LG u880 3G Phone Review

Last month, LG unveiled the u880 as the "world's slimmest 3G phone" and at 18.2mm thick, I don't know of any 3G phone in Europe that's thinner. I've checked the Motorola V3x 3G phone and its 19.6mm thick. At 98 grams, this is certainly one of the lightest around. The last LG we reviewed weighed in at 132 grams ( LG 8360 ). Now that's downsizing for you.

The early LG 3G phones lacked some basic features like : Bluetooth, a powerful camera and expandable memory. Those shortcomings are brushed aside with the arrival of LG's new 3G offering. One thing for sure is that 3G is definitely moving out of the infancy phase when you see 3G phones like this hitting the shops. My first impression of the u880 is that its "on the money".

A major eyesore with all the LG's to date was the external antenna which protruded over 20mm beyond the top of the phone. So much so, that some clever people made a nice profit from selling shorter antennas to solve this issue. I am delighted to confirm this is no longer an eyesore as the antenna is now hidden away inside the phone. Did LG read our earlier reviews where I moaned and groaned continuously about the external antenna. I would like to think so.

First impressions count. The shocking pink version is not for me. But no doubt pop band "Girls Aloud" would look super cool clasping a small, lightweight 3G phone in shocking pink. The other available colours are black and silver. Steer clear of the silver version it lacks charisma compared to the other colours.

The u880 arrives at the same time as Moto's 3G V3x Razr. A quick head to head overview follows :

Feature	u880	3G V3x Razr
Slimness	18.2mm thick	19.6mm thick
Weight	98 grams	125 grams
Display	176x220 pixels	240x320 pixels
Internal memory	80MB	65MB
Expandable	TransFlash/microSD	TransFlash/microSD
Camera	1.3 megapixel digital camera (swivelling)	2 cameras (main is 2.0 megapixels),
Talktime	4 hours specified	5 hours specified

The above summary shows the LG u880 as a real contender to the new 3G Motorola V3x Razr and judged by that yardstick it's destined to capture many Xmas and New Year sales.

The large user memory can store more than 20 MP3 songs and the phone has buttons on the outside of the clamshell for easy control of the MP3 player function. The outer screen will show the MP3 song title with an animation ( the default is the ’3' logo prancing about ). 80 MB of internal memory can be boosted to 336 MB ( via 256MB microSD card ). That's an impressive 85 MP3 songs stored on a little old 3G phone.

There is also a speakerphone so you can hear what the other party is saying whilst conducting realtime video calls - as opposed to clambering around hunting for your headset. The stereo speaker volume is loud enough to hear adequately.

If you have fingers like sausages. Don't despair. The keypad and all the buttons are highly user friendly and the vast majority of people will find using the phone a pleasant experience from this perspective. The 4 way navigational key is particularly sweet and the keypad excels via its square flat keys.

The 1.3 megapixels camera is perfectly adequate for current demands but a flash has been omitted. The camera interface is well built with 100% screen preview and can take up to 1280 x 960 pixels pictures - with 6 resolution options. LG need to quickly update the camera to 2 megapixels or beyond at the earliest opportunity to keep pace with other manufacturers.

The internal display is a large 2.0" colour screen with simple user interface with distinctive graphics. Its large and bright with 262k colours. The external display ( 65K ) is also bright and will work considerably better than a lot of others. If you haven't tried an LG before the whole menu system may take a little getting used to but you would soon master this and should find it rather slick.

Of note, is the full screen playback to experience mobile TV like streaming services. The ‘instant viewer’ can be clicked via the screen and the contents will be streamed onto the screen. The phone has the ability to take pictures and videos when the clam is closed and viewed on the outer screen.

HoHoHo. Wave goodbye to the old LG 3G phones and bring in the new. LG downsizes and makes a giant step forward in the 3G handset desirability stakes. This is a mainstream handset which will be bought by both sexes. Will appeal to the general public and mobile phone enthusiasts.

This review covers the above mobile phone only and does not address the performance of any 3G Network. The score is based on a 3G mobile phone checklist.

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