If you cast your minds back to 2008, you’ll recall that we reviewed a likeable qwerty slider by the name of the LG KS360. A modest handset at heart, it managed to win us (and many members of the general public) over with its lush physical keyboard.
Fast-forward a few years and we’re presented with a phone which is as near to a successor to the KS360 as you’re ever likely to get. Again, the keyboard is the star of the show, but this time around the snappily-titled LG Optimus Chat is bringing smartphone power to the party.
This pay-as-you-go proposition is available exclusively from O2 and offers a route into the Android sector for those mobile users that aren’t quite ready to ditch physical buttons in favour of entirely touch-screen interfaces.
Getting physicalOf course, the Optimus Chat is still perfectly capable of joining in the finger-friendly craze: it has a 2.8-inch capacitive touchscreen that supports multi-touch for all that fancy pinch-to-zoom malarkey.
But it’s those lovely keys you’ll always return to. The Optimus Chat slides open with a hugely satisfying click, and the well-spaced buttons are tactile and grant swift text input.
Our only wish would have been for a larger space button - as it stands, the one on the Optimus Chat is barely bigger than two of the standard keys, and hitting it can be difficult when you’re tapping at speed.
Cheap and cheerful
Elsewhere, the Optimus Chat's build quality betrays its budget upbringing. The glassy plastic casing doesn’t exactly scream class, and the 3-megapixel camera is entry-level stuff. It can capture decent enough images (no auto-focus though, sadly) and the video recording is strictly standard def.
You’ll also find that the phone’s internals are very much in line with other bargain basement blowers: there’s a 600MHz processor (thus no Adobe Flash support) and Android 2.2 pre-loaded.
The lack of Gingerbread isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker as LG has already promised to update the older Optimus One to 2.3, but if you want the latest OS straight out of the box, you’re going to be sorely disappointed here.
I'm game if you are
As a gaming device, the Optimus Chat fares better than you might expect. The low-resolution screen means the processor is actually having to do less work, and as a result many 2D games chug along reasonably nicely.
3D titles put more strain on that feeble 600MHz CPU, and the small display does make games of Angry Birds slightly less appealing than they should be. However, the presence of a physical
keyboard means you can map buttons in the various retro gaming emulators that Android is so renowned for.
It's good to chat
Ultimately, the Optimus Chat is a stepping stone into the world of smartphones rather than replacement your trusty Nexus One or HTC Desire.
If you’re just starting out then it’s the ideal device - it offers the best of both touchscreen and physical input, it’s modestly priced and despite the lack of Gingerbread it does everything one could possibly expect of an Android phone.
If the slightly cheaper Samsung Galaxy Mini and Fit don’t float your boat and you don’t quite feel ready to abandon buttons and keys for touchscreen text entry, you may well find that the Optimus Chat is your dream handset - provided you’re not looking for a product that turns heads whenever you remove it from your pocket.
LG Optimus Chat
Proof that physical keyboards can bring value to a phone, the Optimus Chat may cut corners in many areas but it's an ideal pay as you go entry point for those wishing to dip a toe into the world of Android
Damien McFerran
Damien's mum hoped he would grow out of playing silly video games and gain respectable employment. Perhaps become a teacher or a scientist, that kind of thing. Needless to say she now weeps openly whenever anyone asks how her son's getting on these days.