LG Chocolate phone: Simple but stunning

By Jeremy Roche on 31 May 2006
LG Chocolate Phone

We still can't get our heads around why LG chose "Chocolate" as the pet name for its KG800 mobile phone -- is it because it's desirable, comes in chocolate box-shapped packaging or has smooth, touch-sensitive navigation?

LG chose a trendy bar on the Sydney Harbour Foreshore for the Australian launch of its Chocolate phone last night. Local celebs called in for the gig included radio personality Jackie O, the two Australian models used in the worldwide Chocolate phone television advertising campaign and a handful of Home & Away stars.

After journalists sat down and the realisation set in that they were in fact at a phone launch and shouldn't expect Willy Wonka to suddenly appear handing out treats, LG's Australian marketing manager Carli Wilson introduced the Chocolate, which is also know by its less memorable model number KG800. She explained that Chocolate is just the pet name of its upcoming Black Label Series of mobile phones, which will focus on style and minimalism through innovative designs.

Decked out in a glossy piano-black case, the Chocolate slider phone certainly oozes sophistication, with its most notable feature being touch-sensitive controls that glow red when the screen is slid open. But while we instantly fell in love with LG's radical design concept, we soon found out that not everyone will be fond of what the Chocolate has to offer.

There is 128MB of internal memory onboard but no expansion card slot, which limits the number of photos and music that can be stored on the phone. And while the design of the KG800 is cutting edge, the resolution of the camera is not; a mere 1.3-megapixels compared with Sony Ericsson and Sharp having released 3-megapixel camera phones, the K800i and the 903, respectively.

But this isn't a mobile designed for tech geeks. Instead, it's LG's first serious foray into the fashion phone arena which Motorola has been excelling in with its iconic Razr series of phones. Although Motorola has since released its stylish SLVR (pronounced "sliver"), we think the Chocolate is more eye-catching and will be a serious competitor in this sought-after space.

Over 300,000 of the Chocolate phones were sold within the first three months following the November 2005 launch of the handset in Korea, according to LG. It is available now through Telstra, Optus and Vodafone for a recommended retail price of AU$799.

In our few hours playing with the Chocolate, we're still not used to the touch-sensitive controls. After using mobile phones that provide a tactile button push for so long now, it's probably going to take a couple of day to familiarise ourselves with the new design before we're comfortable. That said, first time iPod users can also find it strange to navigate through menus and lists with touch sensitive scroll-wheel, but it's arguably the most efficient way once you're used to it. It will also be interesting to see how long the Chocolate's battery will last -- in less than 24 hours, we've noticed the KG800 drop from four bars of power to just one. We'll have to wait until fully power cycling the handset before giving our verdict.

Check back soon for the full review. In the meantime, see more photos in our LG Chocolate KG800 image gallery.

Topics: fashion, lg, kg800, touch-sensitive, black, mobile phone, chocolate

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Comments (103)

  • RACH commented on 09/07/2009 18:40

    hi i want to buy this phone but i dont no where to get it from can someone tell me where? somewhere in wolongong or sydney?many thanks!!

  • Lishy commented on 20/04/2009 10:01

    It costs $249 now other than $499! Im geting one for only $249

  • fartamoose commented on 16/03/2009 08:52

    anyone help me, where can i buy the pink chocolate slider????

  • naheeda commented on 27/12/2008 08:54

    i ave only bought this fone 2day and the rason i did was due to my nokia 6500 slide was a total mess and as sylish it may look it was a total nightmare from the speaker jamming, freezing up, switching off and so onn........ i hav red some off the comments abot the lg chocolate and am wishing it is not as bad... would anyone recommend i return it back asap??????
    ohh and could any one tell me does it have a setting for a securuty code 2 ulck the phone so all those noisy friends cant have a look at my txts??????/ many thanks... lol

  • Erin:) commented on 18/11/2008 16:54

    Hii,i realli want this phone for christmas,but some people think it is crap and some think it is realli bad,i want it in pink but i dont want mum and dad to spend heaps of money on it and it break in like a couple of days.does the battery last for 3 hrs or more if you dont listen to songs heaps.with the touch screen does it stuff up heaps eazy or only when you press hard enough.PLZ PLZ PLZ write back i despratly want to know:)

  • worst hit commented on 25/07/2008 14:42

    this is the worst phone i've ever bought. the retailer would not accept a refund and would only suggest a repair, the invoice stated that all the repairer did was reset the factory settings. There are so many problems with this phone. the touch pad doesnt work well, the battery life is absolutely shocking even with the longer-life battery, the key pads are now faulty, the reception is crap, the phone just turns off on its own and the battery falls off, the pc program didnt allow me to transfer any form of data across. i will definitely NOT be buying any LG products for the rest of my life.

  • jack oneill commented on 03/07/2008 13:19

    hi i think these are relly nice phones. oneday when i save up ill bye one

  • shauna commented on 26/06/2008 12:09

    Faulty LG chocolates. Do not buy this phone. Our 2 sons bought the LG chocolate phone. Both mobiles are faulty. Both have been repaired 3 times each under warranty. One mobile defaulted again and after much correspondance with LG, both phones were eventually replaced. The 2 new replacement phones were sent with the old batteries in them and neither phones are in working order...Both new replacement LG chocolate mobiles are FAULTY. I am currently still dealing with LG to have this situation resolved.
    My advice...DO NOT PURCHASE THIS PRODUCT.

  • big_woop123 commented on 12/06/2008 18:45

    eyyyyy i really want a choc but i have
    heard so many bad comments and alot
    sound really serious and alot of probs
    come up regularly its not all diffrent probs
    and then i looked at the offficial webbi
    and is says it has no speaker phone
    lyk that sux so ive decided not 2 get it
    those who posted comments hoping 2
    save sum1 from it congats
    u won me
    xoxo

  • grazy commented on 16/05/2008 01:46

    does anybody know how much an lg chocolate phone is to buy in thailand as i can get them in uk35 pounds and hoping to bring them there and double up my money,any info appreciated

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