LG expanded their G3 lineup with the Beat and Stylus versions. These are mid-ranged smartphones gives more options for people to enjoy the G3 experience, but with a lighter budget. Now let’s see the G3 Stylus dual and check if its good for your hard earned money.
Before we proceed, here is the specifications for this phone
5.5-inch qHD IPS display, 200ppi
1.3GHz MediaTek MT6582 quad-core CPU
Mali-400MP2 GPU
1GB RAM
8GB internal storage
up to 32GB via microSD
13 megapixel AF OIS rear camera w/ LED flash
1.3 megapixel front camera
Dual-SIM, Dual-Standby
3G HSPA+
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0, A2DP
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
USB 2.0 OHS
Android 4.4.2 KitKat
3,000mAh battery
149.3 x 75.9 x 10.2 mm
163 g
Stylus Pen
White, Gold, Titan Black
The body showcases the same as the G3 wth its metalic finished coating and rear key buttons. Although it has the same 5.5 inch screen as the G3, the bezels on the Stylus are noticably more wide. Perhaps this is to cut cost in the unit, but it is still smaller compared to other phablets in the market. Unfortunately the IPS screen is only qHD which might be an issue for some, especially if you’re used to HD screens already.
Functionality wise still delivers you the G3 UI where improvements overall in the OS are all the same. Camera, Apps, Drawers and event notifications are specifically tweaked for LG’s user enhancements. But what’s interesting is the stylus here, its oriented for more of creative work. The stylus is a regular rubber tip where there are no special enhancements compated to the other famous stylus based smartphone.
The result is a normal sketchpad in your hand, I was able to sketch a map for our house without any grace. The stylus felt sturdy for any kind of force given, though it won’t give any difference anyways. What’s good was LG’s note taking app was able to provide wide range of digital inputs from highlighting, brushes, pen to pencil. Then you can easily share the sketch as photo to any app.
The performance of the G3 Stylus is a bit of a worry though, powered by a quad-core MT6582 processor by Mediatek. It delivers performance that is a little bit left out, though it can still play and perform the latests apps in the market. Perhaps this is the reason why choose the qHD resolution screen, to make performance lighter overall for the device.
The rear 13 megapixel camera is quite impressive with its color friendly shots. We enjoyed shooting with its macro shots, which resulted to sharp detailed photos. The only complaint we see is a bit of slow autofocus, hopefully this can be upgraded via software. You may see a cat photo with blur parts, but that is understandable especially with moving objects.
Here are the sample of the photos taken
Battery life last around 18 hours in our daily usage. This good enough to last you from 7am in the morning and going home 9pm with around 10-15% of battery left. This is with mobile data on and constant social media checking.
Overall the G3 Stylus dual is a phone to consider for 5.5 inches. Equipped with a stylus, its useful for users who needs a quick draw once in a while. Despite the processor is a bit outdated, we think this isn’t much of a problem as you can just pick the LG G3 if you demand more performance. The LG G3 Stylus is available for Php16,900 but you can get it for Php14,990 starting on February 1 until 28, 2015.
