LG Announcement Recap
This is verging on being old news already because LG couldn’t contain themselves and made their announcement before the IFA expo in Berlin even kicked off. They have a right to be excited, with budget friendly stylused version of their flagship, a couple of other mid-range handsets and their second Android Wear smartwatch in a matter of months. Unfortunately we couldn’t attend the announcement so all images are courtesy of GSM Arena who provided some of the earliest and most thorough coverage of the event.
LG G3 Stylus
The LG G3 Stylus may be named and have the similar great looks as their flagship G3, but inside it’s a very different phone. Check out those internals…
Display: 5.5 Inch 540 x 960 (~200ppi)
Memory: 1GB RAM, 8GB Storage, microSD slot.
CPU: Quad-core 1.3 GHz
Back Camera: 13MP with LED flash
Front Camera: 1.3MP
O/S: Android 4.4.2 (KitKat)
Battery: 3000 mAh
Release Date: by end of September 2014
Although we haven’t got details of the price, this is obviously a more budget friendly version of the G3. This lower end device apparently still feels snappy since it doesn’t need to push that many pixels around. The plastic stylus which gives the device it’s name doesn’t offer any kind of pressure sensitivity so won’t really stack up against what Samsung offer in their Galaxy Note series.
LG L Fino & L Bello
LG also announced mid-range 5″ L Bello and 4.5″ L Fino handsets. Again the specs won’t get an Android geek excited, but these could be a decent budget handset for normals – especially those preferring a smaller phone..
L Fino
Display: 4.5 Inch 480 x 800 (~207ppi)
Memory: 1GB RAM, 4GB Storage.
CPU: Quad-core 1.2 GHz
Back Camera: 8MP with LED flash
Front Camera: VGA
O/S: Android 4.4.2 (KitKat)
Battery: 1900 mAh
Release Date: by end of September 2014
L Bello
Display: 4.5 Inch 480 x 800 (~207ppi)
Memory: 1GB RAM, 8GB Storage.
CPU: Quad-core 1.3 GHz
Back Camera: 8MP with LED flash
Front Camera: 1MP
O/S: Android 4.4.2 (KitKat)
Battery: 2540 mAh
Release Date: by end of September 2014
LG G Watch R
Last, but definitely not least LG announced the G Watch R – their first round smartwatch.
Display: 1.3″ Plastic Organic LED (POLED) 320 x 320 (~245ppi)
Memory: 512MB
CPU: Snapdragon 400
Battery: 410 mAh
IP67 water resistance and dust proofing
Release Date:looking like October 2014.
Available in a choice of silver or black with a calf-leather strap. The strap has a standard 22mm fitting meaning you’ll be able to exchange it with whatever takes your fancy. A heart-rate monitor is built in, and the battery apparently lasts 1.5 to 2 days. LG have gone with a distinctive bezel around the watch screen, which you’ll either love or hate.
It’s biggest competitor at the moment is the only other round offering we’ve seen – the Moto 360 from Motorola. Motorola has gone with a different look (see our Moto Recap for more details) and have already (just) released the watch and sold out everywhere at the time of writing. With the LG expected to be priced at $299 (versus Motorola’s $249.99), they are facing stiff competition. Personally I really like the design of both watches, but will be waiting for the full reviews to come out before parting with my hard-earned.
Conclusion
While LG’s phone announcements weren’t as high-end as some of it’s competitors, their already released G3 flagship is certainly one of the best phones available and stands up well against the other manufacturer’s announcements.
The G Watch R has a much more traditional watch-like design than the original G Watch and is sure to have a wider appeal. From what we’ve seen it is a very welcome addition to the increasingly competitive Android Wear Smartwatch line-up.
