LG at CES 2017
LG managed to move quickly towards the end of last year. The Korean giant wasted no time in officially announcing at least some of its plans for the 2017 lineup. This includes a brand new "K" family of devices - K3, K4, K8 and the top-of-the-line K10, as well as the Stylus 3.
Still, CES floor is an opportunity major players rarely pass on and LG acted accordingly. As a matter of fact, the manufacturer went as far as to making a second official announcement for the devices.
LG is marketing the entire "K" family, as well as the Stylus 3 as "mass-tier" handsets. That is arguably a fancy way of describing a mid-range lineup. But then again, we cant deny that the options within the new range are plentiful. To quote Juno Cho, president of the LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company:
O ur 2017 mass-tier, mid-range smartphones focus on giving our customers a wide variety of options and choices for their smartphone lifestyles ... Whats consistent in all our K Series and Stylus 3 devices is that they look and feel premium, offer replaceable batteries and all come with expandable memory slots - what customers consider key factors when buying smartphones in this category.
While on site at the Las Vegas Convention Center, we had the chance to check out the top-of-the-line LG K10 as well as the new Stylus 3. Our initial impressions are on the following pages.
LG K10
As previously mentioned, the K10 is the very best the new "K" line currently has to offer. It is the biggest of the bunch, with a 5.3-inch HD display. The panel in question looks plenty sharp and the 2.5D curvature towards the edges adds a little bit of premium feel to the mix. Its other hardware includes an octa-core MediaTek MT6750 chi pset and 2GB of RAM. While squarely in the mid-range realm, these specs are still better than the rest of the "K" lineup.
The K10 is also the only one to come with a fingerprint reader. It is mounted on the back and is pretty snappy and accurate. No complaints there. However, the scarce 16GB of built-in storage is a lot less satisfactory. At least there is a microSD card slot to lessen the blow.
LG K10
Going back the the outward appearance of the K10 for a bit - its 148.7 x 75.3 x 7.9mm, 142 gram bo dy does look sturdy and pretty stylish for what it is. Plastic is the material of choice all around and there is still a lot to be said about its benefits. That is why, we dont really care all too much for LGs added effort to mask it as metal.
One obvious benefit of the traditional plastic approach is the ability to easily incorporate a removable battery and back cover. Plus, the overall shape of the body feels nice and ergonomic.
LG K10
Back to the nuts and bolts, we didnt really have time to properly test the MT6750 in terms of performance, but we will definitely do that once the K10 comes by the office. In the meantime, we can report that the UI and typical tasks all ran really smoothly. While at it, we cant fail to mention that the phone already runs Android 7 Nougat out of the box. The extra effort on LGs end shouldnt go unnoticed.
In the camera department, the K10 offers a 13MP main shooter. Again, it is too early for any proper quality assessment, but LG does boast that the module in question was once used in a flagship G-series device. That could potentially be the G3, or perhaps the G4 Beat variant. But, we digress. The 5MP front camera is also quite interesting, with its 120 degree wide-angle lens.
LG K10
To round-up the overview, there are a few more "creature comforts" to note on the K10. These include Wi-Fi n, LTE, NFC, the quite futureproof Bluetooth 4.2 and the 2,800 mAh removable battery. Color options are also satisfactory and include Black, Titan and Gold.
LG Stylus 3
LGs Stylus family has built-up sort of a legacy at this point and the third generation doesnt really stray from the original formula either. We still dont really get why LG persists in its efforts to slightly and confusingly change the moniker to "Stylo" for the US, but marketing has stuck with it yet again.
The Stylus line has always been mostly developed as an affordable entry point into the phablet+stylo segm ent, which is still underdeveloped. With a hefty 5.7-inch screen, the Stylus 3 definitely has the phablet part covered and although pricing isnt clear yet, judging by its specs and the fact that LG is readily slapping the "mass-tier" title on it as well, competitiveness is almost guaranteed.
LG Stylus 3
To kick things off with a physical tour and impression - the 5.7-inch LCD display only has 720p resolution to work with, which is noticeable at that size. Just like with its predecessors, as well as the "K" family, plastic is still the material of choice. Again, thi s opens up the room for a removable battery - 3,200mAh, in this case.
Even without premium glass, ceramic or metal materials all around, the Stylus 3 still looks quite stylish in our opinion. There is a nice arch on the back, for a snug fit in the hand. The plastic of choice seems very sturdy, but its finish tends to get greasy easily and is generally a fingerprint magnet. So, there is that.
Of course, we cant fail to mention the distinct feature of the handset - the bundled stylus. It is tucked away so neatly in the top right corner, that unfamiliar users can easily miss it. Taking it out is actually a hurdle but we hope it just needs to be broken in. Either way LG can surely take a hint or two from Samsungs Note line and its evolution of the S Pen mechanics for future generations.
LG Stylus 3
Once out and operational, however, the stylus generally works well and it is easy to see that LG has been working on improving its functionality. Frankly, we couldnt really appreciate the new 1.8mm fiber tip, but the extra software goodies do appear handy.
UX Pen Pop 2.0 allows for your memos to appear on screen every time you pull out the stylus. Yes, there is now a system in place to detect that and LGs Pen Keeper is also helpful enough to warn you if you try to walk off without the stylus. Screen-off memo is also added to the mix and it is pretty self-explanatory.
And since we kind of transitioned into the software side of the Stylus 3, we will also mention that it boots Android 7 Nougat out of the box as well. While in no wa y a testament to LGs overall commitment to timely updates to it or any other phone, it is still a speedy integration worth noting.
LG Stylus 3
As for performance, the handset has the same MediaTek MT6750 octa-core chipset like the K10 at its disposal. This time, however, it is backed up by 3GB of RAM - a welcome improvement for more multitasking headroom. Again, we were very pleased with how it handled general usage. On the flip side, 16GB of storage is hardly acceptable in 2017, despite the addition of a microSD card slot.
The Stylus 3 comes equipped with a 13MP camera as well. We have to wonder if it is the same one from the K10. But it is worth noting that LG isnt mentioning any flagship roots this time around. As far as specs sheets go, there is nothing really special about the 8MP selfie camera either.
Oh, and one last note - the LG Stylus 3 has FM radio on board.
All things considered, both the K10 and Stylus 3 have at least a few things going for them. Granted, we are far from flagship territory here, but if LG manages to price the two right, perhaps around the $200 to $250 mark, both could be headed for a successful future.
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