It was February 2016 when LG announced the Stylus 2, the successor to the company’s G4 Stylus/G Stylo. Fast-forward to June 2016, a mere four months later, and LG decided to refresh the Stylus 2 by introducing the Stylus 2 Plus.
As the “Plus” moniker indicates, the Stylus 2 Plus packs beefier hardware than the Stylus 2, with the former opting for a 1.4GHz octa-core processor. By comparison, the latter is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core chip. Furthermore, the Stylus 2 Plus packs a 5.7-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 resolution IPS display, which represents a bump in resolution from the Stylus 2′ 720p display. Thankfully, the processor and display of LG’s latest handset are not region-dependent, but just about everything else is, which is where the confusion sets in.
Depending on where you are, the Stylus 2 Plus will either include a 13-megapixel or 16MP rear camera, with the selfie shooter weighing in at either 5MP or 8MP. In addition to the cameras, memory configurations will also vary by region, with the phone including either 16GB or 32GB of native storage and either 2GB or 3GB RAM. However, given how the Stylus 2 Plus runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow, as well as its inclusion of a MicroSD card slot, the ability to combine the native storage with that of the card should make the 16GB a moot point.
Finally, even though the 3,000mAh battery capacity of the Stylus 2 Plus is brought over from the Stylus 2, the rear-mounted fingerprint scanner found on the former certainly differentiates it from the latter.
As for its namesake, the Stylus 2 Plus packs a built-in stylus that has its own silo where you can put the stylus when it is not in use. Similar to the Samsung Galaxy Note product line, the phone will sense when the stylus is removed from its home and present Pen Pop, a shortcut menu that will display compatible apps and widgets. Unique to the Stylus 2 Plus, relative to its predecessors, is the nano-coating on the tip of the stylus, which LG says should allow for a smoother writing experience.
According to LG, the Stylus 2 Plus is now available for purchase in Taiwan, with North and South America, Europe, and Asia getting the phone sometime in June. The company will release pricing details as we get closer to the phone’s launch in other regions.