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LG Prada 2 KF900 Review

3

The LG Prada II is just like the original WAG-ish Prada phone, but far, far better. Something for the rest of us, as it were. Yes, you sacrifice the wafer thin build to fit in that Qwerty keyboard, but if you type fully punctuated texts and lengthy emails, you’ll appreciate it.

What we like
If the previous Prada was a handbag with logos all over it, this one is a well crafted pair of leather shoes. The kind you can wear both in the office and for a big night out. Not that it looks that different on the surface – the only noticeable difference is the extra 5mm in thickness, but there in lies the beauty. Those extra millimetres hide the Qwerty keyboard, giving a hint to the functionality issues that have been addressed in this model. There’s now HSDPA, Wi-Fi, a 5 megapixel camera with a proper flash, and the ability to shoot 720p video.

If you’re a fan of creating videos, that’s one of the coolest functions (although arguably, also the one you’re the most likely to use once and then never again). Once you’ve shot the footage, there’s a myriad of editing options open to you, from stitching two videos together using various transition effects, to overlaying a different soundtrack. It could do with a shortcut for uploading to YouTube, but that’s about all it’s lacking.

What we don’t like
If a complaint has to be made against the Prada II it’s perhaps that it’s a bit too slick – there’s three different ways of accessing key functions, and whilst the icons look highly stylised and pretty damn attractive, they’re not always completely clear as to what they control (although on the main function page it is written underneath each of them). Basically, there’s no getting away from it – you will have to open the manual with this one (if only to discover that your email inbox is called the Mailbox, and is hidden in Messages, but inexplicably, is not the Inbox in there).

And to get really nit pick-y about it, perhaps the Qwerty keyboard is a touch too big. My thumbs barely reached each other in the center from each side, which is a rarity in phones like this. Having said that, you can always choose to use the touchscreen T9 input option, so you’ve got a choice in routes to RSI.

Conclusion
There are three things this phone does: it makes and receives calls, it looks really nice, and it deals with video and photos with aplomb. And for those people looking for a phone to do all three: we have a winner.
 

Specification

OSProprietary

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