 packs a mighty 2.26GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, its little bro makes do with a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400. It has half the amount of memory too, with 1GB of RAM compared to the G2's 2GB. Lynn found the G2 a "speed demon" in her review back in September; the G2 Mini sounds significantly less demonic.

One good point: it's running the very latest version of Android, 4.4 KitKat. While some mid-range mobiles are still hitting the market running Android 4.2, that's very welcome. It also has the nifty rear controls of the G2, with the volume rocker and power button under the camera instead of cluttering up the edges.

Elsewhere the Mini's specs are distinctly middle of the road. There's 8GB of storage, expandable with microSD, a decent 2,440mAh battery that you can swap out, and an 8-megapixel camera. 4G LTE will be standard in Europe and Asia, but Russia and other CIS countries will get a 3G dual-SIM version.

A slightly different spec will go on sale in Latin America, with a faster 1.7GHz Nvidia chip and a 13-megapixel camera. Colours including black, white, red and gold will be available, but not all in every region.

A US release has not yet been announced, while prices will be announced in due course.
We'll get our hands on the LG G2 Mini at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona next week, and let you know whether it cuts the mustard.