LG Stylus DAB+ Review: Plans | Pricing | Specs

The LG Stylus DAB+ sells itself on the inclusion of digital radio, but it’s not the reason to buy this particular phone.

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

• Read more on the LG Stylus DAB+'s design

  

  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

• Read more on the LG Stylus DAB+'s camera

  

  The LG Stylus DAB+'s camera performs almost exactly as we expected it would. With a 13MP rear sensor and a 5MP front-facing sensor, it's neither a great nor terrible camera; it's simply acceptable within its price bracket given the general observation that smartphone cameras have gradually been improving over time anyway.

Performance

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

• Read more on the LG Stylus DAB+'s performance

  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

• Read more on the LG Stylus DAB+'s battery life

  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

• Read our full LG Stylus DAB+ verdict

  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

LG Stylus DAB+

Rock out more affordably

With its built-in digital radio and note-taking stylus, the LG Stylus DAB+ is quite unlike any other smartphone on the market.

• The LG Stylus DAB+ retails for $449, but you can find it cheaper at online retailers and marketplaces like eBay.