With its sleek design, the LG Stylo 2 reinvents where power and style meet. The LG signature rear keys make it even easier to pull up Capture+. Its 13MP camera with flash and auto focus lets you record life in picture-perfect Full HD (1080p). Then, play it back on the beautiful and durable 5.7-inch HD IPS Display.
Top Customer Reviews
This device is truly Amazing. It is a prefect tablet replacement.
By Markeese D. Robinson
Style Name: Boost Mobile
I use an iPhone 6 for Business and Stylo2 for Pleasure
I bought the Stylo2 to use as a WIFI Phone, Social Media Tool, and Media player for music, movies and gaming device.
This device is truly Amazing. It is a prefect tablet replacement. I am extremely pleased with my purchase. This device is near perfect!
Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor
Quad-core 1.2GHz processor and 2GB of RAM deliver outstanding overall performance for opening and running applications, flipping through menus.
PRO
Very Light and Thin, Lighter and thinner than the iPhone 6
5.7" HD IPS touch screen display beautiful images and colors.
16GB Storage
2GB Ram (ESPN, VEVO, YOUTUBE, CRACKLE, NETFLIX, KODI, Runs FLAWLESS!!!)
Android 6.0 Marshmallow (Runs very smooth without lagging and ability to exit apps 100% allowing better memory management)
CONS
Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS (Locked version, will not allow you to copy APPS to SD cards. Can not make SD card the primary storage. You can only add photos, music, roms, doc and movies to SD card). Thanks to the 16GB internal storage it allows extra space for apps compared to the 8GB prepaid phones that are in the same price range .
Back Speaker (It's pretty loud, but you will have to get use to the sound projecting away from you)
my LG Optimus 3 and so far am fairly happy with it
By crearealidad
Style Name: Virgin Mobile
I purchased this phone to replace my LG Optimus 3 and so far am fairly happy with it. My previous phone lasted 2.5 years and I purchased this one specifically because it was an LG phone which appeared to be an updated, improved version of my previous model. The biggest thing to know about this phone is that it is very large to be considered a phone. You can operate it with one hand, but it's far more comfortable with two. However, since I rarely make phone calls and mostly use this for messaging, browsing, maps, and games when away from home, this was not a drawback for me.
Like most smartphones offered by Virgin Mobile, it comes loaded with a ton of programs I had no desire for. However, it offered more memory and a better camera than anything else they had available in the under $200 price range. And a good portion of the unwanted programs were quite easily uninstalled or disabled. The version of Android on this phone is fast and was worth the slightly higher price versus the model I had previously. I find that my favorite feature thus far is the stylus, which was not something I thought I wanted. But it's super easy to use and works so much better than I expected from using them with other touch pad systems (think signature pads at retail stores).
The battery life is pretty good - the day I received it, I used it pretty heavily for about 6 hours while migrating my info from my old phone, setting this one up on the network, and otherwise installing apps and checking out features and barely drained a quarter of the battery. Most days, I unplug it in the morning and find I have 30-40% still left when I go to plug it in for the night, and it charges to full in just under an hour.
This phone also has a snap off back. Which is really a double edged sword. It's great because it means you can replace your own battery, your micro SD card for expanding memory is protected inside the case instead of in a slot on the side where it is prone to damage, and at least with my old phone which had the same snap off back (exactly the same thing), dropping the phone generally results in the back snapping off, which absorbs most of the impact, leaving your phone undamaged, other than the battery lying on the floor. But at the same time, I replaced my old phone because those snaps eventually gave way. One by one they snapped off until I was holding it on with one little tab and electrical tape. So yeah, I highly recommend buying a case. I never got one for my old phone, but it still lasted 2.5 years with only cosmetic damage. I definitely purchased one for this one at the same time I purchased the phone.
Other features I liked:
- Reader-mode: Changes lighting/color specifically to make reading e-books or extended text easier on your eyes
- Camera - it's nice. Much nicer than the one from my LG Optimus 3, or any other phone available on Virgin that I looked at while shopping.
- Power button/camera shutter button/volume is on the back. I used to kill my battery bumping buttons in my pocket.
- Twice as much memory as my previous Virgin Mobile phone
- Some of the preloaded stuff was just what I would have wanted anyway - Google Suite of Apps (music, drive, photos, messaging, hangouts, etc), Amazon Kindle. Even came preloaded with LG Backup which made porting the files and contacts from my old phone super easy.
Not so great things:
- Power port and headphone jack both on the bottom - a minor annoyance since I often listen to music in the evening and charge while I listen.
