LG KG800 Chocolate review

Dial-a-Phone rating = Dial-a-Phone rating : 5 out of 5
Average customer rating = Average customer rating : 3 out of 5
(There are 7 reviews, read the reviews here)

Dial-a-Phone review of LG KG800 Chocolate

Why is the KG800 called the 'chocolate'? Is it a thinly veiled marketing ploy to make it more attractive to chocoholics looking for a phone? Or perhaps it's because of its dark bar shape, or are they wanting to attract a hungry buyer? Well, it's none of those actually; the reason is a little more obscure and has to do with the keypad. Slide open the KG800 to reveal the keys, turn the phone slightly to the side and look at the design, see how it resembles a tempting bar of freshly open chocolate? There's your answer!

The KG800 was one of the first phones to be released which used 'warm-touch' buttons on its fascia. With the phone slider closed only the D-pad is visible, but pop it open and a selection of red icons magically appear around it, each activated by the touch of your finger. The warm-touch feature is there to eliminate the potential problem of every button being repeatedly pressed when the phone is in your pocket! As well as looking rather cool, the hidden buttons tidied up the front of the phone nicely, making the KG800 one of the best looking phones on the market at that time.

It's a noisy little thing though. Open or close the phone and it plays a little tune, press one of the keys and it makes a noise, start dialing, it goes off again. Some may love it, but for others it will be the first thing they turn off. Strangely for all this interaction, the warm touch buttons remain silent and feel-free, making it difficult to know when the have been successfully pressed, a problem increased when their response time is deathly slow, as sometimes occurs. Once you have shut it up, the LG is a compact companion, measuring just 15mm thick and weighing only 83 grams.

Even though the phone is small and light, it would have been nice to have a slightly larger screen, but at least the one it has is of good quality that displays information clearly. The menus are accessed via the tried and tested 3x3 set of icons selected with the D-pad, or by its number key equivalent. There is nothing particularly unique about the way the Chocolate works, or the basic features it contains, but at least it was simple to pick up and get on with using instead of wading through an inch-thick manual.

With a 1.3MP camera, a pretty basic music player and 128MB of internal memory to play with, it's clear that today, the KG800 is somewhat behind its rivals in terms of functionality and goodies. However, call quality is superb and the design is as fresh now as it was when the phone was released, plus the LG can be found at a fantastic price, making a fine choice for the younger user or anyone wanting a high quality phone without all the gizmo's.

LG KG800 Chocolate specs and features

  • Tri-band
  • 1.3 Megapixel Camera
  • Built in MP3 Player
  • 128 MB Memory
  • Bluetooth wireless technology
  • GPRS
  • Messaging: SMS, MMS, E-mail (IMAP4, POP3)
  • XHTML browser
  • Dimensions: 95 x 48 x 15.2 mm
  • Weight: 83 grams

Average customer rating from 7 reviews : Average customer rating : 3 out of 5

Customer rating : 3 out of 5 
By Natalie Pitman, 17/01/2008
LG Chocolate is not amazing. I found it very hard to text, as the buttons are not that easy to type with. Battery is terrible. However, the memory on the phone is very good. Found that the touch screen freezes quite often, and you have to remove the battery for the phone to work again. This is damaging to the phone by doing this in any situation. No handsfree option on the phone, And the volume of MP3 Player quality is not that good. Not a recommended phone, definitely better ones out there on the market.
Customer rating : 1 out of 5 
By Dave, 29/12/2007
Never again will I get such a piece of rubbish! It cuts out and freezes until it eventually stops working… do not buy! If I could use it as paper weight I would, its so crap LG didn’t even want it back!
Customer rating : 1 out of 5 
By Cassie, 28/12/2007
This is maybe the worst phone I have EVER used in my life. It has more faults than any other phone I have ever had! It has no memory and the screen keeps going off... it has been away for repair longer than I have had it!
Customer rating : 1 out of 5 
By Anonymous, 25/12/2007
Where do I start?? My god! Very nice looking phone but everything else is horrible! -Above all: Reception!!!!!!! (Sometimes no reception for 2h) -Keypad gets mad time to time -Get quite dirty if not protected Wish I had not taken it!!! Looking forward to my next phone
Customer rating : 5 out of 5 
By Matt Robinson, 12/12/2007
It is a great phone, I absolutely love the look of it, and it is really easy to use! I’m so glad I got this phone as I definitely would have regretted it if I didn’t! It’s really easy just to send a quick text instead of taking ages doing it. Features and usability are fantastic!
Customer rating : 2 out of 5 
By Anon, 01/07/2007
Yes, it's got the looks. However, might possibly be the worst phone I have ever had! Find myself hanging out of windows or tiptoeing to catch the slightest reception. Battery soon goes dead too! A typical example of technology going backwards!
Customer rating : 5 out of 5 
By robyn marshall, 17/10/2006
LG KG800 Chocolate is brilliant. It is easy to use and with easy access to everything you need. You can easily play your music or write a quick text! It's a fantastic phone. =)