The LG G Stylo as its name implies, includes a built-in stylus pen. It's useful when used with its QuickMemo app or to tap or swipe on the screen. The stylus pen is not nearly as integrated with apps as we've seen with other smartphones. Like other LG phones, the Stylo also has one of the best-laid-out virtual keyboards we've seen. Its height and layout can easily be adjusted to the user's liking, and you can even split it in two to access items behind it. In portrait orientation, the keyboard features five rows (a rarity among phones) with dedicated keys for numbers across the top row, and a trackpad-like cursor control. The power and volume controls are on the back of the phone in a cluster below the rear-facing camera lens, instead of on the top or sides. LG put them there to be closer to where it says people are likely to rest their index fingers while holding the phone. But you don't need to hunt for the power button to wake up or turn off the screen. You can do that by simply double-tapping the display. When playing your own music or videos you can just use the convenient on-screen volume slider bar, though it doesn't work with all apps, such as YouTube. We did find that it took some time to get used to, for instance, when adjusting the volume while on a call. Overall, the Stylo delivered top-notch performance in some key areas of our tests, including messaging, Web browsing, and battery life. In addition, its large 5.7-inch display is easy to see in bright light. The Stylo includes Quick Memo, a pull-down menu option app that lets you use your finger or the stylus pen to scribble notes on anything you see on the phone's screen, from photos, e-mails, and calendar appointments to the home screen itself. The finished "memo" actually becomes a picture that you can easily e-mail or text to others, as well as share on social networks. If you find the phone a bit too wide while holding it, you can shrink the dial pad and keyboard and slide them to either side of the phone's screen to bring them closer to your thumbs in portrait mode. Compared to other LG phones, missing is Smart screen mode, which uses the front-facing camera to monitor your eyes so the screen won't time out while you're reading a Web page or other document. Also gone is Guest mode, which lets others use your phone with only pre-selected apps shown on separate home screens from your own.
The Stylo provides easy access to all main functions via a highly responsive touch screen that supports up to five home screens of apps, programmable shortcuts, as well as back, home, and recent apps keys. You can even change the order or add up to five keys including a notifications and QuickMemo key. There is also an EasyHome mode, which provides a simpler interface and layout as well as larger font sizes, for beginners. The recent apps key launches a stack of screen shots of your most recently used apps, and the Dual window. Tap any one of them, and you can jump to that app. The Dual Window feature splits the screen to use two apps on the same screen including drag and drop interaction, and more. Pressing and holding the home key launches search, while pressing and holding the back key gives you direct access to the Dual window apps. The Stylo provides a straightforward way to add apps, widgets, or change wallpaper. You simply press and hold a blank spot on the screen to summon a Lazy Susan-style buffet of home screens, apps, widgets and other customization options. You can also launch the phone, messaging, browser, camera, and more directly from a locked screen without the need to first unlock the screen. You do this by swiping upward on any one of app icons that are visible on the locked screen. The plus and minus volume buttons can also be used as shortcuts to the camera and quick menu apps from a locked screen.
The Stylo lets you perform Google searches by voice command, and lets you download applications, services, and games, and more from the Google Play Store. Its multi-touch screen lets you zoom in and out of photos or Web pages using two fingers (for instance, your thumb and index finger). It also has a handy on-screen drop-down status bar that alerts you to and takes you to new messages, upcoming appointments, and other items that need your attention, even when your screen is locked. Its Android OS offers better text editing tools and controls for managing data usage, and enhanced voice-activated navigation and dictation.
Some Stylo models support Near Field Communication (NFC), a short-range wireless communication technology that allows the phone to read "smart" tags, or other items that have NFC capability in them. Though the technology is not yet widely deployed for mobile phone users, it could ultimately allow you to pay by phone at the register. The Stylo supports a "4G" LTE network (some models HSPA+ too), allowing fast streaming, downloading, and uploading of high-definition videos and other large files. The fast network also facilitates better Web browsing experiences. The WiFi connection provides another way to access the Web, e-mail, and other Internet-based content, without using your data plan allowance.