- So much bloatware. But I was prepared. I figure it's the price I pay for not shelling out $75-100/mo. to Sprint or Verizon on a contract. Some of what I call bloatware will probably be some things users would want though. For example, Instagram, Facebook, Amazon Music, and Youtube all came already installed. There were only a few that wouldn't go away.
- Large - The large screen is great for reading e-books and watching videos, but this will not fit in most of my pockets. Unless you wear cargo pants or medical scrub pants, you're probably gonna have to get a belt clip or a purse to carry this guy around.
Awesome phone - especially for the price!
By Schuyler
Style Name: Boost Mobile
I've had this phone for about three weeks now, and I love it. I like the size, it is perfect for the size of my hands and fingertips. The stylus makes it even easier - but it only seems to work on this phone, which is nice because it makes it less desirable to others that don't own this particular cell phone for a "5-finger-discount" - and the fact that it is embedded, with active reminders when the screen shuts off without it being returned to the holding slot, makes it hard to lose or forget somewhere. The screen sensitivity is great and it scrolls much faster than other phones that I've owned before. It comes with the newest version of Android (Marshmallow), which I've found to be very easy to use.
Top Customer Reviews
This device is truly Amazing. It is a prefect tablet replacement.
By Markeese D. Robinson
Style Name: Boost Mobile
I use an iPhone 6 for Business and Stylo2 for Pleasure
I bought the Stylo2 to use as a WIFI Phone, Social Media Tool, and Media player for music, movies and gaming device.
This device is truly Amazing. It is a prefect tablet replacement. I am extremely pleased with my purchase. This device is near perfect!
Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor
Quad-core 1.2GHz processor and 2GB of RAM deliver outstanding overall performance for opening and running applications, flipping through menus.
PRO
Very Light and Thin, Lighter and thinner than the iPhone 6
5.7" HD IPS touch screen display beautiful images and colors.
16GB Storage
2GB Ram (ESPN, VEVO, YOUTUBE, CRACKLE, NETFLIX, KODI, Runs FLAWLESS!!!)
Android 6.0 Marshmallow (Runs very smooth without lagging and ability to exit apps 100% allowing better memory management)
CONS
Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS (Locked version, will not allow you to copy APPS to SD cards. Can not make SD card the primary storage. You can only add photos, music, roms, doc and movies to SD card). Thanks to the 16GB internal storage it allows extra space for apps compared to the 8GB prepaid phones that are in the same price range .
Back Speaker (It's pretty loud, but you will have to get use to the sound projecting away from you)
my LG Optimus 3 and so far am fairly happy with it
By crearealidad
Style Name: Virgin Mobile
I purchased this phone to replace my LG Optimus 3 and so far am fairly happy with it. My previous phone lasted 2.5 years and I purchased this one specifically because it was an LG phone which appeared to be an updated, improved version of my previous model. The biggest thing to know about this phone is that it is very large to be considered a phone. You can operate it with one hand, but it's far more comfortable with two. However, since I rarely make phone calls and mostly use this for messaging, browsing, maps, and games when away from home, this was not a drawback for me.
Like most smartphones offered by Virgin Mobile, it comes loaded with a ton of programs I had no desire for. However, it offered more memory and a better camera than anything else they had available in the under $200 price range. And a good portion of the unwanted programs were quite easily uninstalled or disabled. The version of Android on this phone is fast and was worth the slightly higher price versus the model I had previously. I find that my favorite feature thus far is the stylus, which was not something I thought I wanted. But it's super easy to use and works so much better than I expected from using them with other touch pad systems (think signature pads at retail stores).
The battery life is pretty good - the day I received it, I used it pretty heavily for about 6 hours while migrating my info from my old phone, setting this one up on the network, and otherwise installing apps and checking out features and barely drained a quarter of the battery. Most days, I unplug it in the morning and find I have 30-40% still left when I go to plug it in for the night, and it charges to full in just under an hour.
This phone also has a snap off back. Which is really a double edged sword. It's great because it means you can replace your own battery, your micro SD card for expanding memory is protected inside the case instead of in a slot on the side where it is prone to damage, and at least with my old phone which had the same snap off back (exactly the same thing), dropping the phone generally results in the back snapping off, which absorbs most of the impact, leaving your phone undamaged, other than the battery lying on the floor. But at the same time, I replaced my old phone because those snaps eventually gave way. One by one they snapped off until I was holding it on with one little tab and electrical tape. So yeah, I highly recommend buying a case. I never got one for my old phone, but it still lasted 2.5 years with only cosmetic damage. I definitely purchased one for this one at the same time I purchased the phone.
