LG Aristo 4 Plus and K40 are the latest entrants in the Aristo Series and K Series respectively. K Series is a level higher than the Aristo series. In the MetroPCS / T-Mobile smartphones lineup, the Aristo series falls at the bottom of the ladder with the bare basic features.
In this post, we are going to compare K40 & Aristo 4 Plus in great detail to find out which one suits you better. We are going to deal with the differences at first and will cover the similarities afterward. So let’s get going –
Difference between LG Aristo 4 Plus & LG K40
1. Release Date & Price – Difference between LG Aristo 4 Plus & LG K40
| RELEASE DATE & PRICE | LG Aristo 4 Plus | LG K40 |
|---|---|---|
| Model Number | LM-X320TA | LM-X420MM / LM-X420TM |
| Release Date | September 2019 | Feb 2019 |
| Current Price | Around $70 | Around $85 |
Both Aristo 4 Plus and K40 were released in the year 2019. First K40 came in the month of February and by the end of the year, Aristo 4 Plus was released in September. Earlier only the T-mobile version of Aristo 4 Plus was released but now it’s available for MetroPCS as well.
The below images show the recent prices of Aristo 4 & K40. You can click on the screenshot to find out the current price.
2. Build & Design – LG Aristo 4 Plus vs LG K40
| BUILD & DESIGN – The Differences | LG Aristo 4 Plus | LG K40 |
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Platinum Grey | Aurora Black |
| Dimensions | 5.78” x 2.81” x 0.33” (146.8 x 71.4 x 8.4 mm) | 6.02” x 2.83” x 0.32” (153 x 72 x 8.1 mm ) |
| Weight | 5.3 oz (150.2 gm) | 5.1 oz (144.6 gm) |
Both Aristo 4 & K40 come in gray color with a slight difference as evident in the above image. LG K40 has a shiny surface while Aristo 4 has a matt feel.
The width of the 2 phones is almost the same but K40 stands a bit taller. Even though K40 is bigger in size, it doesn’t feel so while holding the 2 phones together due to a similar width. They both offer a decent grip.
3. Display / Screen – LG K40 vs Aristo 4 Plus
| DISPLAY / SCREEN – The Differences | LG Aristo 4 Plus | LG K40 |
|---|---|---|
| Screen Size | 5.45 inches | 5.7 inches |
| Contoured / Curved Edge / 2.5D Glass | ✖ | ✔ |
Aristo 4 Plus and K40 are the first phones in their respective series to employ an 18:9 aspect ratio screen. This Aspect ratio offers more screen estate with thinner bezels.
LG K40 has a 2.5D curved-edge glass. Aristo 4 plus comes with flat glass.
While the screen resolution of both phones is the same, K40 is fitted with a bigger 5.7 inches display as opposed to 5.45 inches screen on Aristo 4 Plus.
The T-Mobile variant of Aristo 4 Plus and K40 comes with Panda Glass Screen Protection.
4. Connectivity & Storage – LG Aristo 4 Plus vs K40
| NETWORK, CONNECTIVITY & STORAGE | LG Aristo 4 Plus | LG K40 |
|---|---|---|
| NFC / Android Pay / Android Beam | ✖ | ✔ |
| Internal Storage/Memory/ROM | 16 GB (Usable 8 GB) | 32 GB (23.65 GB Usable) |
LG K40 is the first K series smartphone with the NFC feature. It allows contactless payments via Android Pay / Google Pay etc.
Aristo 4 Plus lacks NFC.
The internal storage capacity of LG K40 (32GB) is twice that of the Aristo 4 Plus (16GB). However, the usable space is much lesser. Out of 16 GB, only 6.41 GB is available on Aristo 4 Plus. K40 offers 17.89 GB of free usable space out of 32GB.
You can refer to the above screenshot. I’ve taken these screenshots after doing a factory data reset. The storage space consumed by the “Other apps” attribute to the pre-installed system apps.
