LG announces five new phones you probably won't care about

Ahead of CES, LG has announced four new phones in the K series — the K10, K8, K4, and K3 — that will make their debut at the trade show. LG will also showcase the Stylus 3, which offers an "improved writing experience" that mimics the "feel and feedback of an actual pen."

LG Stylus 3

The Stylus 3 is the most interesting handset of the lot, offering a 5.7-inch 720p display, MediaTek MT6750 octa-core CPU, 3GB of RAM, 16GB storage, microSD slot, 13MP camera, 8MP front shooter, and a 3200mAh battery.

The K10 features a 5.3-inch 720p display, the same MT6750 SoC as the Stylus 3, 2GB of RAM, 16GB/32GB storage based on the market, microSD slot, 13MP camera, 5MP front camera, and a 2800mAh battery. The K8, meanwhile, has a 5-inch 720p display, Snapdragon 425, 1.5GB of RAM, 16GB storage, microSD slot, the same camera setup as the K10, and a 2500mAh battery.

LG K series 2017

As for the K4 and K3, they come sporting FWVGA displays, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB storage. The K10, K8, and the Stylus 3 will run Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box, while the K4 and K3 are based on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. All phones come with removable batteries. The spec sheet for each handset is included at the end of the press release.

LG'S MASS-TIER SMARTPHONE OFFERINGS FOR 2017 TO BE UNVEILED AT CES

Four New K Series and Stylus 3 Get Early Debut as Mid-range Segment Heats Up

SEOUL, Dec. 22, 2016 — LG Electronics (LG) will unveil four new mass-tier K Series smartphones and a new Stylus 3 at CES 2017 in Las Vegas, as the mid-range segment continues its strong growth as the market matures. The new mid-range devices are designed to bring popular, best-in-class technologies from LG's more premium flagship smartphones, such as the 120-degree wide angle front camera lens and the rear fingerprint scanner.

LG's updated K Series carries over the original philosophy that all customers do not want the same things in a smartphone. Rather than offering one main smartphone model and expecting customers to adapt, the K Series was designed with the diverse needs of consumers in mind.

The K10 delivers a best-in-class 5.3-inch HD In-cell Touch Display that delivers a superb viewing experience indoors or out. Its 5MP front camera with 120-degree wide angle selfie lens complements a premium, 13MP rear camera that has been employed in LG flagship G series devices. Other advanced features not usually available in smartphones in this category include a fingerprint scanner, a metallic U-frame for a sturdy but slim 7.9mm profile and 2.5D Arc Glass design.

The K8 features a 5-inch HD In-cell Touch display and delivers high-quality camera performance with 5MP in the front and 13M on the rear enhanced by LG's intelligent UX features such as Auto Shot and Gesture Shot for selfies. Auto Shot automatically triggers the front camera's shutter when a face is detected. Gesture Shot takes a selfie in response to a hand signal, eliminating the need to press the shutter button and shaking the phone at the most critical moment.

The K4 is equipped with a sensitive 5-inch In-cell Touch display, 5MP front and rear cameras as well as the popular Auto Shot and Gesture Shot features found in the K8. The attractive K4 offers a slim 7.9mm profile and removable 2,500mAh battery as well as a microSD slot for additional storage.

The smallest in the series, the K3 comes with a 4.5-inch On-cell Touch display, a 5MP rear camera and a 2MP lens in the front supported by Gesture Shot. With a microSD slot and 2,100mAh removable battery, the K3 offers many features unavailable on other competing smartphones in this category.

LG will also debut the third generation Stylus 3, the latest version of its mid-range Stylus smartphone (Stylo in the United States). The Stylus 3 delivers an improved writing experience with a 1.8mm diameter fiber-tip stylus to provide the feel and feedback of an actual pen when writing on the screen. The Stylus 3 also features a fingerprint scanner and enhanced UX with Pen Pop 2.0 as well as the popular Pen Keeper and Screen-off Memo. With Pen Pop 2.0, your memos are never out of sight and can be set to display on the screen whenever the stylus is removed. Pen Keeper displays a warning when the stylus strays too far from the phone, and Screen-off Memo enables note-taking directly on the screen even when the display is off.

