We got our hands on the new Stylus 3 from LG, a super-sized smartphone with a sleek look and feel.

The Stylus 3 is the third phone in the South Korean developer's affordable Stylus range. For what is ostensibly a mid-tier smartphone, it comes with an impressive list of features: a removable battery, expandable storage, fingerprint scanner and Android 7.0 are all standard with the Stylus 3.

Hands-on approach

Compared to previous versions, the Stylus 3 has undergone a bit of a facelift, which includes automatic memo-apps and screen-off note taking, as well as a proximity sensor for when your phone moves too far away from the Stylus. That makes the little pen much harder to lose.  

The body of the Stylus 3 is made of plastic with a ‘faux-metal’ appearance. While this means it may not be as flashy as some other devices, it makes up for it by being conveniently lightweight, and by having a removable battery - something that's becoming increasingly rare.

As you'd expect with a phone in LG's Stylus lineup, the Stylus 3 comes equipped with its very own stylus for nifty note-taking and doodles. The stylus is also lightweight and comfortable to hold, and can be housed discretely in the phone's body when you aren't using it. It has a more sensitive, narrower fibre tip than previous versions for a more pen-like feel.

How does it look?

LG has crammed an enormous 5.7-inch screen on the front of the Stylus 3. The large screen, combined with the easy-to-use stylus pen, makes for a smartphone that works as a serious note and memo taker, as well as a fun device great for catching up on your favourite entertainment.

Picture happy

The Stylus 3 features a 13MP camera on the back and a 8MP selfie cam up front that comes with its own flash. It has LG's usual user-friendly camera UI (user interface) in place, meaning all of the controls and settings are fairly easy to access.

Battery life

The large nature of the Stylus 3 allows for a beefy battery as well, and this is apparent with the 3200mAh unit that's packed inside the phone. The 720p HD display means that the Stylus 3 will last easily over a couple of days of intensive use. And, of course, if the battery starts flagging after a few months, you can always replace it. 

LG Stylus 3 specs

• 5.7-inch, 1 280x720-pixel resolution screen
• 3GB RAM
• 16GB storage (expandable to 2TB)
• 8MP front camera, 13MP rear camera
• 3200mAh removable battery
• Android 7.0 Nougat
• 155.6 mm x 79.8 mm x 7.4 mm, 149g
• Stylus
• Fingerprint scanner