5. Camera & Additional Features – LG Aristo 4 vs K40
| CAMERA & ADDITIONAL FEATURES - The Differences | LG Aristo 4 Plus | LG K40 |
|---|---|---|
| Front Camera Flash / Selfie Flash | ✖ | ✔ |
| Notification LED Light | ✖ | ✔ |
Both LG K40 and Aristo 4 Plus have a 13MP rear and 5MP front camera. There is hardly any difference in image quality. Both the cameras offer PDAF. The only difference lies in the Front Camera Flash.
A Selfie Flash is introduced for the first time in a K series smartphone. Aristo 4 Plus lacks a Front Camera Flash.
LG K40 is also the first K series smartphone to employ a Notification LED for incoming calls and messages. This was a long-needed feature. Notification light is missing from LG Aristo 4 Plus.
6. Hardware – LM-X320MA vs LM-420MM
| HARDWARE - The Differences | LG Aristo 4 Plus | LG K40 |
|---|---|---|
| Processor/CPU | 1.4 GHz Quad-Core | 1.8 GHz Octa-Core |
| Chipset | 28nm, Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 MSM8917 | 14nm, Qualcomm Snapdragon SDM450 |
| GPU | Adreno 308 | Adreno 506 |
LG K40 is the first K series smartphone with respectable specs and features. The changes are evident in the hardware department as well. It uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.8 GHz Octa-Core Processor which is also found in LG Stylo 5.
Aristo 4 Plus comes with the age-old Qualcomm Snapdragon 425, 1.4 GHz Quad-Core CPU. This same processor is found in Aristo 1, Aristo 2, Aristo 3 and now Aristo 4 Plus. Aristo 4 Plus would have been a much better phone with more powerful hardware.
7. Benchmark Test – LG K40 vs Aristo 4 Plus
| BENCHMARK TEST | LG Aristo 4 Plus | LG K40 |
|---|---|---|
| Antutu Score | 56497 | 89590 |
| Geekbench Test | ||
| Single-Core Score | 661 | 720 |
| Multi-Core Score | 1884 | 3676 |
LG K40 leads the Anutu benchmark score by a huge margin. Thanks to its 1.8 GHz Octa-Core CPU.
There is a huge variation in the Geekbench Muti-Core score between the 2 phones. After all, K40 comes with an 8 core CPU as opposed to 4 core CPU on Aristo 4 Plus.
Similarities between LG K40 & LG Aristo 4 Plus
| What's Common between the two | SIMILARITIES |
|---|---|
| BUILD & DESIGN | LG Aristo 4 Plus & K40 |
| Body Material | Plastic |
| Removable Battery | ✖ |
| Memory Card Slot/Expandable Memory | Up to 2 TB |
| Waterproof | ✖ |
| PHONE LAYOUT | LG Aristo 4 Plus & K40 |
| Power Button | Right |
| Loudspeaker Grill | Bottom |
| Fingerprint Sensor | Back |
| Headphone Jack | Bottom |
| Sim Card Slot / Memory Card Slot | Left |
| Google Assistant Key | Left |
| DISPLAY / SCREEN | LG Aristo 4 Plus & K40 |
| Aspect Ratio | 18:9 ratio |
| Screen Resolution/Wallpaper Size | 1440 x 720 pixels |
| Display Type/Technology | IPS LCD |
| Gorilla Glass/Glass Screen Protection | Panda King Screen Protection (T-Mobile variant) |
| Pixel Density | 282 ppi |
| NETWORK | LG Aristo 4 Plus & K40 |
| Carrier / Service Provider | MetroPCS / T-Mobile |
| Sim Size/Type | Nano |
| GSM/CDMA | GSM |
| GSM Unlock Status | Locked |
| Wifi Calling | ✔ |
| VoLTE | ✔ |
