LG Stylo 4: At First Glance
A stylus integrated phone seems like a challenge and not many brands have tried their hands on it. However, few brands like LG and Samsung have plunged into this challenge and made a great success.
In 2018, LG released another edition of the Stylo lineup – LG Stylo 4 as an improvement of the LG Stylo 3.
The LG Stylo series shares the limelight with the Samsung Galaxy Note series due to their similar Stylus integration. However, LG offers the Stylo 4 at a cheaper price than the Samsung Note.
Specifically, at the time we updated this review in September 2021, the LG Stylo 4 cost $269.07. With all that been said, let us get into the details of what the LG Stylo 4 has in stock for us.
LG Stylo 4: Design, Dimension & Weight
As a budget attempt at stylus integration, we expect some levels of tradeoffs from the LG Stylo 4. The first trade-off was obvious from the plastic build of the LG Stylo 4.
Although it doesn’t look ugly, it is made of polycarbonate plastic at the back and an aluminum frame by the sides. The plastic back chassis is glossy and an unsightly magnet to fingerprints.
In addition to been easily messed up by fingerprints, it also gets scratched easily. On attempting to clean the back chassis with a microfibre cloth, so many scratches were inflicted in the process.
Hence, if you want to keep this phone neat for a long time, you should use a case as soon as you unbox it. The back chassis houses the rear camera very close to the top.
There is also a camera flash below the rear camera and a fingerprint sensor under the flash. The fingerprint sensor is quite difficult to reach but it does its job nicely.
LG included NFC in the Stylo 4. The NFC area is located at the center of the back chassis.
NFC (near field communication) is useful for transferring data between devices. You can also use it for mobile payments.
Furthermore, there is an LG logo at the bottom part of the back chassis. That sums up all the features you will find on the back of the LG Stylo 4.
Moving on to the front view, the 6.2-inch screen has a top and bottom bezel. The top bezel houses the front camera, the proximity, and ambient light sensors, a speaker for calls, and a notification LED.
On the other hand, there is nothing on the bottom bezel. The navigation controls for Home, Recent, and Back are on-screen.
Let’s talk about the edges of the LG Stylo 4. The aluminum feels great to the touch and it gives a little bit of premium touch that accentuates the mostly plastic build.
The right side of the LG Stylo 4 is home to the power button that also serves as a switch for turning the phone’s screen on or off.
Meanwhile, the left side of the LG Stylo 4 houses the volume keys. Additionally, there is a slot for the SIM card and the memory card tray.
On the bottom of the LG Stylo 4, there is a USB Type-C charging port by the center. The USB port is flanked to its left directly by a microphone.
There is also a 3.5 mm headphone jack at the extreme left.
Meanwhile, directly to the right side of the USB port, there is a speaker. Also, there is a slot for stowing the stylus pen at the extreme right.
Speaking of the stylus, it is the standout feature of the LG Stylo 4. To access the stylus pen, you need to pull it out from its slot.
This is a bit finicky in comparison to the neat press and release system of retrieving the pen on the Samsung Notes. Also, the stylus pen of the LG Stylo 4 is a bit thinner and does not look as nice as the Galaxy S-pen.
However, these are just a few of the cases where you can notice the price difference between the Samsung Notes and the LG Stylo 4.
By the way, pulling out the LG Stylo 4’s stylus pen from its slot is in no way inconvenient. As soon as you pull the stylus out, a floating icon pops up.
The floating icon features a bunch of shortcuts for stylus-related apps and functions. Some of the apps and functions include quick memos, pop lens, GIF capture, screen capture, glide typing, and coloring books app.
Thankfully, these applications are interesting and easy to use. For instance, you can use the off-screen memo to write a quick note from the lock screen and then save it to the QuickMemo+.
Overall, the stylus is very easy to use, and it delivers a smooth and satisfying experience. Moreover, the 6.2-inch display of the LG Stylo 4 gives the stylus enough real estate for writing and drawing seamlessly.
When it comes to the size and weight of the LG Stylo 4, it measures 160.0 x 77.7 x 8.1 mm and weighs 172.1 g. Consequently, it is a large phone and not a one-hand device.
The LG Stylo 4 has a limited color option. To be precise, it is only available in black.
In conclusion, the LG Stylo 4 passes for a gorgeous phone. The only issue I have with it is that the back chassis is easily scratched and it attracts fingerprints.
Other than that, the LG Stylo 4 looks like an affordable phone and it is still good-looking as well.
Finally, I will rate the LG Stylo 4 a nine in this design review section.
LG Stylo 4: Display Features
The 6.2-inch display of the LG Stylo 4 features a Full HD+ 2160 x 1080 resolution. The TFT LCD display is sharp and color-accurate.
