LG P940 Prada 3.0 smartphone review

LG launches its third smartphone with Prada branding for users keen to make a fashion statement along with their phone calls. Julian Prokaza finds out if this designer-label Android device has the substance to match its style.

IT Pro Verdict

The LG P940 Prada 3.0 is a stylish Android smartphone, but it’s overpriced for what it delivers, not least when it comes to the underwhelming battery life. The mere promise of an Android 4 upgrade at some point isn’t particularly compelling either, so there’s little here to make this smartphone stand out beyond the Prada label.

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Unfortunately, the P940's Achilles' heel is its battery life and a time of just five and half hours in our video playback loop test (flight mode on, screen at 50% brightness) is woeful the Motorola RAZR lasted for 20 hours. LG only claims a middling five-hour talk time too, and we'd rather a slightly thicker phone than one this slim with so short a battery life.

Digital camera performance isn't much to get excited about, either. Images from the 8-megapixel autofocus camera are overly soft and have washed-out colours even when taken in bright daylight, while indoor shots taken with or without the flash are marred by noise. Shutter lag makes it tricky to accurately snap moving subjects, too.

Thankfully, call quality is up to scratch, both with the earpiece and loudspeaker, although the latter is a little tinny.

With an unlocked price of 430 inc VAT, the LG P940 Prada 3.0 costs the same as the Samsung Galaxy Nexus with Android 4 and a better all-round specification, and it's only 70 (inc VAT) less than the superior iPhone 4S. So, unless the Prada branding is must-have, there are better smartphones available for this sort of money, Android or otherwise.

Verdict

The LG P940 Prada 3.0 is a stylish Android smartphone, but it’s overpriced for what it delivers, not least when it comes to the underwhelming battery life. The mere promise of an Android 4 upgrade at some point isn’t particularly compelling either, so there’s little here to make this smartphone stand out beyond the Prada label.

Operating system: Android 2.3 Gingerbread

Processor: TI OMAP4430 dual-core (1GHz)

Storage: 1GB RAM; 4GB user plus microSDHC slot

Screen: 4.3" (480 x 800) capacitive multi-touch

Connectivity: 802.11 b/g/n (dual-band), Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP & EDR, DLNA, microUSB; 3.5mm headphone socket

Other: Accelerometer, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, digital compass, AGPS, FM tuner, NFC

Bands: GSM 850/900/1800/1900Mhz; HSPA+ 900/1900/2100MHz

Camera: 8MP rear with autofocus and LED flash; 1.3MP front

Battery: 1540mAh (5h talk-time, 330h standby)

Size: 127.5 x 69 x 8.5mm

Weight: 138g

Benchmarks

Quadrant Standard: 2723

SunSpider: 3816ms

BrowserMark: 55986

Peacekeeper: 241

Video playback: 5h 30m

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