LG Prada Review - Value & Comparisons
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Alfredo Padilla Published on June 25, 2007 Comment on this |
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Value (2.0)
We received our review model from dynamism.com, a reseller of imported cell phones. They are currently selling the Prada for $799. Now, we expect any unlocked and imported phone to be significantly more expensive than purchasing a subsidized phone from your carrier, but the price tag on the Prada is certainly up there. When we compare it to the Nokia N95, which has a 5 megapixel camera, GPS built in, and the functionality provided by the Symbian Series 60 platform, for $50 less. We are definitely left to wonder whether the Prada is worth its price. Although we found ourselves liking a lot about the Prada's interface and usability, it's hard to justify the price when you can get other phones that have many of the same features for much less. Our recommendation is that if you have to have it you wait a few months for the price to come down from its currently stratospheric levels.
Comparisons
T-Mobile Wing - The T-Mobile Wing and LG Prada are very different devices. One is a smart phone with all the power of Windows Mobile 5 professional built in, while the other is a fashion phone with limited functionality. There are some areas where direct comparisons can be made however. Both phones have 2 megapixel cameras, and in this area the Prada blows the Wing out of the water with much better performance in our test. Both phones also have a fairly large touch screen interface, and again we have to give our props to the Prada here, where the interface is much more amenable for everyday use than the Wing's, which almost requires a stylus. With the launch of the iPhone coming soon, and the Prada giving us another example of how a touch screen interface designed to be used with your fingers can be implemented, we only hope that Microsoft gives Windows Mobile an upgrade so we can finally stop carrying around styluses to get the most out of our touchscreens. 
Helio Ocean - The Helio Ocean was a much touted device when launched, promising to give users a lot of functionality in a "cool" new form factor. We found a lot to like about the Ocean, but must admit that from a fashionista perspective the Prada is just a more elegant device. We also found the Prada's user interface to be more comfortable than the Helio Ocean's sometimes confusing and overly menu driven interface. Of course if you require a real keyboard/keypad, the Ocean beats the Prada out. The Ocean also provides functionality like instant messaging, and GPS services that the Prada lacks.
Sprint Upstage - The only thing that the Upstage and the Prada share is that they are both fashion phones. The Upstage elicits it's oohs and aahs based on it's extremely thin design and two sided interface. The Prada does it in a much more classic fashion with sleek black lines and an innovative touch screen interface. Other than the fact that they might make the same kind of buyer water at the mouth the Prada and Upstage don't share a whole lot. We felt the Prada's touch screen interface was much more usable than the Upstage's two sided interface and frustrating touch controls. We also liked that the Prada got decent battery life without having to load it into an ugly battery "wallet". Of course the Upstage is much smaller and more pocketable than the Prada, so for those looking for a phone that they can slip into super tight jeans, the Upstage is probably a better choice.
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