LG Stylus DAB+ Review: Plans | Pricing | Specs

Name: LG Stylus DAB+
Brand: LG

Alex Kidman

Last updated: Apr 4, 2019

While the overall performance of the LG Stylus DAB+ isn’t exceptional even within its constrained price range, it is considerably cheaper than the Note 5 while still being within striking distance of its battery life.

Saves money on streaming services
Stylus works well
Good battery life
Acceptable camera

Digital radio disappointments
Mediocre application performance

5.7 inches

Display size

720 x 1280px

16GB

Internal storage

13 MP

Rear camera

3,000 mAh

Battery size

Finder rated as Good vs similar phones

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Display

Display Size

5.7 inches

Resolution

720 x 1280px

Pixels per inch (PPI)

258 ppi

Camera

Rear camera megapixels

13MP

Rear camera aperture size

N/A

Video recording

N/A

Front camera megapixels

8MP

Front camera aperture size

N/A

Physical Dimensions

Dimensions

155mm x 79.6mm x 7.4mm

Weight

144.5g

Connectivity

NFC

Wi-Fi

802.11 b/g/n

Network category speed

N/A

Power, storage and battery

Processor

Snapdragon 410

RAM

2GB

Operating system

Android 6

Internal storage

16GB

External storage support

Up to 128GB

Battery capacity

3,000mAh

Device features

Headphone jack

Yes

Fingerprint sensor

Water resistance rating

N/A

Wireless charging

Launch price (RRP)	$449
Launch date	2016-04

Alex Kidman

A multi-award winning journalist, Alex has written about consumer technology for over 20 years. He has written and edited for virtually every Australian tech publication including Gizmodo, CNET, PC Magazine, Kotaku and more. He has also been the Editor of Gizmodo Australia, PC Mag Australia, CNET.com.au and the Tech and Telco section at Finder. Alex has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New England and a serious passion for retro gaming.

Where to buy

What's in this review?

Design
Camera
Performance
Battery life
Verdict
Pricing and availability
Specifications

Smartphones as a category are very mature, with only a few features used to differentiate each model, and that’s typically in the premium space. For a mid-range phone to include a world’s first feature is an interesting step on LG’s part, but that’s precisely what the LG Stylus DAB+ does.

Design

Digital radio support is a neat idea held back by a number of awkward limitations
Titular stylus adds versatility your average smartphone lacks

LG's big push with the Stylus DAB+ is its inclusion of digital radio support and how this saves money compared to regular music streaming services. Digital radio is free, both in not having to pay a monthly access fee or any data charges associated with it at all. While you lose a little in track control, that’s not a terrible trade-off against services that can slurp up your data quota if you’re not careful.
Including digital radio is a generally positive feature, but it’s not without some significant limitations. Your headphones – they don’t have to be the supplied pair – act as the effective antenna for the radio, which means you can’t just use the Stylus DAB+ as a wider broadcast radio to a room without plugging in some form of wired speaker.
What’s more apparent from a week’s testing is that even in Sydney, digital radio reception on the move can vary widely. We used the Stylus DAB+ for our weekly commute in Sydney and experienced constant dropouts, including predictable ones like train tunnels. If you want the Stylus DAB+ for its musical chops, make sure you stay outdoors and mostly stationary.
The other defining feature of the Stylus DAB+ is right there in the name: the inbuilt stylus. It’s not quite as fancy as the S-Pen found on the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, but then again the Stylus DAB+ is considerably more affordable. If all you want is a simple note-taking or screenshot-capturing device, the included Stylus and small selection of apps work quite well.

Camera

Unremarkable yet totally competent camera, both for traditional photography and selfies

Performance

Sits at the low end of the performance rankings, even compared to significantly cheaper smartphones
Still capable of acceptable performance in basic tasks

The LG Stylus DAB+ has a premium feature but a non-premium price, and that’s largely to do with its choice of processor. The trade off there is that the Stylus DAB+ is a fairly ordinary phone in performance terms. We wouldn’t expect it to outperform its bigger brother, the LG G5, but even against other mid-range fare the LG Stylus DAB+ is a poor performer.

