Camera Phone Reviews

LG Prada

LG Prada press release

LG Electronics, a pioneer in consumer electronics and mobile phones, and PRADA, one of the world’s leading brands in the luxury goods industry , unveil the first completely touch screen mobile phone.

The PRADA Phone by LG (KE850) is a real breakthrough in the industry, as it is a unique, sophisticated and elegant mobile phone with the first complete advanced touch interface.

LG and PRADA have worked closely together on every aspect of the product, from handset development to marketing combining the attention to detail and uncompromising quality of PRADA design with the trademark technological innovation of LG mobile.

PRADA’s involvement extends beyond exterior aesthetics to the key elements of the user experience such as the advanced touch interface, ring tones, pre-loaded content, mobile phone accessories and the exclusive leather case, inspired by the classic Italian craftsmen tradition.

“We at LG are exceptionally proud of the PRADA Phone by LG” says Dr. Scott Ahn, President & CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. He continues, “The two companies have worked together seamlessly towards a truly shared vision, to develop one of the most beautifully stylish handsets the market has ever seen.”

Visiting LG Headquarters in Seoul, Korea, Mr. Patrizio Bertelli, President and CEO of PRADA, said: "As we do with ready-to-wear and accessories, we were looking at a break-through. Consistent with our approach, we are not branding an existing product; rather, Miuccia and I have been working with LG to give this new phone a very strong character and unique style, both in its contents and in its design. We, just like our partners at LG, are known for the attention to detail and uncompromising quality of our products. And we find these characteristics in the new mobile phone."

The PRADA Phone by LG introduces the world’s first advanced touch interface which eliminates the conventional keypad making the overall usage experience a highly tactile one. An extra wide LCD screen maximizes visual impact, allowing the user to benefit from several key features of the phone, including the 2 megapixel camera featuring Schneider-Kreuznach lens, video player and document viewer capacity. Above all, these features contribute to the phone’s beautifully sleek and simplistic appearance.

Glowing icons on the face of the phone disappear when not in use to reveal a pure, un-adulterated black exterior. The phone is ultra thin (just 12 mm), nonetheless it hosts an array of additional multimedia functions, including an MP3 player and a music multitasking function for messaging. It also boasts an external memory slot, allowing the user to increase memory capacity for images, music and film clips.

The PRADA Phone by LG will be available with prices starting from 600 Euros in mobile dealerships as well as selected PRADA stores in the UK, France, Germany and Italy as of late February, 2007, followed by countries in Asia such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore from late March, 2007. The Korean version of the phone is scheduled to launch in the second quarter of 2007.

LG Prada Reviews

Vnunet reviews the LG Prada and writes, "Overall this is an impressive, though not a perfect handset, but any drawbacks are more than offset by the sheer stylishness of the phone and the knowledge that everyone is going to be jealous you’ve got one. ... For dedicated followers of fashion, there’ll be no cooler mobile than the LG Prada till Apple’s iPhone arrives in the autumn."

Pocket-lint reviews the LG Prada, and gives it a 9 out of 10: "The Prada phone may not be an all singing all dancing 3G-enabled video-messaging, diary-organising handset, but it is an incredibly stylish phone that works a treat and is guaranteed to turn heads. On the train we could openly see people pointing it out to their friends as we used it, while putting for all to see on a desk in a busy office passers-by couldn't not stop to pick it up. ... If, and I suspect you are if you're interested in this phone, you just want a phone that is only really a phone (well with a few add-ons) then this beats the Chocolate and the Razr hands down."

RegHardware reviews the LG Prada KE850 and writes, "The Prada is a tri-band GSM/GPRS phone. The call quality's pretty good, too - the sound is as clear and as crisp as the KE850's UI. So is the MP3 playback. Bluetooth is ready for mono and stereo headset connections, and dial-up networking - though you'll need a suitably stylish laptop to go with it, vero, no? ... LG and Prada's joint effort has the looks of a sleek digital music player and if some of the styling's a tad tacky, it hides an inner beauty: one of the slickest, smartest user interfaces around - at least until Apple's iPhone hits the High Street."

3G reviews the LG Prada and writes, "The two-megapixel camera relies on a combination of touch-screen and hard key functionality to take photos and record clips. Camera/camcorder settings like auto-focus, zoom auto timer and multiple images are all controlled with the touch-screen menu, while photos are taken using the dedicated camera key. ... this phone has the wow factor of the Chocolate and should appeal to those who like their fashion accessories to carry a label with kudos. And while the touch-screen technology may cause you to occasionally choose the wrong menu option, it is essentially a fun and savvy way to navigate your phone."

CNET reviews the LG Prada (KE850) and writes, "The LG Prada does come with an admirable 2.0-megapixel camera with plenty of settings. You can take photos of up to 1600x1200 resolution or all the way down to VGA mode at around 320x240 pixels. There's also a self-timer, three quality modes, four color effects, white balance settings, a choice of shutter sounds, and a multishot mode. The Prada also has a built-in camcorder with two resolutions (128x96 and 176x144) with settings similar to that of the still camera. Photo quality was admirable overall, with sharp detail and distinct colors, though the low-light photos had a bit of an overcast look to them. Video quality was not as good, with a rather grainy quality to most of our clips."

Trusted Reviews reviews the LG Prada KE850 and writes, "The camera shoots stills at resolutions up to two megapixels, and it has autofocus, a flash and a self portrait mirror. There are plenty of other settings, including presets for different lighting conditions, self timer, and burst mode on the lower resolutions. But for all these features I found it disappointing. ... Shutter lag is the real problem, though. If your subject is still and you can hold the phone steady you stand a chance of getting a reasonable photo. But the phone takes a while to focus before actually shoots at which point both you and your subject may have moved."

MobileBurn reviews the LG KE850 and writes, "The camera takes pretty nice 1600x1200 pixel photos in general, and supports close focus for macro type photography. The automatic white balance system that the camera uses is very good, getting things right 99% of the time. The photos tend to look a bit over-sharpened, though, which detracts from their appearance when viewed at full resolution. The only major complaint I have is that the auto-focus system does not allow the user to focus on a subject unless it is in the center of the photo. There is no way to recompose the viewfinder scene after getting focus and then take the photo. This is because the shutter button does not allow for a partial press to obtain focus and a full press to take the actual picture. Instead, the user presses the button, the camera AF system obtains focus and then immediately takes the photo. At least the focus system is fairly accurate."

PCMag reviews the LG Prada KE850 and writes, "The Prada is an acceptable but not excellent voice phone. I tried it on the Cingular network, though as a 900/1800/1900 MHz phone it works better on T-Mobile. Reception on Cingular's network was mediocre. Voices through the earpiece were smooth and well-rounded, but didn't get very loud; the speakerphone was quiet, with a bit of a buzz at top volume. The Prada supports Bluetooth mono and stereo headsets and worked fine with my Plantronics Pulsar 590, though there's no voice dialing at all. It also comes with an adapter, so you can use any standard pair of music headphones as a wired headset. Talk time was surprisingly long considering the relatively slim 800-mAh battery."

The Age reviews the LG Prada KE850 and writes, "All of the mandatory features, and thensome, are present, including..a two-megapixel flash-equipped camera with auto-focus...The camera is particularly impressive, not just by virtue of its ability to capture sharp photos and videos but also because the entire 3-inch screen acts as the viewfinder."