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The LG G Vista is the lower-spec, phablet-sized sibling of the outstanding G3

Callum Tennent
August 1, 2014

We were pleasantly surprised by the LG G3 when we reviewed it last month. The specs on paper translated well in practice, and they were all wrapped up in a pretty package to boot.

LG is clearly keen to keep the ball rolling off the back of its best device in years, with the announcement of two new devices. We’ve already shown you the LG G3 Beat, aka the world’s largest miniature handset, and now we have the third part of the trifecta: the LG G Vista.

In all honesty though, it’s a little hard to get excited about it. The G Vista doesn’t really seem to serve any specific purpose – it’s a massive device with some seriously unimpressive specs. Is there much clamour for a low-end phablet? We’re not so sure.

When we say massive, we mean it. You may have  thought that the G3 was large enough with its 5.5-inch display, but LG disagrees – the G Vista has a 5.7-inch screen. A part of what made that display on the G3 so excellent was its quad-HD resolution. Here on the G Vista you’ll find a more modest 720p, which means a whiplash-inducing drop in PPI from 534  to 257.

LG - G Vista back and front

The G Vista does have a remarkably hefty battery though. It’s a 3,200 mAh brick vs 3,000 mAh found the G3, and without that power-thirsty QHD display to power you should be able to get some incredible longevity out of a single charge.

The processor shouldn’t require too much juice either as it’s a 1.2 GHz quad-core chip, the standard for most lower-end devices we see. There’s 1.5GB of RAM, too.

The cameras are 8MP on the back and 1.2MP on the front, and you get 8GB of internal storage with the capability to expand via microSD card.

LG - G Vista side on

As with many devices like the G Vista, its appeal will be largely decided by its pricing. Any more than £200 or so and we can’t expect too see it selling too well. With a US pricing of $500 off-contract that’s not looking too likely.

If you could get it on the cheap though, that might bring some people around – perhaps those who love the idea of a massive screen but can neither afford nor need a device like the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. We’ll be sure to let you know of UK release details as soon as we learn of them

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About the Author

Callum Tennent

International playboy/tech journalist.

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