TFT stands for “Thin Film Transistor” while LCD stands for “Liquid Crystal Display”. TFT LCD display is a type of LCD display that uses thin-film transistor technology for vivid and good-quality images.
However, it is nothing compared to the better quality of the high-end AMOLED screen. Apparently, the AMOLED screen features more vibrancy, blackness level, viewing angle, and contrast.
As a welcomed contrast to the back chassis, the screen of the LG Stylo 4 is damage and scratch-resistant. It is protected with corning gorilla glass 3 that prevents it from cracks or scratches.
This implies that even without a tempered glass screen protector, your LG Stylo 4 is good to go. However, you can still use a screen protector just to be on the safer side.
Moving on, the LG Stylo 4 has a maximum brightness of 476 nits, and minimum brightness of 3 nits. This means that you can use your phone in all lighting conditions – be it a sunny afternoon or in the dark.
The LG Stylo 4 has a remarkably wide aspect ratio of 18:9. This implies that you enjoy wide viewing angles when watching movies or games and even when using the stylus.
Additionally, the LG Stylo 4 has a pixel density of 390 PPI (pixels per inch) which is above the industry standard pixel density of 300 PPI. Consequently, you get detailed texts and graphics.
In conclusion, the screen department is one area where the LG Stylo 4 doesn’t give it away as a cheap alternative. Hence, I will rate the LG Stylo 4 a nine in this display section review.
LG Stylo 4: Camera Features
Most people now consider a phone’s camera as one of the most important features when making a buying decision. To evaluate the quality of a phone’s camera, we review 3 features – the camera’s resolution (Megapixel).
We will also consider the pixel size and ƒ.stop number. The ƒ.stop number determines the camera’s aperture size (the smaller, the better).
The LG Stylo 4 front camera has a resolution of 5 MP and an ƒ.number of ƒ/1.9. The front camera produces great selfies in proper lights.
Also, the front camera supports portrait and beauty modes amongst others. The portrait mode is used for bokeh effects while the beauty mode smoothens the face and clears up blemishes.
You can use the front camera to shoot quick videos at 720 p resolution. This also works well In excellent light.
For the rear camera, LG equipped the Stylo 4 with a 13 MP rear camera which has an ƒ.number of ƒ/2.4. Pictures taken with the camera are detailed, crisp, and color accurate.
The rear camera produces good results in proper lighting conditions and the camera focuses quickly. However, indoor pictures or pictures taken in poor lighting conditions are usually noisy.
Meanwhile, there Is a LED flash to increase the brightness of nighttime pictures. However, this can make some parts of the picture overexposed.
The rear camera supports several modes and interesting features such as guide, food, match, portrait, burst shutter, timer, HDR, panorama, geo-tagging, etc. You can use the food mode to control the temperature of the picture.
Meanwhile, the match mode is capable of taking pictures with the front camera as well as the rear camera then stick the pictures together. The features are mostly not perfect but they are fun to edit with.
Another highlight of the camera is that it is Q lens-enabled which is useful for providing information and suggestions for your photos.
The rear camera employs phase detection autofocus technology. It enables the camera to detect human faces and set appropriate exposure automatically.
When it comes to videos, the rear camera shoots at 1080 p resolution and a steady 30fps.
In conclusion, I will rate the LG Stylo 4 an eight in this camera review section.
LG Stylo 4: Battery Life and Talk Time
A 3,300 mAh non-removable battery powers the LG Stylo 4. LG has advertised the battery to deliver up to 15 hours 20 minutes of 3G battery talk time.
To determine if this claim was true, I carried out a video playback test. The test involved playing an HD video repeatedly until the battery drains completely.
In order to reserve power as much as possible, I set the screen brightness to 50 %. Consequently, the LG Stylo 4 lasted 13 hours.
This is a little less than LG’s claim however, that is understandable because our test involved different levels of complexity. Therefore, how long the LG Stylo 4 lasts depends on the level of tasks you perform with it.
However, you will have enough to perform your daily task without the need to frequently charge.
The Type-C charging port enables fast charging. Hence it doesn’t take too long to top up the battery power.
Finally, the battery capacity of the LG Stylo is sufficient but it could have been better. Moreover, the non-removable battery is of a disadvantage here because users cannot easily replace the battery in case it gets damaged.
Considering these factors, I will rate the LG Stylo 4 a seven in this battery review section.
LG Stylo 4: Storage Options & Performance
When it comes to storage, the LG Stylo 4 has 32 GB internal storage which is below expectation. The operating system and the preinstalled apps occupy a significant portion of the storage space.
