LG KS20 review: Fashion Pocket PC

Design and construction

The sleek front is dominated by the 2.8" 262K-color touchscreen TFT display. It supports QVGA (320x240 pixels) resolution. Above the display is the unornamented earpiece. On its right the secondary videocall camera is placed, which can also be used for taking pictures.

Next to it is the almost invisible status LED, which comes to life when Bluetooth or Wi-Fi is on, or when charging battery.

The front panel of KS20 is dominated by the large touchscreen display

The abundance of space under the display is only used by a thin bar hosting the Call and End keys, with the joystick in the middle. The short joystick is very responsive and comfortable, but its metallic finish makes it somewhat slippery. A rubber or a plastic top would have made it easier on the thumb.

The joystick offers very good response

The connectivity port of the KS20 is located on the left. It has a protective cap, which neatly blends with the silver framing on the sides of the handset. The port is used for plugging the charger, the data cable and headset (headset adapter). Under the plastic cap, the external antenna connector is sheltered too. The volume rocker is dead center on the left side.

The left side of KS20

The right side of the phone sports the on/off key, the microSD slot beneath its plastic protector, and two shortcut keys, with pictograms indicating their default purpose: internet browser and camera. They however are fully programmable to serve as shortcuts to both applications and menu items. Those willing to enhance single-handed operation may consider assigning an OK function for quick exiting of applications or menu windows, instead of using the key in the right upper corner of the screen.

The right side of the phone is full of controls

The top side of the KS20 is pretty bare and doesn't feature any control elements. In the left corner you will only notice the lanyard eyelet.

"...The battery cover is easily removed upon a slight push of the release key. Well, in fact it's not a cover but the battery itself. It is a peculiar decision, indeed - even if not unheard of - to integrate the battery in the removable cover..."

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The same holds true for the bottom side where the battery cover latch is the only element. Right next to the battery cover release button is the tiny mouth piece. In the left corner is the slot to tuck the telescopic stylus. Taking it out requires a little extra effort - the stylus jams when pulled out halfway.

The relatively bare top and bottom

The back panel of LG KS20 has the same sleek surface as the front. The camera lens is located in the top left corner with the LED flash beneath. They are placed on a stylish brushed metal plate.

LG KS20 rearside with the 2 megapixel camera lens and LED flash

The battery cover is easily removed upon a slight push of the release key. Well, in fact it's not a cover but the battery itself. It is a peculiar decision, indeed - even if not unheard of - to integrate the battery in the removable cover. So, when the battery eventually needs recycling, buying the replacement you'll have to pay for the stylish cover too.

The LGLP-GBKM Li-Ion battery has a capacity of 1050 mAh and is quoted at up to 270 hours of standby up to 3 hours of talk time.

The SIM card bed is hidden in the upper half of the handset but the release mechanism makes handling the SIM card quite easy.

Almost Prada-like, save for the unfortunate fixed-to-the-cover battery