LG GW300 review: No-frills messaging

LG GW300 360-degree spin

For a full QWERTY bar, the LG GW300 manages to keep its size as friendly as possible. It measures 115.5 x 61 x 12.8 mm, which makes it compact enough to fit in almost every pocket or purse. The phone is all plastic so it weighs only 95 g and feels really light.

We found that the size and weight are just about perfect for the form factor. The handset feels pretty solid and it handles comfortably.

Design and construction

A full QWERTY keyboard isn't something that you only find in business-oriented devices and this has been the situation for a little while now. If you aren't used to it, then brace yourself because more phones like the GW300 will be coming along in the nearest future.

The LG GW300 comes in various color variations - black, blue, red, orange, pink (some of them are market or operator dependant). Regardless of color version, the phone looks really nice (apart from the odd round knobs under the screen, which are surprisingly comfy).

Simple is chic with the GW3000

The 2.4" 256K-color display of 320 x 240 pixel resolution takes half of the front panel. It's larger than most of its competitors' screens and delivers nice image quality. And luckily, unlike LG's touchscreen equipped devices, the display of the GW300 sports good (though still not excellent) sunlight legibility.

Earpiece • The LG GW300 is large enough and delivers good image quality

It's a bit overcrowded under the screen of the GW300 with all these 6 buttons plus the round D-pad. The aesthetics of the key design may be questionable, but they are extra thumbable and offer great user experience. We can only complain about the small-sized Call/End buttons.

The keys below the display look weird but are quite comfy

LG GW300 has a very friendly four-row QWERTY keypad with excellent touch orientation. The keys look and feel just like those on the Nokia E71. The even backlighting guarantees hassle-free typing in the dark and there is even a dedicated shortcut to the message composer.

The QWERTY keyboard is a pleasure to use

We had no Nokia E71 available at the office during our time with the GW300 but we did manage to shoot some face to face pics with the E72.

LG GW300 next to the Nokia E72

On the left-hand side we find the volume rocker and the microSD card slot. The phone should support up to 4GB cards, however, our unit handled a 16GB microSD card hassle-free. A plastic lid covers the card slot to keep away dirt and grime.

On the right-hand side there is only a camera shutter key. It's not really needed as the camera doesn't have auto focus and the D-pad would have been enough.

Volume rocker and microSD card slot on the left • camera shutter key on the right

The standard 3.5mm audio jack and the microUSB port are on top of the device. The microUSB port is used both for data transfers and charging as part of the global LG portfolio shift to the more standardized connector.

Standard 3.5mm audio jack and microUSB port on the top • the bare bottom

The loudspeaker and the camera lens are easily visible on the back of the device. The 2 megapixel snapper of the GW300 doesn't have a flash but the real big loss is autofocus (along with the low resolution, of course).

Camera lens at the rear, no LED flash or autofocus functionality

Removing the battery cover is a breeze - you simply press the dedicated button to eject the cover. Underneath is the 900 mAh Li-Ion battery.

The LG GW300 is said to offer up to 5 h of talk time and up to 400 h of standby time. In reality, the device stayed up and running for 3 full days.

The 900 mAh Li-Ion battery

We are happy with the ergonomics of the LG GW300, especially with the QWERTY keyboard. The GW300 looks a bit cheap but its overall build quality is fine. The only cause for complaint is the quiet creaking sound produced by the battery cover.

LG GW300 has excellent ergonomics