The nomenclature of the recent tribute series smartphones gives a feeling that they are the flagship devices. What comes to your mind after hearing Dynasty, Empire, and Royal? However, in reality, they fall at the bottom of the ladder. LG Tribute series offers budget smartphones with the bare basic features.
In this post, we are going to find whether the latest entrant in the series, Tribute royal is a true successor of Empire or not. Whether you should upgrade from Empire or stick with it for some more time.
First of all, we are going to find out the differences and later one we are going to cover the similarities between the 3.
So, Let’s start with the differences –
Difference Between LG Tribute Empire, Tribute Royal & Tribute Dynasty
1. Release Date & Price – Difference between Tribute Empire, Royal & Destiny
| RELEASE DATE & PRICE | LG Tribute Empire | LG Tribute Royal | LG Tribute Dynasty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model Number | LM-X220PM | LM-X320PM | SP200 |
| Release Date | January 2019 | November 2019 | January 2018 |
| Current Price | Around $50 | Around $70 | Around $50 |
Every year there comes a new Tribute device from Sprint. LG Tribute Royal is the latest entrant in this series. It was launched in the month of November 2019. This is the 7th Tribute device after LG Tribute, Tribute 2, Tribute 5, Tribute HD, Tribute Dynasty & Tribute Empire.
In 2019, two Tribute devices were launched at once. First Tribute Empire came in January 2019, then Tribute Royal arrived in November 2019. Check out their current prices with the help of the below screenshots. You can click on the screenshot to buy the phone.
2. Body – Tribute Empire vs Royal vs Dynasty
| BODY DESIGN | LG Tribute Empire | LG Tribute Royal | LG Tribute Dynasty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colors | White | Platinum Grey | Champagne Gold |
| Dimensions | 144.8 x 71.9 x 8.1 mm (5.7” x 2.83” x 0.32”) | 146.8 x 71.6 x 8.4 mm (5.78” x 2.82” x 0.33”) | 144.8 x 71.9 x 8.1 mm (5.7” x 2.83” x 0.32”) |
| Weight | 4.94 oz (140 g) | 5.22 oz (148 g) | 4.9 oz (139 g) |
| Removable Battery | ✔ | ✖ | ✔ |
LG Dynasty & Empire have almost identical form-factor, shape & size. They also have a removable battery.
Tribute Royal is the first tribute phone with a non-removable battery. It’s also the first Tribute phone with an 18:9 aspect ratio. As evident in the above picture, it has a taller body & a bigger display.
They all come in different colors. Tribute Dynasty comes is Gold, Empire is White & the LG Royal is Platinum Grey in color.
3. Phone Layout – lmx220pm vs lmx320pm vs sp200
| LAYOUT | LG Tribute Empire | LG Tribute Royal | LG Tribute Dynasty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power Button Location | Back | Right | Back |
| Speaker Grill Location | Back | Back | Back |
| Headphone Jack Location | Bottom | Bottom | Bottom |
| Sim Card/Memory Card Location | Under the Battery Door | Left | Under the Battery Door |
| Additional Button | ✖ | Google Assistant Key on the Left | ✖ |
Similar to Tribute HD, Tribute Royal has the Power button on the right. LG Empire & Dynasty have their power key on the back of the phone.
Tribute Royal also comes with a dedicated Google Assistant key on it’s left below the volume rocker.
As Tribute Royal has a unibody design with a non-removable battery, the SIM tray is located outside on the Left.
4. Display – LG Tribute Dynasty vs Royal vs Empire
| SCREEN / DISPLAY | LG Tribute Empire | LG Tribute Royal | LG Tribute Dynasty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen Size | 5 inches | 5.45 inches | 5 inches |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 ratio | 18:9 ratio | 16:9 ratio |
| Screen Resolution/Wallpaper Size | 1280 x 720 pixels | 1440 x 720 pixels | 1280 x 720 pixels |
| Pixel Density | 294 ppi | 282 ppi | 294 ppi |
The biggest improvement in Tribute Royal can be seen in the Display. The Screen size is increased from 5 to 5.45 inches. Thanks to the 18:9 aspect ratio. Even with the bigger screen, the body dimensions remain almost the same.
In the above picture, you can notice the increased screen estate in LG Royal. It has got thinner bezels as compared to Dynasty & Empire.
5. Hardware – Royal vs Empire vs Dynasty
| HARDWARE | LG Tribute Empire | LG Tribute Royal | LG Tribute Dynasty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Processor/CPU | 1.5 GHz Octa-Core | 2.0 GHz Octa-Core | 1.5 GHz Octa-Core |
| Chipset | Mediatek MT6750 | Mediatek MT6762 | Mediatek MT6750 |
| GPU | ARM Mali T-860 MP2 | PowerVR GE8320 | ARM Mali T-860 MP2 |
In the hardware department, we can see some improvement in Tribute Royal. While Empire & Dynasty share the same 1.5 GHz Octa-Core MT6750 Mediatek Processor, Tribute Royal comes with an improved Mediatek MT6762 CPU with a clock speed of 2.0 GHz.