Other features I liked:
- Reader-mode: Changes lighting/color specifically to make reading e-books or extended text easier on your eyes
- Camera - it's nice. Much nicer than the one from my LG Optimus 3, or any other phone available on Virgin that I looked at while shopping.
- Power button/camera shutter button/volume is on the back. I used to kill my battery bumping buttons in my pocket.
- Twice as much memory as my previous Virgin Mobile phone
- Some of the preloaded stuff was just what I would have wanted anyway - Google Suite of Apps (music, drive, photos, messaging, hangouts, etc), Amazon Kindle. Even came preloaded with LG Backup which made porting the files and contacts from my old phone super easy.
Not so great things:
- Power port and headphone jack both on the bottom - a minor annoyance since I often listen to music in the evening and charge while I listen.
- So much bloatware. But I was prepared. I figure it's the price I pay for not shelling out $75-100/mo. to Sprint or Verizon on a contract. Some of what I call bloatware will probably be some things users would want though. For example, Instagram, Facebook, Amazon Music, and Youtube all came already installed. There were only a few that wouldn't go away.
- Large - The large screen is great for reading e-books and watching videos, but this will not fit in most of my pockets. Unless you wear cargo pants or medical scrub pants, you're probably gonna have to get a belt clip or a purse to carry this guy around.
Awesome phone - especially for the price!
By Schuyler
Style Name: Boost Mobile
I've had this phone for about three weeks now, and I love it. I like the size, it is perfect for the size of my hands and fingertips. The stylus makes it even easier - but it only seems to work on this phone, which is nice because it makes it less desirable to others that don't own this particular cell phone for a "5-finger-discount" - and the fact that it is embedded, with active reminders when the screen shuts off without it being returned to the holding slot, makes it hard to lose or forget somewhere. The screen sensitivity is great and it scrolls much faster than other phones that I've owned before. It comes with the newest version of Android (Marshmallow), which I've found to be very easy to use.
Previously, the newest OS that I've had in any phone was kit-kat; which is notorious for a few reasons. Android Marshmallow doesn't allow apps to be transferred to the SD cards either (quite annoying- especially since Lollipop did allow it after Android received a TON of complaints from consumers- but the 16GB of internal storage is more than enough for me), but LG made up for it with the 16GB ROM and 2GB of RAM. I ordered the Boost Mobile version of this phone, so I could take advantage of the Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot that comes stock with this model. The only drawback that I've yet encountered with this phone is that it likes to slide out of my pocket while wearing certain shorts, but I didn't lower my 5-star rating because that is my fault for reasons:
·Gym shorts are meant to have minimal friction, and I know this when I decide to wear them.
·i haven't yet ordered a case for this phone, which would easily counteract this issue.
All-in-all I'm very satisfied with my purchase and have/will continue to promote this phone to my friends and associates.
Initial Thoughts After A Few Hours
By Jayemaych
Style Name: Virgin Mobile
I just received this phone from Amazon for Virgin Mobile service. I got it in order to replace an HTC 816 where my only real gripe with that phone was the stupid amount of un-deleteable bloatware that took up half of that phone's 8GB of memory. I really don't understand how these companies can legally claim that the device has a certain amount of internal memory when half of it is used up with worthless apps that I'll never use...and there's no way to delete the vast majority of them or move them to an SD card without voiding your warranty.
·Gym shorts are meant to have minimal friction, and I know this when I decide to wear them.
·i haven't yet ordered a case for this phone, which would easily counteract this issue.
All-in-all I'm very satisfied with my purchase and have/will continue to promote this phone to my friends and associates.
Initial Thoughts After A Few Hours
By Jayemaych
Style Name: Virgin Mobile
I just received this phone from Amazon for Virgin Mobile service. I got it in order to replace an HTC 816 where my only real gripe with that phone was the stupid amount of un-deleteable bloatware that took up half of that phone's 8GB of memory. I really don't understand how these companies can legally claim that the device has a certain amount of internal memory when half of it is used up with worthless apps that I'll never use...and there's no way to delete the vast majority of them or move them to an SD card without voiding your warranty.
Anyway...after getting to a point where I couldn't store more than the very basic apps that I use on a daily basis, and not even having enough memory to update the apps I did have on a regular basis...it was time to try something different. Let it be noted that I am not a heavy app user. I had maybe 8 apps that weren't already loaded on the HTC and they drained what little memory I had left. After seeing this LG Stylo2 with twice the internal memory for under $100...I figured I'd give it a shot. The following are my initial thoughts after just a few hours of messing with it. I will amend this review if my feelings change.
