In the run-up to the IFA tech show in Berlin, LG has announced another spin-off of its G3 flagship Android phone, this time named the G3 Stylus. We’d already heard a few rumors about the device, so it’s good to have official confirmation, and a complete list of specs. Sadly, the phone can’t match the G3’s technical prowess, but it does come with a stylus to make writing or drawing on the massive screen a little more intuitive.
The G3 Stylus has the same size screen as the standard G3, so it measures 5.5-inches, and the stylus can be used to write notes, draw pictures, or add little sketches to documents. Much of this will be done through pre-installed apps, and the stylus itself is similar to the model included with previous LG phones, such as the Optimus Vu.
Related: We review LG’s official accessories for the G3 smartphone
While the screen matches the G3’s size, it doesn’t have the same 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution. In fact, it doesn’t even manage 720p. It’s 960 x 540 pixels, which is low for a screen half this size. The processing power comes from a 1.3GHz quad-core chip, which we’d expect to be a Snapdragon 400, but this hasn’t been confirmed yet. Don’t expect blazing fast 4G LTE connections either, the G3 Stylus is a 3G only smartphone.
There’s 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal memory, plus a MicroSD card slot to give the latter figure a boost, and the phone runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat. LG has kept to its promise of integrating the G3’s new user interface and software on mid-range hardware, and the G3 Stylus’ new look UI comes with features such as the Smart Keyboard, Gesture Shot, Dual Windows multi-tasking, and the Knock Code security feature. A 13-megapixel camera is on the rear, but the G3’s laser autofocus doesn’t seem to be present.
LG will present the G3 Stylus to the public during IFA next month, and will subsequently release it in Brazil, followed by parts of Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. There’s no mention of a U.S. or UK release.
CONTINUE TO PAGE 2 FOR A ROUNDUP OF G3 STYLUS RUMORS
It looks like LG won’t stop at the recently announced G3 Beat, and has another spin-off of the G3 smartphone planned for launch in the near future. It’s apparently going to be called the G3 Stylus, and although the name suggests it’ll be a Galaxy Note competitor, a leaked set of specs indicates it’ll be more modest than Samsung’s flagship phablet.
The specifications comes from the Zauba import/export tracking firm, which keeps tabs on new devices sent out for evaluation, and a User Agent profile discovered on LG’s own website. Both sets of data refer to a phone with the model number LG-D690, which has subsequently been linked to the G3 Stylus name.
Here’s what we know from the leak. The phone should have a larger screen than the G3, taking it from 5.5-inches to 5.7-inches, and matching the current Galaxy Note. However, the resolution could be lower than both the G3 and the Note 3, coming in at 1280 x 720. One important point is LG’s User Agent profile has the D690’s screen resolution down as 960 x 540, although this seems very low for a phone with the G3 name attached.
Related: Read our review of the excellent LG G3.
If the pixel count doesn’t give away the mid-range status of the G3 Stylus, then the choice of processor will, it’s expected to be a 1.3GHz quad-core chip of currently unknown origin. The rear camera is listed as having 8-megapixels, while the front camera should have 1.3-megapixels, and a total of 8GB internal storage memory is also expected. Finally, the G3 Stylus should connect to 4G LTE networks, for some super fast data on the move.
Provided it stays true to the name, LG will provide a stylus with the D690, and in an official video released then quickly retracted earlier this week, we caught a glimpse of it along with the phone. The pen seems to slip into a custom slot on the top of the G3-like device, and we can see a set of rear controls, but not the laser autofocus sensor, too.
The G3 Stylus’ launch date remains unknown, but with the IFA tech show coming in early September, we’d expect to hear something official about it around that time.
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