Europe : The LG U8100 series of 3G handsets has been on sale for some time now and the series has developed with time. The trail blazing LG 8110 is no longer sold as it has been superceded by two better handsets namely the LG 8120 and the recently launched LG 8138. This suite of handsets has been the mainstay of 3 UK's sales and is still selling extremely well.

Kevin Thomas of 3G.co.uk undertook earlier reviews of LG 8110 and the 8120. To see the earlier reviews - follow links :

Review of the LG U8110 can be found here. ( click link ).

Review of the LG U8120 can be found here. ( click link ).

Features of the LG 8138

Supports all 3's video mobile services: video calling, video messaging, download video clips & Quickplay video streaming.

Two colour screens; external screen with screen saver & caller Id and large internal screen for great video playback & video calling.

Avatar address book – have fun with cartoons of friends and family that pop-up on screen every time they call.

Speakerphone for easy video calling and playback.

One touch VGA camera with light for taking and sending picture and video messages.

Windows media player for enhanced audio & video.

Available in two-tone silver & blue design.

Low Down Between LG 8120 and the 8138

To see the difference between the older LG 8120 and the newer LG 8138 refer to the table and the rest of this review.

The changes from the older 8120 to the 8138 are not immediately apparent. But look closer beyond the body styling changes, handset two-tone colour changes and there are some important changes.

Most notable is the battery talktime and video calltime. The battery talktime lasts over 50% longer and the video calltime lasts over 40% longer in the 8138.

Another point is the 8138 handles Windows Media (.wma) files whereas the 8120 does not.

Final comment

This review covers the LG handsets only and does not address the performance of the 3UK 3G Network. The score is based on a checklist developed by Kevin Thomas of www.3G.co.uk.

Both these LG's are solid phones but the new U8138 versus the LG 8120 is a no brainer simply because of the much improved battery perfomance which means you can chin-wag for well over an extra hour before your phone dies through lack of power.

Kevin Thomas of 3G.co.uk prefers the LG U8138 for this reason.