LG KS20 review

With the highly successful KE850 Prada and KU990 Viewty, it's a point taken for LG - users just love their touchscreen handsets with big displays and no keypads.

Seeing the next in line was only a matter of time and last summer's announcement LG KS20 makes a glorious entry running on Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional.

LG KS20 official photos

The new KS20 obviously takes after the prominent KE850 Prada, losing the haute couture ring to its name but adding some Pocket PC depth to the picture. The LG KS20 is a sleek lightweight phone of compact (in Pocket PC terms) dimensions and a large 2.8" QVGA TFT display. The handset has the mere Call and End keys and a joystick on the front - a direct reference to the Prada looks.

Key features

• Custom LG implementation of the UI
• 2.8" 65K color touchscreen TFT display of QVGA resolution
• HSDPA, 3.6 Mbps
• 400 MHz Qualcomm MSM7200 processor
• 128MB RAM and 256MB ROM, microSD expansion slot
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
• Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP
• Surprisingly good 2 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• USB to 3.5mm jack adapter
• Sturdy build, quality casing and compact dimensions

Main disadvantages

• Can't-keep-clean casing
• The joystick is too short and hard to operate
• No reset hole
• Proprietary LG USB connector
• Battery fixed to the rear panel
• Hard-to-pull-out stylus
• No GPS

Just as HTC are venturing to pitch their handsets beyond the confines of the smartphone segment, the LG are somewhat unwilling to make Windows Mobile Pro the focal point of the LG KS20. They are keen to have the KS20 rub shoulders with the Viewty and the Prada and keep it hush about the Pocket PC in most of their marketing.

By the way, LG have their own personal touch to the Pocket PC platform. With the KS20 we get a custom LG implementation of the user interface. Also to mention is the very useful PSNote application. LG KS20 also brings two very amusing games (at least the Vodafone firmware handset that we tested) and Google Maps. More on this later on.

At this stage, there is only a black version of LG KS20 available, but given the LG approach, a silver version is sure to follow somewhere in the future. We already saw this happening with both LG KU990 Viewty and the LG Prada, which recently got dark silver outfit.

LG KS20 will be standing its ground to a mixed bunch. HTC Touch and Samsung Armani just come to mind on the spur for the fashion and for the smart of it. But we may as well make it a complete Apple and oranges.

The KS20 next to Apple iPhone and LG KU990 Viewty