Memory:
After installing all of the apps I had on the HTC and adding a few that I couldn't fit on that phone, I still currently have just over 8GB of internal memory available on the Stylo2. There is a fair amount of unremovable bloatware on this phone too...but with 8GB of "extra" memory AFTER all the apps I plan to use are loaded is OK to me. I still think it's a sham that these companies can claim a certain amount of memory when a good bit of it is not useable...but I feel that memory-wise...this phone will do what I need it to.
Memory:
After installing all of the apps I had on the HTC and adding a few that I couldn't fit on that phone, I still currently have just over 8GB of internal memory available on the Stylo2. There is a fair amount of unremovable bloatware on this phone too...but with 8GB of "extra" memory AFTER all the apps I plan to use are loaded is OK to me. I still think it's a sham that these companies can claim a certain amount of memory when a good bit of it is not useable...but I feel that memory-wise...this phone will do what I need it to.
I have not installed an SD card for pictures/music/misc...but I have a 32GB card coming in the mail. I'm not a particularly heavy user, I use my phone for very few calls, some texts, pictures, and messing around on the web/apps. I don't use it for gaming, business calls, or heavy usage. For what I need it to do, I feel like the internal memory and a 32GB card will be sufficient. I've lived with less than half of that for a year now.
Functionality:
The phone functions very similarly to how the HTC did, which I have no problems with. The screen, features, and navigation are almost identical...so once I got past a few difficulties during set-up...I feel very comfortable navigating this phone. I will say that the Stylo2 forced me through a really annoying "tutorial" before I could do anything with it, and the "talkback" feature is a nightmare. Basically, the phone would talk to me every time I did anything, and it would make me push on the screen a minimum of 3 times before I could initiate any function. I ended up calling LG Customer Service because I was about to smash this thing on the floor...until the gentleman on the other line advised me to turn of the talkback feature which allows normal one-push functionality and it turned the annoying talking off. If you're used to how any average smartphone works, I would advise turning the talkback feature off first thing.
Functionality:
The phone functions very similarly to how the HTC did, which I have no problems with. The screen, features, and navigation are almost identical...so once I got past a few difficulties during set-up...I feel very comfortable navigating this phone. I will say that the Stylo2 forced me through a really annoying "tutorial" before I could do anything with it, and the "talkback" feature is a nightmare. Basically, the phone would talk to me every time I did anything, and it would make me push on the screen a minimum of 3 times before I could initiate any function. I ended up calling LG Customer Service because I was about to smash this thing on the floor...until the gentleman on the other line advised me to turn of the talkback feature which allows normal one-push functionality and it turned the annoying talking off. If you're used to how any average smartphone works, I would advise turning the talkback feature off first thing.
After that, set-up/customization is similar to any other android phone I've had which tends to be easy enough. The app drawer is not easy to navigate and you have to change a setting to even get it to come up...but that's not a huge issue for me. The power and volume buttons being on the back will take a little getting used to but again, not a big issue. Basic web/app surfing seem as quick and fluid as on the HTC, if not more so, so I'm satisfied with these aspects so far.
Physical Characteristics:
The phone is large if you're not used to what are being called "phablets" nowdays. This phone is almost identical in size to the HTC so I have no issues. The HTC was a little hard to get used to at first coming from a smaller IPhone....but I grew to like it quite a bit after a while. These phones are very thin and light, so although they're large, they don't feel terribly cumbersome in pockets or anything unless you wear really tight clothing. Skinny jeans hipsters may not like the size, but I now prefer the larger screen and doubt I would go back to a sub-5" screen phone. As I mentioned, the phone is very thin and kind of "slippery" to the touch...I would suggest some sort of case to give it a little more substance and to avoid accidental drops. I get the feeling that without a decent case this phone would probably break pretty easily. The Stylo2 has a removable back/battery which is nice if you want to get an extra batter or 2 and keep them charged in case of travel or something like that.
Camera:
For my day-to-day usage (I'm a professional tattooer and I typically use the camera on my phone to take pictures of my work)...the camera on the Stylo2 pretty much sucks. Pictures look flat and colors are not true-to-life. The HTC's camera was far better and the camera on that phone wasnt anything to write home about. This is one area where I will deduct half a point because it is a feature I would typically use daily but wont be able to with this phone. Its probably fine for capturing a quick moment but for what I need it for it's practically useless. I'll keep the HTC laying around the shop for work-related pictures. If you are buying this phone expecting great quality pictures I have to assume you'll be as disappointed as I was.
