LG’s digital radio smartphone will come to Australia

LG’s digital radio smartphone will come to Australia but not everywhere can yet enjoy the medium.

LG Stylus DAB+ smartphone lets users listen to digital radio.

LG will brings its freshly announced digital radio capable smartphone to Australia this year but not everywhere can yet enjoy digital audio broadcasting (DAB) yet.

LG’s new Stylus DAB+ smartphone lets you listen to the radio as many Android devices do, but in this case that also means having access to digital radio channels as you walk down the street.

The phone was announced at the world’s largest radio conference in Paris and there are hopes it might help push the rollout of digital radio in countries like Australia further.

Those who listen to digital radio attest to its clarity ahead of AM and FM. Being a digital signal means it is not subject to the distortion of analog radio. But reception areas can be more limited. You either receive it or you don’t.

In Australia, DAB+ standard digital radio is confined to parts of Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth, with trials underway in Canberra and Darwin, according to digitalradioplus.com.au.

And in those capitals, it is an area-by-area proposition as to how good the signal might be. You can enter your postcode on this website to find out. Nevertheless, globally DAB+ — an upgraded version of DAB, has a significant following internationally of 50 million people in 40 countries, says LG.

LG says its new phone will bring the clearer sound of digital radio to users without it impinging on their data quotas, as streaming music services do. As a digital medium it is capable of broadcasting also the titles of tracks, pictures, and depending on its implementation and the equipment used, you can even pause and rewind radio.

LG is laying claim to the Stylus being the first phone to include digital radio. It says the handset is pre-installed with a DAB+ supporting chip set and an application for listening to it.

“Broadcasters can develop their own tailored apps for the Stylus DAB+, in which internet services complement broadcast radio,” LG says in a news release.

The LG Stylus DAB+ is 7.4mm thick, weighs 145g, and has a big 3,000mAh removable battery, a SD card slot for users to expand storage, and a 5.7-inch display. It has a 1.2 GHz quad core processor and 13/8 megapixel rear/front facing cameras. Of course, it sports a stylus.

The device was developed by LG in partnership with The International DMB Advancement Group (IDAG), a global organisation representing radio broadcasters.

LG says pricing and availability in Australia will be confirmed later.