Here’s how it compares using the cross-platform Geekbench 3 benchmark:

Handset	Geekbench 3 Single Core (higher is better)	Geekbench 3 Multi Core (higher is better)
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge	2169	6446
Samsung Galaxy S7	2156	6240
LG G5	2305	5243
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+	1492	4893
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge	1324	4626
Google Nexus 6P	1251	4597
Samsung Galaxy S6	1347	4569
Apple iPhone SE	2538	4455
Apple iPhone 6S	2540	4410
Apple iPhone 6S Plus	2491	4391
HTC 10	1942	4191
Sony Xperia Z5	1358	4134
Samsung Galaxy Note 5	1111	3686
BlackBerry PRIV	1196	3396
LG G4	1190	3313
Oppo R9	867	3303
Google Nexus 5X	1188	3198
Oppo R7s	696	2980
LG Stylus DAB+	470	1418
Alcatel Go Play	453	1368

Equally, while it has a nice large screen for video watching, applying that power to games or video production brings mediocre results:

Handset	3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited Result
LG G5	29597
Apple iPhone SE	29276
Samsung Galaxy S7	28903
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge	28402
Apple iPhone 6s	28171
HTC 10	27392
Google Nexus 6P	24703
Sony Xperia Z5	19197
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus	17981
Oppo R9	11053
Oppo R7s	8390
LG Stylus DAB+	4321

Battery life

Plenty of endurance thanks to its 3,000mAh battery
Even with its large screen, all-day battery life is well within reach

A larger phone gives you more scope to throw in batteries at the back, and the LG Stylus DAB+ is no slouch when it comes to battery life as a result. Using Geekbench 3’s battery test with screen dimming enabled, here’s how the LG Stylus DAB+ compares against a range of other large screen/"phablet" style devices:

Handset	Geekbench 3 Battery Test Duration	Geekbench 3 Battery Score
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge	11:55:00	7150
Samsung Galaxy Note 5	9:18:00	5580
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+	8:24:10	5041
LG Stylus DAB+	8:11:40	3278
Apple iPhone 6S Plus	7:48:10	4681
Google Nexus 6P	6:39:20	3754
BlackBerry PRIV	5:25:40	3256

It’s worth noting the lower performance score for the Stylus DAB against similar competitors, which is an obvious consequence of its mid-range processor.

Verdict

The digital radio feature might be a bit of a letdown, but if you're after an affordable phone you can write notes on, the LG Stylus DAB+ is well worth a look

The Stylus DAB+ sells itself on the inclusion of digital radio, but our tests with that feature left us wanting quite a bit more. Digital radio has existed in Australia for some years now and is yet to make its way out of metropolitan centres, but even in major cities reception issues make it a poor substitute for commuters who like music.
Having said that, there is a market for the LG Stylus DAB+, and it’s those consumers who want a large, phablet-style phone without the price tag of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5. While the overall performance of the LG Stylus DAB+ isn’t exceptional even within its constrained price range, it is considerably cheaper than the Note 5 while still being within striking distance of its battery life.
Within its price range you’ve got a lot of potential choices, including Oppo’s R7s if you want a bigger screen, or many other smaller-screened options at the same or lower price points.

Pricing and availability

The LG Stylus DAB+ is no longer available for purchase in Australia.

Specifications

Display

Display Size

5.7 inches

Resolution

720 x 1280px

Pixels per inch (PPI)

258 ppi

Camera

Rear camera megapixels

13MP

Rear camera aperture size

N/A

Video recording

N/A

Front camera megapixels

8MP

Front camera aperture size

N/A

Physical Dimensions

Dimensions

155mm x 79.6mm x 7.4mm

Weight

144.5g

Connectivity

NFC

Wi-Fi

802.11 b/g/n

Network category speed

N/A

Power, storage and battery

Processor

Snapdragon 410

RAM

2GB

Operating system

Android 6

Internal storage

16GB

External storage support

Up to 128GB

Battery capacity

3,000mAh

Device features

Headphone jack

Yes

Fingerprint sensor

Water resistance rating

N/A

Wireless charging

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Image: Shutterstock

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LG Stylus DAB+ Review: Plans | Pricing | Specs