6. Software – sp200 vs lm-x220pm vs lm-x320pm
| SOFTWARE | LG Tribute Empire | LG Tribute Royal | LG Tribute Dynasty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android Version | Android 8.1 Oreo | Android 9.0 Pie | Android 7.1.2 Nougat |
| User Interface | LG UX 7.0 | LG UX 7.0 | LG UX 6.0 |
| Camera Manual Mode / Controls | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ |
Android 10 is hardly seen in budget smartphones as of now. Tribute Royal comes with Android Pie 9.0 which can be seen as an improvement over the Oreo 8.1.0 on Tribute Empire. Tribute dynasty is still on Android Nougat 7.1.2
All the 3 phones come with a rear 8 MP camera and front 5 MP camera. There is a significant improvement in the picture quality in the LG Tribute Royal. Its Selfie camera also offers Portrait mode with blurred background.
Tribute Empire and Royal offer Manual Mode. We can manually adjust the focus and light intensity.
7. Battery – LG Tribute Empire vs Royal vs Dynasty
| BATTERY | LG Tribute Empire | LG Tribute Royal | LG Tribute Dynasty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 2500 mAh | 3000 mAh | 2500 mAh |
| Battery Life / Talk Time | Up to 15 hrs | Up to 20 hrs | Up to 15 hrs |
While Tribute Dynasty and Empire share the same 2500 mAh battery. Tribute Royal comes with a bigger 3000 mAh battery.
You can expect up to 15 hours of Talktime from LG Tribute Empire & 20 hours talk time from Tribute Royal.
The only drawback is that it’s a non-removable battery so you cannot keep a spare battery as an emergency backup.
Similarities between LG Tribute Royal, Empire & Dynasty
| Similarities between the 3 | LG Tribute Empire, Royal & Dynasty |
|---|---|
| BUILD & DESIGN | |
| Body Material | Plastic |
| Memory Card Slot/Expandable Memory | Up to 32 GB Micro SD |
| Waterproof | ✖ |
| DISPLAY | |
| Display Type/Technology | IPS LCD |
| Gorilla Glass/Glass Screen Protection | ✖ |
| Contoured/Curved Edge / Arc Glass | ✖ |
| NETWORK | |
| Sim Size/Type | Nano |
| GSM/CDMA | CDMA + GSM |
| GSM Unlock Status | Locked |
| Carrier | Sprint, Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile |
| Wifi Calling | ✔ |
| VoLTE | ✔ |
| SENSORS | |
| Accelerometer | ✔ |
| Gyroscope/VR Compatibility | ✔ |
| Magnetometer/Digital Compass | ✔ |
| Fingerprint Sensor | ✖ |
| Ambient Light Sensor | ✔ |
| Proximity Sensor | ✔ |
| CONNECTIVITY | |
| USB | Micro USB 2.0 |
| USB OTG | ✔ |
| Bluetooth | ✔ |
| Wifi Hotspot / Tethering | ✔ |
| GPS | ✔ |
| Screen Mirroring / Miracast | ✔ |
| MHL / Slimport / HDMI Compatible | ✖ |
| NFC / Android Pay / Android Beam | ✖ |
| IR Blaster / TV Remote | ✖ |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES | |
| FM Radio | ✖ |
| Notification LED Light | ✖ |
| Handwriting / Stylus Support | ✖ |
| Quick Charge / Fast Charging | ✖ |
| Wireless Charging / Qi-enabled | ✖ |
| MEMORY/STORAGE | |
| Internal Storage/Memory/ROM | 16 GB |
| Expandable Memory | ✔ |
| Maximum SD card capacity/sd card size | Up to 2 TB |
| RAM | 2 GB |
| SOFTWARE | |
| Face Unlock / Facial Recognition | ✔ |
| Flashlight | ✔ |
| Google Assistant | ✔ |
| Multi-Window /Split Screen | ✔ |
| CAMERA SPECS & FEATURES | |
| REAR | |
| Megapixels | 8 MP |
| Autofocus | ✔ |
| Phase Detection Auto Focus (PDAF) | ✖ |
| Flash | Single LED Flash |
| Zoom | Up to 4x, Digital |
| Video Resolution | 1080p @ 30 fps |
| Slow Motion | ✖ |
| Time Lapse | ✖ |
| Video Stabilization | ✖ |
| HDR | ✔ |
| Face Detection | ✔ |
| FRONT | |
| Megapixels | 5 MP |
| Flash | ✖ |
| Video | 1080p @ 30 fps |
| Root & Custom ROM Status | |
| ROOT Compatible | ✖ |
| Bootloader Unlock Compatible | ✖ |
| Custom Rom Available | ✖ |
The above table shows the similarities between the 3 phones. It covers even those features which are missing from all 3 phones.
Conclusion
The above comparison shows that Tribute Royal is headed in the right direction. We can see improvement in most of the areas. It feels an all-new device when compared to Tribute Empire.
The same cannot be said about the Empire as a successor to the Dynasty. Empire & Dynasty are almost the same with hardly any differences.
We can conclude that Tribute Royal is leading in these areas –
- Better Looks
- Feels more compact in hand
- Dedicated Google Assistant Key
- Bigger display
- More Powerful Hardware
- Newer Android Firmware – Pie 9.0 vs Oreo 8.1.0
- Higher Capacity Battery
Areas where Tribute Empire beats Royal –
- Removable Battery
Have you got a rom dump of this phone? Can’t get stock rom anywhere for this phone. Many thanks!
Just purchased an LG Tribute Royal a few hours ago online, wondering if it has the ability to screen mirror.
It lacks Miracast. You need Chromecast to mirror via Google Home app.