LG Stylus 2 Variant With DAB+ for Digital Radio Broadcasting Launched

LG on Monday unveiled a new variant of the Stylus 2 smartphone at Radiodays Europe 2016 event in Paris. The new variant of the LG Stylus 2 comes with DAB+, the de facto standard for digital radio broadcasting, and is claimed to be "world's first smartphone" featuring DAB+.

It's worth noting that LG showcased the Stylus 2 ahead of MWC last month. The smartphone was announced to be available at an "exceptional price" in South Korea this month with other markets including Asia, Europe, and the US following later.

The new variant of the LG Stylus 2 with DAB+ will be released initially in Australia, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom. LG can be expected to reveal pricing at the time of local launch of the Stylus 2 with DAB+.

The new LG Stylus 2 smartphone packs a DAB+ chipset and also comes preloaded with an exclusive app that will allow customers to listen to digital radio broadcasts out-of-the-box. One of the biggest highlights of the Stylus 2's DAB+ feature is the handset will be able to access more radio channels than traditional FM radio. Another notable feature of the smartphone is it enables broadcasters to develop their own tailored apps in which "Internet services complement broadcasted radio."

The company detailed that it collaborated with the International DMB Advancement Group (IDAG) to include DAB+ technology in the new LG Stylus 2. LG says that DAB+ is expected to replace FM analogue radio and adds that DAB+ already reaches over 500 million people in 40 countries.

Commenting on the launch, Juno Cho, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company, said, "We are taking a proactive approach towards the fast-paced technological shift to digital broadcasting with DAB+ to deliver a new paradigm of experiences through the smartphone. With its large 5.7-inch screen, 1 watt speaker and 3000mAh removable battery, the LG Stylus 2 is the perfect device to enjoy rich, multimedia content."

For specifications, the LG Stylus 2 runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow and features a 5.7-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) HD IPS display; a 1.2GHz quad-core processor; 1.5GB of RAM; 16GB inbuilt storage with expandable storage support; a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash; an 8-megapixel front camera; 4G LTE support, and a 3000mAh battery. As the name suggests, the LG Stylus 2 also comes with stylus support.