LG F2400 review: LG F2400

Design

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LG F2400

The Good

Bluetooth capabilities. Large button layout. Bright LCD screen. Polyphonic ringtones.

The Bad

Only comes with serial cable connector. Only has small on-board memory.

The Bottom Line

LG's F2400 is a more than decent entry-level phone with some impressive features for the price.

The LG F2400's design befits its entry-level aspirations -- it's definitely more functional rather than stylish. That said, the phone's clamshell design is quite pleasing to the eye in an understated way, particularly due to its internal antenna which makes sure there's no obtrusive appendages to ruin the curved profile. Measuring in at 86x44x23mm and weighing 85g, the phone has a decent size and heft for those who don't like their phone being too miniscule.

The main feature on the phone's exterior is a small LCD screen which can display incoming call information, the time and date, signal strength and remaining battery life. It can also be used as a viewfinder when taking pictures with the clamshell closed. The phone's VGA camera lens itself is located below the screen, with a 'shutter' button on the right side of the phone and volume controls on the left.

Flip open the F2400 and you'll be greeted by a sight that should be pleasing to those tired of having to squint to see what buttons they're pressing on a mobile. The phone features a large and logical button layout, which even the biggest of fingers should have no problem navigating. Menu navigation is done through a five-way button underneath the screen, which also acts as shortcuts for some key functions. The screen itself is large and bright, boasting a 128x760 pixel resolution and the ability to display 65k colours.

Features

The LG F2400 comes with everything you'd expect in a current entry-level phone, plus a little bit extra. First, the basics -- the F200 is a dual band GSM 900/1800 phone, can handle GPRS, can send SMS, MMS and emails, 40-channel polyphonic ringtones, and has a built-in VGA camera (640x480 pixels). The extra bit lies with its Bluetooth connectivity, something that's still pretty rare for a model in this price range. While the phone doesn't come with infrared, Bluetooth does allow you to use any Bluetooth headset on the market (the F2400 only comes with a wired hands-free solution) or connect up to another enabled device.

Its other features are pretty basic -- there's your standard calculator, world clock, voice recorder and organiser functionalities. The phone's camera can take images up to 640x480 pixel resolution, and while there's no ability to record short movies, it is capable of a nine-shot burst mode (but only at 128x160 resolution). The F2400 also comes with a 'flash', which in this case is a light that turns on around the outside camera lens. This 'flash' doesn't really provide that much illumination, so don't expect to be able to take decent pictures at low light levels.

Performance

The LG F2400 performs well as an entry level handset. Calls are crisp and clear, while the pictures taken by the VGA camera are generally pleasing (although there is at least a second and half's lag before you're able to take another shot at higher resolutions). The downside to this is that the phone only has limited on-board about memory, and doesn't take external memory cards for further expansion. The F2400 has 4MBs on board which has to be shared between photos, messages and any other downloads.

Another concern is the phone's data cable, which is an antiquated serial data cable rather than the more modern USB. This means longer times to transfer information such as photos between the phone and the PC -- that is assuming your PC has a serial port (some newer models may not).

Despite these niggling comments, the LG F2400 is a more than decent entry-level phone with some impressive features for the price.