14 DAY TRIAL // LG recently launched its newest music-oriented handset, the KM380, a device that has all the chances to be launched only in China. Therefore, non-Chinese users in need of a music phone will probably have to look for other models.
LG KM380 resembles the W350, Sony Ericsson's Walkman phone made available just last week. The new LG is similar to the SE phone first of all because it has the same form factor: a combination between a clamshell and a candybar, which reminds us of the way many mobile phones were made several years ago.
The KM380 comes with a "flip cover" over its alphanumeric keypad, which includes special dedicated keys for controlling the handset's music functions. For a low-end handset, the KM380 has pretty good features, especially in the music department. Besides the dedicated keys that we already mentioned, the handset provides a 3.5mm headset jack, Mark Levinson audio technology and MP3 player with a "restoration" feature that diminishes the losses MP3 files can suffer during various transfers.
Other features of the new LG flip-phone include tri-band GSM connectivity (900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz), a 2 inch display with QVGA (240 x 320) resolution and 260K colors, FM radio and a 1.3 Megapixel camera. The phone's internal memory is unknown, but we do know its dimensions: 108 x 46 x 12.9 millimeters, at a weight of 80 grams.
LG KM380 is available across China in two color versions, black and blue, for a retail price of around 1,400 CNY - the equivalent of 200 USD. Since Sony Ericsson W350 is also released in China (as W350c), for the same price, Chinese mobile users will probably have a hard-time trying to figure out which of the two phones is better. Well, considering the fact that we don't know all the features of KM380, we're forced to recognize we also have a hard-time judging the handsets. But time will tell, that's for sure.
