LG Chocolate VX8550 Cell Phone Review - Tour & Design
|
Mark Brezinski Published on July 27, 2007 Comment on this |
|
|
|
|
|
Front Closed
Open
You open the Chocolate by sliding the front of the phone up. This reveals a somewhat small keypad. Above the typical 12-key arrangement are three buttons: send, a camera shortcut, and end. The send and end key both have one raised edge for additional tactile feedback. The five key has two raised edges. When open the 1.3 mega pixel camera is revealed on the back.
Left
Top
Bottom
Right
Back
Battery Out
In the Box (1.0)
Handling (4.0)
This newer model of Chocolate handles slightly better than the original. The Chocolate fits comfortably in the hand. This model also corrects the awkward button placement of the original. The "MUSIC" and camera keys used to be rather high up on the phone's side, which required you to shift your hold to reach them. The "MUSIC" key has now been lowered to within comfortable reach. The camera key was moved to above the keypad inside the phone. The send key has also moved to the internal keypad. Finally, the end key, which was inexplicably placed on the side of the phone, has been moved inside, to a more traditional position opposite the send key.
Unfortunately, the new Chocolate retains some of the shortcomings of the original. It remains fairly slippery, and its glossy plastic design tends to hang on to any oils it may pick up from your hands or face. Unless you're constantly cleaning it, it will always look and feel slightly greasy.
Portability (9.0)
The LG Chocolate is every bit as portable as its predecessor. Pockets and bags will have no trouble accommodating it. In terms of size, it's very similar to the original, measuring 3.85” x 1.87” x .67”. It is slightly lighter (0.29 ounces) than the original, weighing in at 3.24 ounces. Compared to thin phones like the Razr V3m, the Chocolate is only a tenth of an inch thicker.
Aesthetics (9.0)
The LG Chocolate comes in three different colors: black, navy blue, and crimson. Regardless of the color, the phone looks good. The new model basically takes the aesthetically appealing design of the original and makes it subtly better in every way. The most obvious difference is the style of the direction pad. The newer pad is smaller and doesn't have the blurry markings of the original. The smaller improvements include a change in the design of the keypad, a different font, more rounded corners, and differently shaped side buttons. The whole of the improvements is definitely greater than the sum of its parts; compare the older and newer models side-by-side and the old model comes off looking slightly 80s.
Durability (5.0)
The LG Chocolate remains the same in terms of durability. It still has a sliding design; the moving parts make the phone more susceptible to wear and tear. Also, opening the phone reveals a small crevasse on the top, between the two halves. This opening could allow dirt and dust to get inside the phone where it would be hard to clean out. The port panels are again held on by rubber hinges. Also, even in our relatively low-abuse testing environment, the Chocolate's external screen managed to pick up a few scratches. Other than superficial damage, you probably won't run into many problems with this phone. It has a very solid feel to it and there weren't any creaks. Despite its shortcomings, the new LG Chocolate seems well-built.
| Previous Next | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
