LG Chocolate VX8500 Cell Phone Review - Tour & Design
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Alfredo Padilla Published on March 16, 2007 Comment on this |
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Front Closed
When closed the Front of the LG Chocolate is clean and simple. A glossy black surface is marred only by the earpiece hold slit at the top and the 5-way D-Pad at the bottom. You can just make out the outlines of the screen when the phone is off, above the screen you find the LG logo, and below the Verizon logo.
When you turn the phone on you discover that the seemingly blank black surface reveals some surprises. The 320 x 240 QVGA screen lights up, taking up the top two thirds of the front, while around the D-Pad you will find four touch sensitive buttons illuminated. Two soft keys flank the D-Pad to the top, while below and to the left is an answer key, and to the right you find a back key.
Left
The left side of the LG Chocolate contains the two volume keys at the top, on the upper part of the sliding mechanism. Below these keys is a key that unlocks the phone and also doubles as a voice command key when the phone is on. On the lower part of the slider, near the bottom of the handset you will find a port protected by a hard plastic cover that is attached to the body. This port is used for the charger, and the headset adaptor that is included with the phone. The port can also be used with a USB cable that you will need to purchase separately.
Top
The top of the phone is blank.
Bottom
The bottom of the phone is also blank.
Right
The right side of the phone has 3 more buttons, and another port, mirroring exactly the arrangement on the left side of the phone. On the upper part of the slider, towards the top of the phone you will find dedicated keys for the camera and music player. Below these keys is the end key, which also doubles as the power button. On the lower part of the slider, near the bottom of the handset you will find the MicroSD/Transflash memory card port, again protected by a hard plastic cover that is attached to the body. The memory card port is thankfully spring mounted so getting your cards in and out is as easy as you can expect given the small size of microSD/transflash cards.
Back
The back of the LG Chocolate is dominated by the battery cover on the top two thirds, with a battery release latch below it. On the left towards the bottom is the phone’s loud speaker, and towards the center at the bottom is the port for an external antenna, with a hard plastic cover.
Front Open
Opening the device automatically turns the phone on, and reveals the keypad. The keys are hard plastic, placed close together, but clearly defined. The 5 key has 2 plastic ridges that allow you to identify it by feel. Pressing in on a key produces an audible click; tactile feedback is good, although key travel is slight.
Back Open
On the back of the device, opening the slider mechanism reveals the 1.3 megapixel camera at the top of the upper part of the sliding mechanism. The lens sits on the left hand side, with a self portrait mirror next to it. It’s nice to have the lens protected when the phone is closed, although you obviously will need to slide the phone open in order to use the camera.
Battery Out
The 800 mAh battery of the LG Chocolate comes out all in one piece. You won’t find anything besides the phone’s sku below the battery.
In the Box (2.0)
The LG Chocolate comes with a disappointing collection of accessories for a phone that hopes to be a music centric device. Besides the manuals and the wall charger, the only other accessory is a small adaptor that allows you to plug a 2.5 mm headset into the device’s data port. Unfortunately, the phone doesn’t come with a pair of headphones that you can plug into this adaptor, and inexcusable oversight for a “music” phone. It is also unfortunate that no USB cable is included, requiring you to pay more for a cable, card reader, or Verizon’s downloadable music.
Handling (5.0)
The LG Chocolate is a small phone that should fit comfortably into most hands. The back edges are slightly rounded for better comfort. Opening the sliding mechanism is as easy as pushing the front part of the phone up with your thumb. The Chocolate’s plastic construction is slick however. This phone will fall out of your hand easier than most, we recommend you pick up a lanyard if you’re clumsy at all. The front edges of the phone are sharper than the back edges, and can feel uncomfortable if you are holding it up to your ear for an extended period. The small form factor may be too small for those with large hands, and the placement of the buttons on the phone can also create handling issues as you are forced to shift your hold to access some important functions like the camera.
Portability (8.0)
The LG Chocolate is eminently portable. It will slip easily into most pockets or purses. Although not as slim as many handsets that come out today, it is not bulky by any means. The LG Chocolate measures 3.8” x 1.88” x .69” and weighs 3.53 oz. This compares well to a phone like the Motorola Razr V3m, which is thinner but taller and wider.
Aesthetic (8.0)
The LG Chocolate is a striking phone. Despite our concerns about the touch controls, we cannot deny that the front of the phone is clean and even striking. Away from the front things are not as clean, as you have a plethora of buttons and ports, but the solid color scheme can hide a lot of ugliness.
You can get the Chocolate in several different colors, which means it can match any style. The original black is elegant and would be fine for a business user. Overall we thought the LG Chocolate looked good. It proves that you can depart from the obsession with the “slim” form factor and still make a good looking phone.
Durability (6.0)
The LG Chocolate’s plastic construction feels solid, but we are concerned about scratches on the glossy surface, especially on the front of the device. We are also always concerned about moving parts, and the Chocolate’s sliding mechanism is no exception. We also wouldn’t be surprised to see the covers on the 2 ports fall off with extensive use, especially the cover for the memory card slot which got twisted quite a bit as we moved it aside to get the fiddly MicroSD card into the slot. Despite these concerns, the Chocolate did not give the impression of being poorly made. It gave us no creaks, and there were no loose parts.
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