Let’s get one thing clear: The LG Stylo 3 doesn’t even come close to the Samsung Galaxy Note 8. For one thing, it doesn’t have the Note’s two 12-megapixel rear cameras, proven Snapdragon 835 processor or water resistance. And the LG phone’s stylus, which can be stored inside the phone like the Note 8’s S Pen, won’t be able to carry out software tricks like selecting text to translate or creating animated messages.
Still, if you want to take notes, jot down quick memos and doodles, or just give your fingers a break while using the touchscreen, the Stylo only costs $130 on Cricket Wireless and Boost Mobile. That’s a whopping $800 less than the Note 8’s cheapest price (seriously, that’s like seven Stylo 3s for the price of a single Note 8).
Here’s a breakdown of exactly what both phones can and can’t do:
LG Stylo 3 vs. Samsung Galaxy Note 8
| LG Stylo 3 | Samsung Galaxy Note 8 | |
| Embeddable stylus | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pop-up menu for stylus shortcuts | ✓ | ✓ |
| Note-taking app | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scanning app | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pen untethering detection | ✓ | ✓ |
| Screenshot a portion of the screen | ✓ | ✓ |
| Take notes on homescreen | ✓ | ✓ |
| Take notes on lockscreen | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multiple note pages on lockscreen | X | ✓ |
| Pin note to lockscreen | X | ✓ |
| Stylus cursor hover | X | ✓ |
| Create animated GIFs | X | ✓ |
| Multifunction button on stylus | X | ✓ |
| Selects text to translate | X | ✓ |
| Scroll in the browser window | X | ✓ |
| Hover to see menu options | X | ✓ |
