Verizon Stylo 2 V Is The LG Stylo 2, With A V

f you thought that carriers putting obtrusive, even obnoxious, branding on smartphones was a thing of the past, Verizon has just proven you wrong. The carrier has just announced the addition of the LG Stylo 2 V to its roster, and if the name sounds familiar, that's because it's the very same LG Stylo 2 that was announced just last April. Except with a "V", presumably for "Verizon". That, however, isn't the only thing Verizon has added, as it has also slapped on a slightly higher price tag as well.

Despite also bearing a writing instrument, LG's stylus-toting smartphones are a far cry from Samsung's Galaxy Note series in terms of specs. Luckily, there are no reported explosions so far. The LG Stylo 2, like the Stylo before it and a whole train of other "Stylus" models, is pretty much a mid-range phablet that happens to come with a silo for a capacitive, not active, stylus.

That translates to a 5.7-inch 720p HD screen, driven by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 with 2 GB of RAM. Storage is only 16 GB, though expandable up to 128 GB. The rear camera is 13 megapixels while the front has 5 megapixels only. Sadly, this is not the slightly higher LG Stylo 2 Plus from July, that comes with a Full HD screen, 3 GB of RAM, and slightly higher Snapdragon 430 processor.

When the LG Stylo 2 first launched, it came with a near-$200 price tag. Now it usually sells for $169, at least on Cricket Wireless. Verizon's version? $240. Or $10 a month for two years. Admittedly, that's still acceptable for a lower mid-range device, but probably not one that has already been in the market for months.

Still, if you're in the market for a smartphone with a capacitive (read: slightly rubbery tip) stylus that you'll be confident won't explode, the LG Stylo 2 V from Verizon could make for a tempting offer. Pre-orders for the smartphone start 20th October.

SOURCE: Verizon