MESSAGING: The virtual keyboard was excellent to use. The height and layout can easily be adjusted to the user's liking. You can even split in two to access items behind it. In portrait orientation, it features five rows (a rarity among phones) with dedicated keys for numbers across the top row. It supports a method that allows users to type words without lifting a finger--literally. You enter a word by dragging your finger across the screen from letter to letter. Though it's initially awkward to use, we eventually had a lot of success "typing" quickly and accurately. A useful feature is the mouse-like cursor control on the virtual keyboard which makes it easier to change text. You can move the cursor by just sliding your finger across the spacebar. If you find the phone a bit too wide while holding you can shrink the keyboard and slide them to either side of the phone's screen to bring them closer to your thumbs in portrait mode. The phone comes with common preset text messages and allows you to create your own custom preset messages for your individual special situations or frequent use. Excellent e-mail readability and attachment capabilities. If you tilt the phone on its side while viewing e-mail (wide-screen mode), you see a split-view mode. The window on the left shows the e-mail list, and the window on the right shows the selected e-mail. You can adjust the size of the windows, and you can turn off the split-view mode to see the e-mail full-screen. This phone allows you to create and edit Word documents and Excel spreadsheets out of the box, which can come in handy when working on the go. The Stylo also supports Microsoft Exchange and Outlook for work e-mail. When connected to Windows or Macintosh computers, this phone can appear on the computer as another drive. You can then transfer data to and from your phone as you could on a regular drive.
PHONE: We tested this phone under a variety of conditions to simulate environments ranging from the quiet indoors to noisy roadsides. We found good voice quality when talking, though only fair when listening. Talk time, overall, was ample, including measuring more than 24 hours of talk time in one of our tests. This phone has a very good mixture of controls and features for making and taking calls. Excellent keypad readability under most lighting conditions, even in bright light. If you find the phone a bit too wide while holding you can shrink the dial pad and slide them to either side of the phone's screen to bring them closer to your thumbs in portrait mode. Its voice command allows you to conveniently dial numbers from your phone book by speaking the name, without the usual training. You can also dial numbers by pronouncing the digits. It has Bluetooth for wireless hands-free voice communication. Some models can simultaneously be on a phone call and an Internet-based connection over the cellular network. Some models can be used internationally.
MULTIMEDIA: The camera has a very short shutter lag, and produced good-quality pictures when photos were taken under well-lighted conditions. It also did very well under low-light conditions. Camera has a flash, multi-point autofocus with laser sensor, and can record HD video. Its touch focus feature lets you override the autofocus by tapping on any subject on the screen. You can even take a picture by just saying "cheese." The camera's flash also helps improve your chances of taking better pictures under low-light conditions. You can also snap a still picture at any moment while shooting a video. The camera took decent 1080p video, probably adequate for casual use such as uploading to the Web. You can also pause a video in record mode and then restart the recording to make one continuous video file. The front-facing, high-resolution 4.8-megapixel camera allows easy self-portraits, and can support video chats. It can also record at 1080p. The Gesture shot feature when using the front camera allows you to take a picture with a hand gesture, helpful when taking selfies.
The music player has the capabilities and controls of a typical stand-alone MP3 player, including music shuffle and repeat controls and options for sorting music by album, artist, etc. This model also supports Bluetooth stereo headsets, and can download music over the phone network. Its Bluetooth data support enables the phone to wirelessly share pictures, contacts, and other files with compatible printers, computers, and mobile devices.
GPS navigation capability provides spoken turn-by-turn directions and automatic re-routing. The Stylo supports the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) standard. This lets the phone connect via WiFi to share content with other compatible certified devices such as a TV, printer, and computer. The Stylo can act as a mobile hotspot for at least eight WiFi-enabled devices. It has 8- or 16GB of built-in memory and supports memory cards of up to 32GB. Its memory capacity is beneficial for storing music, videos, pictures, and other types of files. But the memory card is hard to access.
