LG GW520 review: A wholesome Cookie

Retail package: bare necessities

Considering the price tag, no one is really expecting wonders with the retail package of the LG GW520. You can of course count on it that the essentials are covered. The GW520 package just won't go any further.

The included handsfree is one piece, which means you're stuck with the provided headphones. If you want to change you will most likely need a proprietary LG microUSB to 3.5mm adapter.

The other items in the box are a USB data cable and a charger. The LG GW520 connectivity port is standard microUSB and the handset is proven compatible with third-party chargers and data cables. That unfortunately, doesn’t apply to microUSB headphones. It’s either a unit-specific issue or LG simply won’t let users choose alternative headsets over their own.

LG GW520 360-degree spin

For a full QWERTY side-slider, the LG GW520 manages to keep size as friendly as possible. It measures 106.5 x 53 x 15.9 mm which makes it almost as compact as the Cookie and the KS360. The weight, on the other hand, reaches 125.5 g which might sound a bit too much for some.

However, we found that size and weight just about perfect for the form factor. The handset feels pretty solid and handles comfortably, we enjoyed using it.

Design and construction

We’ve been there with the Cookie: the GW520 is neat and minimalist yet distinctly fresh and appealing. Many people will appreciate the slightly more conservative approach – there’s more Cookie here than KS360, no flashy paintjobs and toy-like looks. For the rest, there still are enough alternative color combos. Along with the silver and pearl white variants the handset will also be offered in blue on black and red on black. Either way, the handset keeps enough youthful spirit and personality.

There's nothing fancy and frilly about the rubbery finish at the back but it adds to the solid feel and friendly charm of the phone. It's also quite practical and fingerprint-resistant.

Simple is chic with the GW5200

The front of the LG GW520 resembles the KP500 Cookie for the three hardware buttons below the screen. Those include a Call and an End key on either side of the Launcher/Multitasking key that brings up a menu of shortcuts to your favorite apps and a task manager.

The front panel is taken by the 2.8" 256K-color display of 240 x 400 pixel resolution. Other than size (the Cookie screen is a three-incher), the only difference is the lack of a stylus on the GW560. Quite obviously, handwriting recognition wasn’t deemed necessary given the QWERTY keyboard so it’s not available either. The only letdown is actually an issue common to all LG handsets - sunlight legibility is quite behind the best examples marketing the industry.

The LG GW520 screen has standard size and resolution

The front of the LG GW520 resembles the KP500 Cookie for the three hardware buttons below the screen. Those include a Call and an End key on either side of the Launcher/Multitasking key that brings up a menu of shortcuts to your favorite apps and a task manager.

The keys below the display have excellent feel and press

LG GW520 has a very friendly four-row slide-out QWERTY keypad with well spaced keys and excellent touch orientation. There is a dedicated shortcut to the message composer on the keypad, as well as tiny LEDs to indicate Caps Lock and Num Lock/Symbol Lock. The even backlighting guarantees hassle-free typing in the dark.

The QWERTY keyboard is a pleasure to use

Once you slide out the hardware QWERTY keyboard, the screen changes its orientation to landscape automatically and quite fast, we should add.

Sliding out the QWERTY deck auto-rotates the interface • All keys are evenly illuminated

The only control on the lefthand side of the GW520 is the volume rocker, which serves as a digital zoom lever in the camcorder too (2x max) and the image gallery.

Volume rocker on the left

The opposite side is a bit overcrowded. There we find the microSD card slot (covered by a protective plastic lid), key lock and camera key. Although LG claim up to 8GB microSD card support, we used a 16GB card and had no problems.

Hot-swappable microSD card slot, key lock and shutter key

The microUSB port (used for data connections and plugging a headset or charger) is placed at the top. Just like the microSD card slot, it has a plastic cover to hold off dust, and keep the contour of the handset intact.

The connectivity port is placed at the top

The bottom is quite bare. It only accommodates the mouthpiece.

Mouthpiece only at the bottom

The loudspeaker and the camera lens are easily visible on the back of the device. The 3 megapixel snapper of the GW520 doesn't have a flash but the real big loss is autofocus.

Camera lens at the rear, no LED flash or auto focus functionality

Removing the battery cover is a breeze – you simply slide up to release. Underneath is the 950 mAh Li-Ion battery. The LG GW520 is said to offer up to 5 h of talk time and up to 500 h of standby time. Unfortunately, we can't comment on the real-life battery performance as we use the phone quite extensively during our test – usually in a way that’s not representative for common everyday usage.

The battery is really large but also really thin

We are happy with the ergonomics of LG GW520. We should also point out the very good build: it's an all plastic piece of gear but solid and quite durable. The handset handles nicely, the slider action is smooth and solid, and surfaces (except the screen) are fingerprint-proof.

The LG GW520 is not thin at all, but remains compact, and offers a secure hand hold. Operating with it is exceptionally comfortable in both single hand (quick tapping on the touchscreen) and two-hand scenarios. Typing on the QWERTY keyboard is quite fast as well and the handset has commendable balance with the slider up.

LG GW520 has excellent ergonomics