"Our 2017 mass-tier, mid-range smartphones focus on giving our customers a wide variety of options and choices for their smartphone lifestyles," said Juno Cho, president of the LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. "What's consistent in all our K Series and Stylus 3 devices is that they look and feel premium, offer replaceable batteries and all come with expandable memory slots, what customers consider key factors when buying smartphones in this category."

K10 Key Specifications:

  • Chipset: MT6750 1.5 GHz Octa-Core
  • Display: 5.3-inch HD In-cell Touch (1280 x 720 / 277ppi)
  • Memory: 2GB LPDDR3 RAM / 16 or 32GB eMMC ROM / microSD (up to 2TB)
  • Camera: Front 5MP (Wide) / Rear 13MP (Standard)
  • Battery: 2,800mAh (removable)
  • Operating System: Android 7.0 Nougat
  • Size: 148.7 x 75.3 x 7.9mm
  • Weight: 142g
  • Network: LTE / 3G / 2G
  • Connectivity: Wi-Fi (802.11 b, g, n) / Bluetooth 4.2 / USB 2.0 / NFC
  • Color: Black / Titan / Gold
  • Other: Fingerprint Scanner

K8 Key Specifications:

  • Chipset: MSM8917 1.4 Quad-Core
  • Display: 5.0-inch HD In-cell Touch (1280 x 720 / 294ppi)
  • Memory: 1.5GB LPDDR3 RAM / 16GB eMMC ROM / microSD (up to 32GB)
  • Camera: Front 5MP / Rear 13MP
  • Battery: 2,500mAh (removable)
  • Operating System: Android 7.0 Nougat
  • Size: 144.8 x 72.1 x 8.09mm
  • Weight: 142g
  • Network: LTE / 3G / 2G
  • Connectivity: Wi-Fi (802.11 b, g, n) / Bluetooth 4.2 / USB 2.0 / NFC
  • Color: Silver / Titan / Dark Blue / Gold

K4 Key Specifications:

  • Chipset: MSM8909 1.1GHz Quad-Core
  • Display: 5.0-inch FWVGA In-cell Touch (854 x 480 / 196ppi)
  • Memory: 1GB LPDDR3 RAM / 8GB eMMC ROM / microSD (up to 32GB)
  • Camera: Front 5MP / Rear 5MP
  • Battery: 2,500mAh (removable)
  • Operating System: Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
  • Size: 144.76 x 72.6 x 7.9mm
  • Weight: 135g
  • Network: LTE / 3G / 2G
  • Connectivity: Wi-Fi (802.11 b, g, n) / Bluetooth 4.1 / USB 2.0
  • Color: Titan / Black

K3 Key Specifications:

  • Chipset: MSM8909 1.1GHz Quad-Core
  • Display: 4.5-inch FWVGA On-cell Touch (854 x 480 / 218ppi)
  • Memory: 1GB LPDDR3 RAM / 8GB eMMC ROM / microSD (up to 32GB)
  • Camera: Front 2MP / Rear 5MP
  • Battery: 2,100mAh (removable)
  • Operating System: Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
  • Size: 133.9 x 69.75 x 9.44mm
  • Weight: 132g
  • Network: LTE / 3G / 2G
  • Connectivity: Wi-Fi (802.11 b, g, n) / Bluetooth 4.1 / USB 2.0
  • Color: Black

Stylus 3 Key Specifications:

  • Chipset: MT6750 1.5GHz Octa-Core
  • Display: 5.7-inch HD In-cell Touch (1280 x 720 / 258ppi)
  • Memory: 3GB LPDDR3 RAM / 16GB eMMC ROM / microSD (up to 2TB)
  • Camera: Front 8MP / Rear 13MP
  • Battery: 3,200mAh (removable)
  • Operating System: Android 7.0 Nougat
  • Size: 155.6 x 79.8 x 7.4mm
  • Weight: 149g
  • Network: LTE / 3G / 2G
  • Connectivity: Wi-Fi (802.11 b, g, n) / Bluetooth 4.2 / USB 2.0
  • Color: Metallic Titan / Pink Gold
  • Other: Stylus Pen / FM Radio / Fingerprint Scanner
Harish Jonnalagadda
Senior Editor - Asia

Harish Jonnalagadda is a Senior Editor overseeing Asia at Android Central. He leads the site's coverage of Chinese phone brands, contributing to reviews, features, and buying guides. He also writes about storage servers, audio products, and the semiconductor industry. Contact him on Twitter at @chunkynerd.