First Impressions Count

My first impression of the LG 8360 was that is just the same as the other LGs in the 8000 series - there must be about 6 different models released to date all very much the same apart from successive improvements. This handset is exclusive to 3.

Looks the same and feels the same. Its available in silver and black. Not a great deal of impact. Seen it before. Been there done that.

The earlier LGs were sold in great numbers as they had the majority of the 3G mobile phone market to themselves and was very popular. I can't help thinking this makes it the Ford Mondeo of 3G mobile phones and yes the image is of course "Mondeo man". The LG 8360 is therefore the Ghia model.

I am amazed to see that another variant is due out soon - the LG U8380. The U8380 is actually a few grams heavier, has less battery life and less internal memory. My opinion - LG its time to replace the 8000 series of handsets and move on.

How robust is this handset I wonder. Amazingly, an LG 3G Phone from this series has actually stopped a bullet and saved a mans life. Full story here plus pictures

The LG U8360 has been given a phacelift ( phone facelift ). This model has been boosted with a 1.3 megapixel rotating camera. 2 colour screens, bluetooth and transflash memory expansion slot. This does make it well kitted out.

The handset weighs approx. 132 grams which by today's standards makes it a middleweight contender. The battery life is highly commendable. It could last 3-4 days normal useage before requiring a recharge.

Open up the clam and you find a very good display - TFT Size 35mm x 44mm, 262,000 colours with Resolution 176 x 220 pixels and is bright and colourful. The external screen is STN 65k colours 96x96 pixels and displays battery, signal and missed calls status.

The LG 8360 has a 1.3 Megapixel 180 degrees rotating digital camera with x2 zoom. This level of camera is the "norm" by today's standards and it will produce very good results.

The handset comes with 32 MB dynamic memory and can be boosted by memory expansion to give a further 256 MB ( via Transflash/MicroSD slot ). Plenty of space to house your multimedia files.

Of course, the LG U8360 is the first in the series to have Bluetooth and this is most welcome.

My first impression of the handset is "cor blimey" we have another LG 8000 series handset with another due out soon. Personally, I have seen enough of these. Yet, someone looking for a new 3G mobile for Xmas this year and who has never seen the LG's before would have no reason not to like it.

Is It Worth Buying ?

Yes it is. The early LGs from this range suffered software and hardware issues. I heard of some people sending their LGs back for repair up to 6 times. My daughter owned an LG 8110 about a year ago and went back to the shop 3 times as it locked up all the time. Credit to LG, that all seems history now.

My problem with this phone is the 6 phones in this model range all look the same. From an image point of view - do you have the standard version or the Ghia. No one knows ! The Mondeo used to have a badge to confirm this.

As I have said its time for LG to sell some more of this type of handset and move on, please.

OK back to whether its worth buying. Yes it is without doubt. The pros outshine the cons and to be truthful there is little to nitpick about the handset.

I personally don't like external aerials measuring nearly 3 centimeters. So I don't own an LG.

The 1.3 Megapixel camera is more than adequate taking pictures up to 1280 x 960 in size.

Its good for the first LG of the series to have Bluetooth on board and this may tempt many people to upgrade or purchase this phone.

My viewpoint is that this a good all round mid range, mid priced phone which will suit many people. However, the more experienced mobile user would want something with a little X-factor thrown in. This excludes the current LGs.

Its worthy to note that Simon Cowell of the Pop Idol TV series was spotted with a 3G LG handset about a year ago but I doubt he would own one now.

This is a review of the LG 8360 3G handset and was undertaken in September, 2005 by Kevin Thomas of 3G.co.uk. This review covers the phone only and does not address the performance of any 3G Network.