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Welcome to the 2010 LG Craze GW382F mobile phone review. The LG Craze is marketed as a Cheap handset for pre-paid packages in selected parts of the world. In 2010 pre-paid pones bundled in these packages are no longer simply basic phones and to an extent the latest LG Craze is one of them. We have only seen Telstra sell this phone at around $150 which is OK but not good since there are now much better models for around the same price (October 2010).
The LG Craze is a slide out QWERTY phone as you can see by the pictures. Its keyboard and colors reveal it to be a phone targeted at younger users. It overall quality is actually pretty good with since solid buttons on the front and the keypad its self. The screen is relatively large and clear. It is a bit 'chunky' but relative to the other models in the price range. Relative to the other models in the same category we can not complain about much. However a cheaper price would no doubt help sales - say in the $99 bracket?
First impressions of using the LG Craze is good. The OS works fast and the front keypad and navigation keys work with immediate responsiveness like all new models. There are plenty of standard Apps installed since the currently do not have an Apps store. All the usual social networks and free email Apps are present as well as all the usual multi-media and video player. The internet browser was good but the small screen doesn't help as with limited web browser by iPhone standards anyway. The Telstra portal Apps for Foxtel worked quite well considering the relatively low spec CPU.
There is however one problem that would bug potential owners. In portrait mode the phone works well, it even has haptic feedback as with most LG phones on the 2 sub-menu buttons. However in this mode you will find the input of numbers and text is handicapped by the onscreen half touch keypad - weird. It is very much like the ZTE models in implementation which is are definitely not a fan of. We doubt anyone would actually like it. In landscape mode the LG Craze works much better but the need to display the 2 sub-menu titles which you cannot activate is a waste of space. The LG Craze is designed as a messaging phone more than a games or other apps since the keys are all over the place.
Overall there's not much we can say about the LG Craze other than it is a cheap phone with some navigation issues. Otherwise is responsive and very stable. As a bonus it actually looks quite good in the hand. We can not recommend it as a primary phone at its current price.
Specifications
- LG Craze GW382F
- Network
Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900
Dual-band 3G 850/2100 (Dependent on country)
HSDPA 3.6 Mbits data speed (download)
- Design
QWERTY keypad
- L103 x W49.9 x D15.3 mm
Weight 140 grams
- Display/s
2.4 inch External TFT 240 x 320
- Camera
3MP
- Video Camera
640 x 480 pixel main video camera
- Connectivity
Bluetooth V2
- CPU
xxxMhz
- Memory
Up to 80MB
MicroSD up to 16Gig
- Ring tones
MIDI, MP3, Video, vibration and others
- Features
A-GPS
Compass
Accelerometer
JAVA Apps
Music and Media player
Organiser/Calender
SMS, MMS, IM, Email
JAVA MIDP 2.0
FM radio with RDS
Speaker Phone/Hands free
Li-Po 950mAh battery
Up to 400 Hours Standby
Up to 4 hours Talk Time
- Price history
Under $149 AUS 2010 (Pre-paid)