| SENSORS | LG Aristo 4 Plus & K40 |
| Accelerometer | ✔ |
| Gyroscope/VR Compatibility | ✔ |
| Magnetometer/Digital Compass | ✔ |
| Fingerprint Sensor | ✔ |
| Ambient Light Sensor | ✔ |
| Proximity Sensor | ✔ |
| CONNECTIVITY | LG Aristo 4 Plus & K40 |
| USB | Micro USB 2.0 |
| USB OTG | ✔ |
| Bluetooth | ✔ |
| Wifi Tethering | ✔ |
| GPS | ✔ |
| Screen Mirroring / Miracast | ✔ |
| MHL / Slimport / HDMI Compatible | ✖ |
| IR Blaster / TV Remote | ✖ |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | LG Aristo 4 Plus & K40 |
| FM Radio | ✔ |
| 3D Surround Sound | ✔ |
| Quick Charge / Fast Charging | ✖ |
| Wireless Charging / Qi-enabled | ✖ |
| MEMORY/STORAGE | LG Aristo 4 Plus & K40 |
| Expandable Memory | ✔ |
| Maximum SD card capacity/SD card size | Up to 2 TB |
| RAM | 2 GB |
| SOFTWARE | LG Aristo 4 Plus & K40 |
| Android Version | Android 9.0 Pie |
| User Interface | LG UX 7.0 |
| Face Unlock / Facial Recognition | ✔ |
| Flashlight | ✔ |
| Google Assistant | ✔ |
| Multi-Window / Split Screen / Multitasking Support | ✔ |
| CAMERA | LG Aristo 4 Plus & K40 |
| REAR | |
| Image Resolution / Megapixels | 13 MP |
| Autofocus | ✔ |
| Phase Detection Auto Focus (PDAF) | ✔ |
| Flash | Single LED Flash |
| Zoom | Up to 4x, Digital |
| Video Resolution | 1080p @ 30 fps |
| HDR | ✔ |
| Face Detection | ✔ |
| Manual Mode / Controls | ✔ |
| Slow Motion | ✖ |
| Time Lapse | ✖ |
| Video Stabilization | ✖ |
| FRONT | |
| Megapixels | 5 MP |
| Flash | ✖ |
| Video | 1080p @ 30 fps |
| Portrait Mode with background blur effect | ✔ |
| BATTERY | LG Aristo 4 Plus & K40 |
| Capacity | 2890 mAh |
| ROOT STATUS | LG Aristo 4 Plus & K40 |
| Root Compatible | ✖ |
| Bootloader Unlock Compatible | ✖ |
| Custom Rom Available | ✖ |
The above table shows the features which are common between Aristo 4 Plus and LG K40. It also marks those features which are not present in either of the phones and can be found in some other higher-end smartphone.
Both Aristo 4 Plus and K40 have a Fingerprint sensor, Face unlock, Android Pie 9.0, Expandable Memory, 13MP Rear camera, Phase Detection AutoFocus, 5 MP Front Camera, Google Assistant Hard Key, IPS display, Wifi Calling, FM Radio, Gyroscope, Magnetometer, USB OTG support & 2890 mAh battery.
Conclusion
From the above comparison, it’s pretty clear that K40 leads by a huge margin. Its a much better phone as compared to Aristo 4 Plus. By paying a little more you’re getting a much more superior smartphone.
The gap between the Aristo series and K series widened with the arrival of LG K40. It’s a true K30 successor. Aristo 3 and K30 were not that far apart in competition.
In the nutshell, these are the areas where LG K40 wins over Aristo 4 Plus –
- Better Look and Feel (Thanks to the shiny surface)
- Bigger Display with 2.5D Glass
- NFC
- Notification LED Light
- Internal Storage Capacity (32GB vs 16GB)
- More powerful Hardware (1.8 GHz Octa-Core vs 1.4 GHz Quad-Core)
- Selfie Flash / Front Camera Flash
What are your thoughts? Please share it via the comment section below. Feedback is welcome.