LG KC550 review: No thrills, all camera

Gsmarena have posted their review of the LG KC550. Here are the key features, main disadvantages and final conclusion.

Key features:
2.4" 262K-color display of QVGA resolution
Auto screen rotation in image gallery and video player (built-in accelerometer)
5 megapixel autofocus camera with active lens cover and Power LED flash
WVGA video recording at 30 fps (VGA@30fps is also an option)
USB and stereo Bluetooth (A2DP) connectivity
Hot-swappable microSD card slot (capacities up to 4GB)
Office document viewer
FM radio
TV-out port
Six games, which make use of the accelerometer and vibration feedback
Google Search and Mail come pre-installed

Main disadvantages:
Video recording is a great disappointment
Only 12MB of internal memory
Poor sunlight legibility
Really awkward file manager
No UMTS support
Only tri-band GSM support
Glossy front panel is a fingerprint magnet
No SSL support in the native email client
FM radio lacks RDS and cannot run in the background

The LG KC550 is without a doubt a nice performer with balanced functionality. It's not an all-round multimedia device and it's not meant to be one. The LG KC550 is a no-thrills, all-camera handset that does the job it's made for and it does it well. The sunlight legibility and the awkward file manager are not deal-breakers and being the soft spot of most LG handsets, they don't seem to hurt LG global sales that much.

We really liked the 5 megapixel camera performance and if it weren't for the disappointing video recording and the unassuming looks, the LG KC550 would have made it as a top-of-its-class package.

For a price tag of around 220 euro (360 US dollars), image quality doesn't get much better than that. The snappy performance and the accelerometer functionality (both in multimedia and gaming) also seem to add value.

But unfortunately for LG, last year's 5 megapixel cameraphones are now coming of age and with prices dropping down, these once high-end devices pack some great value for your hard-earned cash. And unless we see a more capable retail version of the KC550 (mostly in the video recording department) or a heavy price reconsideration, we have no other option but to advise you to look elsewhere for your next cameraphone. Currently, the Sony Ericsson K850 Cyber-shot seems as the most viable buying choice in this price range.