LG KG800 Unveiling Specs Prices and Pros & Cons

Overview of the LG KG800

The LG KG800, also commonly known as the LG Chocolate, was a feature phone that captured the attention of consumers with its sleek design and innovative touchpad interface. Announced in March 2006 and subsequently discontinued, the phone is an iconic part of mobile phone history. It offered a minimalist design characterized by a slider format and was favored for its understated elegance.

Design and Build Quality

The LG KG800's dimensions are compact, measuring at 95 x 48 x 15.2 mm and weighing 83 g, making it lightweight and easy to carry. It's housed in a plastic body with a smooth finish, available in various colors such as Black, White, Pink, and Wine, offering style variations for different tastes. The standout feature of the design was its heat-sensitive red touch keys that glowed when the slide was open, aiming to provide users with a futuristic feel at that time.

Display

The device features a 2.0-inch TFT screen with a resolution of 176 x 220 pixels, offering a modest display size and quality by today's standards. The display supports 256K colors, ensuring decent color reproduction for viewing basic photos, navigating menus, and using applications. The screen's size captures around 27.6% of the phone's body ratio, making it adequate for a feature phone's operational use during its era.

Network and Connectivity

The LG KG800 operates on GSM 900/1800/1900 bands and supports GPRS Class 10 for data, allowing basic mobile internet usage such as browsing through the WAP 2.0/xHTML browser. Connectivity options were limited, with Bluetooth version 1.2 available for wireless data exchange and a proprietary USB port for wired connectivity. Unfortunately, it lacked more advanced connectivity features common today, such as WLAN, 3G/4G support, and GPS navigation.

Camera

The phone comes equipped with a single 1.3 MP rear camera, accompanied by an LED flash aiding low-light photography. It supports basic video recording in QCIF format. While the camera capabilities were limited, they offered an essential function for users needing a quick way to capture moments without the need for high-quality imaging.

Memory and Storage

Internally, the LG KG800 includes 128MB of storage, sufficient for basic file storage like music and photos. Unfortunately, it does not support expandable storage such as microSD cards, which was a notable limitation for users requiring more space for multimedia files. The phonebook capacity can store up to 1000 contacts, a generous amount for its time.

Operating System and Usability

Running on a proprietary feature phone OS, the LG KG800 leverages basic functionality without advanced smartphone capabilities. It supports SMS, EMS, MMS, and Email for messaging services and includes Java MIDP 2.0 for running simple applications. Users could download and install lightweight Java games, offering some entertainment on the go.

Battery Life

The device is powered by a removable Li-Ion 800 mAh battery, which, given the phone's power requirements, allowed for standby times of up to 200 hours and talk times up to 6 hours. This was relatively sufficient for the less demanding usage and expectations of personal mobile phones of the mid-2000s.

Market Position and Pricing

Upon its release, the LG KG800 stood out primarily because of its design, and it was marketed as a fashion phone. Priced at about 110 EUR at launch, it was within reach for a wide range of users looking for a stylish mobile device, factoring in its aesthetic appeal alongside functional features.

Conclusion

In retrospect, the LG KG800 left a significant mark in mobile phone history with its visual appeal and pioneering design elements aimed towards consumers who valued aesthetics as much as functionality. Although its technical specifications are considered basic by modern standards, it served as a stepping stone in the evolution of mobile phone design and functionality. The LG Chocolate series remains a nostalgic highlight for many who experienced its unique interactive features and stylish look during its time.