Stylus:
Only very briefly messed with it. Seems like a cool little added feature...not sure how much use I'll get out of it. When you remove the stylus, a small set of icons comes up that are stylus-specific. A quick note-pad that you can doodle on, etc. Whether I get much use out of the stylus remains to be seen. The inclusion or lack thereof of the stylus didn't sway my purchase either way.
Sound:
The HTC has the Stylo2 beaten by 1000 miles in terms of the external speakers. That doesn't matter much to me at all because I rarely use my phones to listen to anything using the external features. I wish the Stylo2 had speakers as good as the HTC for the few times I do listen to something using the external speakers (there really is no comparison...the HTC has the best external speakers I've had on a phone), but again, not a deal-breaker for me by any means.
Final thoughts for now:
If you are in the market for an inexpensive smartphone with a decent amount of memory for average usage...I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a better phone for anywhere near the sub-$100 price I paid for this one. I would consider this phone a pretty solid value up to around $200. The fact that I got it for $95 here on Amazon makes it a relative steal for me. I paid about the same for the HTC about a year ago and got half the memory. Not to say that the HTC is a horrible phone if you're a very light user...but most anyone will need more than the 4GB of available internal memory that the HTC offers.
Physical Characteristics:
The phone is large if you're not used to what are being called "phablets" nowdays. This phone is almost identical in size to the HTC so I have no issues. The HTC was a little hard to get used to at first coming from a smaller IPhone....but I grew to like it quite a bit after a while. These phones are very thin and light, so although they're large, they don't feel terribly cumbersome in pockets or anything unless you wear really tight clothing. Skinny jeans hipsters may not like the size, but I now prefer the larger screen and doubt I would go back to a sub-5" screen phone. As I mentioned, the phone is very thin and kind of "slippery" to the touch...I would suggest some sort of case to give it a little more substance and to avoid accidental drops. I get the feeling that without a decent case this phone would probably break pretty easily. The Stylo2 has a removable back/battery which is nice if you want to get an extra batter or 2 and keep them charged in case of travel or something like that.
Camera:
For my day-to-day usage (I'm a professional tattooer and I typically use the camera on my phone to take pictures of my work)...the camera on the Stylo2 pretty much sucks. Pictures look flat and colors are not true-to-life. The HTC's camera was far better and the camera on that phone wasnt anything to write home about. This is one area where I will deduct half a point because it is a feature I would typically use daily but wont be able to with this phone. Its probably fine for capturing a quick moment but for what I need it for it's practically useless. I'll keep the HTC laying around the shop for work-related pictures. If you are buying this phone expecting great quality pictures I have to assume you'll be as disappointed as I was.
Stylus:
Only very briefly messed with it. Seems like a cool little added feature...not sure how much use I'll get out of it. When you remove the stylus, a small set of icons comes up that are stylus-specific. A quick note-pad that you can doodle on, etc. Whether I get much use out of the stylus remains to be seen. The inclusion or lack thereof of the stylus didn't sway my purchase either way.
Sound:
The HTC has the Stylo2 beaten by 1000 miles in terms of the external speakers. That doesn't matter much to me at all because I rarely use my phones to listen to anything using the external features. I wish the Stylo2 had speakers as good as the HTC for the few times I do listen to something using the external speakers (there really is no comparison...the HTC has the best external speakers I've had on a phone), but again, not a deal-breaker for me by any means.
Final thoughts for now:
If you are in the market for an inexpensive smartphone with a decent amount of memory for average usage...I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a better phone for anywhere near the sub-$100 price I paid for this one. I would consider this phone a pretty solid value up to around $200. The fact that I got it for $95 here on Amazon makes it a relative steal for me. I paid about the same for the HTC about a year ago and got half the memory. Not to say that the HTC is a horrible phone if you're a very light user...but most anyone will need more than the 4GB of available internal memory that the HTC offers.
Unless something really turns me off to the Stylo2 after some more messing with it, I feel like purchasing this phone is a no-brainer if your phone usage is similar to mine. If you need tons of internal memory and super-fast processors and whatnot for gaming or whatever than this may not be the phone for you. If you use your phone for an average amount of calls, texts, web/app surfing, etc...I can't imagine you'll find a better deal. I did take half a star off for the bloatware that is included as that's really annoying to me and another half star for the sub-par camera. Otherwise any issues I have come across at the moment are negligible at best and I do feel the Stylo2 is a solid value for the price if you need an inexpensive smartphone with a decent amoubt of internal memory.