However, there is an option to increase storage space by using a microSD card up to 2 TB. Additionally, users can also make use of cloud storage.
Cloud storage is fast, reliable, and efficient. Moreover, there is no risk of losing data even when you change your phone.
Finally, the internal storage of the LG Stylo 4 is limiting. However, considering that you can get up to 2TB storage space via microSD card we can call the performance an excellent one.
Hence, I will rate the LG Stylo 4 an eight in this storage review section.
LG Stylo 4: Security Features & Sensors
The security features and the sensors offered by the LG Stylo 4 are average. The phone supports a fingerprint reader which allows you to unlock the phone with your fingerprint instead of a PIN.
Thankfully, the fingerprint reader is sufficiently accurate and fast. In addition to unlocking the phone, you can also use it to perform some gestures.
These gestures include launching the camera or accessing the notification bar. The only nitpick we have is with the location of the fingerprint reader.
Precisely, it is located behind the phone just below the camera. This position is a bit difficult to reach for a 6.2-inch device when using the phone.
Other than the fingerprint sensor, the LG Stylo ships with a limited number of sensors. The phone only supports an accelerometer, gyro, proximity, and compass.
Sadly, it left out some of the most important sensors like barometer sensor and ambient light sensor. One major disadvantage of a missing barometer sensor is that you may not be able to use a health app on the phone.
Meanwhile, the accelerometer and gyro sensors are used to auto-rotate your phone’s screen when you change the orientation.
The proximity sensor is another great sensor to have in a phone. It detects the closeness of the phone to your face during a call and turns the display off.
When you turn off the phone’s display, it uses less battery. Not just that, switching off the display protects it from random touches that are unintended.
Finally, the available sensor on the LG Stylo 4 is quite limited. However, the sensors available are very useful and efficient as well.
Therefore, I will rate the LG Stylo 4 a seven in this security and sensor review section.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, the LG Stylo 4 is not waterproof. You don’t want to get drenched by rain with your LG Stylo 4 in your pocket.
Q-lens is an artificial intelligence feature that enhances the camera of your smartphone. It works by sourcing information about the object in front of its lens by scanning and searching the internet.
To use the Q-lens feature, go to your camera settings and select Q-lens, select an option accordingly from the list of options and point your camera at the object, tap the screen for the search to begin.
The LG Stylo 4 has 32 GB internal storage that can be increased via a microSD card. The MicroSD card can take up to a whopping 2 TB giving you enough space to store your photos, videos, apps, etc.
The LG Stylo 4 has a battery capacity of 3,300 mAh. How long the battery lasts depends on the workload you put it through.
However, in the battery talk time test of LG, the battery lasted 15 hours 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in the video playback test that I performed, it lasted 13 hours.
The LG Stylo 4 is equipped with a 5 MP front camera for taking decent selfies especially outdoors. There is also a 13 MP rear camera with a flash.
The rear camera is also good for taking pictures in good lighting conditions. Additionally, the cameras support several useful modes and features.
No, the LG Stylo 4 does not support wireless charging. However, it features a fast charging technology using its USB Type-C charger that enables you to top up your phone in no time.
The stylus pen of the LG Stylo 4 can be used in several ways. You can use it to write quick memos while the screen is active or locked.
Also, you can use it to annotate, capture and magnify the screen. Furthermore, you can use it in drawing and painting apps and capturing GIFs.
Additionally, the stylus is useful for fast glide typing and for navigation.
The LG Stylo 4 was launched in June 2018. At the time we updated this LG Stylo 4 review in September 2021, the LG Stylo 4 was a little over 3 years old.
Since the release of the LG Stylo 4 in 2018, the LG Stylo series has seen more recent releases like the LG Stylo 5,6, and 7. However, the LG Stylo 4 is still in demand and moreover, it is cheaper than the more recent releases.
Therefore, yes the LG Stylo 4 is still worth buying in 2021 and beyond.
Yes, LG Stylo 4 features a corning gorilla glass 3 that makes it damage and scratch-resistant. So you won’t necessarily need a glass protector unless you just want to be extra cautious.
Conclusion
For a price below $300, the LG Stylo 4 is a value-packed phone for stylus lovers. It may not deliver the bells and whistles of its more expensive counterparts – Samsung Galaxy Notes.
However, it delivers enough features to perform all the actions that an average phone user needs. With a 6.3-inch display, it is sure a good catch for lovers of large phones, giving users enough screen estate to use the stylus.
Additionally, the FHD+ screen is vivid and sharp, the battery life is decent and camera performance is respectable. Other than the poor quality of its plastic build, the LG Stylo 4 is a good choice for stylus integration on a budget.
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