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Solid music phone for Verizon customers
- Supports Rhapsody music service
- Dedicated music controls
- Standard-size headphone jack
- Stereo Bluetooth
- Reflective surface attracts fingerprints
- Flat, slippery keypad
- Poor camera
The LG Chocolate 3 is the latest in Verizon's confectionary music phone series, and it offers a few upgrades over the original Chocolate and the Chocolate 2. Most notably, the LG Chocolate 3 is completely different in design. While the first two Chocolates have touch-sensitive controls and slider form factors, the Chocolate 3 is a flip phone (3.9 inches by 1.9 inches by 0.6 inches) that replaces the touch controls with dedicated buttons. While most reviewers are glad to see the too-sensitive touch controls go, they also find the form factor less appealing than the previous versions, although many feel the interface is improved. InfoSyncWorld.com's Philip Berne says it "has lost a lot of personality."
Users weighing in at CNET and Amazon.com call the design "boring" but otherwise like the phone. One of the best upgrades, according to reviews, is the standard-size headphone jack. The previous Chocolate's required an adaptor in order to use your own headphones; otherwise you were stuck with proprietary headphones or Bluetooth (wireless) headphones. While the original Chocolate has controls that only looked like a scroll wheel but didn't actually scroll, the Chocolate 2 added a working iPod-like scroll wheel, and the Chocolate 3 retains this feature. The scroll wheel has four directional buttons and an OK button in the middle. There's also a lock button on the side to prevent accidental key presses. Unlike many phones, the Chocolate 3 supports file transfer over Bluetooth, making it easy to get pictures off the phone. It has a 2-megapixel camera, a step up from the previous Chocolates, but is still mediocre, according to most reviewers.
Opening the LG Chocolate 3 reveals a bright 2.2-inch, 320-by-240-pixel color screen; with it closed, you can access music, photos and more on the 1.8-inch, 176-by-220-pixel external screen. Reviewers find this convenient, as many phones require you to open the flip to access these functions. CNET, InfoSyncWorld.com and PCMag.com all agree that the LG Chocolate 3 has clear call quality with a loud speaker. PCMag's Sascha Segan is disappointed that the speakerphone does not work with the flip closed, though.
The LG Chocolate 3 has a rated battery life of 4.5 hours of talk time; CNET's tests exceed that, yielding five hours and seven minutes. Music quality is considered decent by most, and Segan adds that "the Chocolate 3 is a great pick for those looking for a more conventional phone that also does music well." It's also more versatile in terms of connections -- Philip Berne at InfoSyncWorld notes, "We really appreciated being able to plug the phone into our laptop to charge. Kudos to Verizon Wireless and LG for ditching the proprietary connections and moving to the standardized USB format." While CNET and PCMag give the Chocolate 3 good ratings, PCMag's Segan names the LG Dare his favorite Verizon phone. InfoSyncWorld's Berne prefers some of the features offered by the Nokia XpressMusic 5310, but that's a T-Mobile phone.
We found solid reviews of the LG Chocolate 3 at CNET, PCMag.com, InfoSyncWorld.com, PhoneScoop.com and MobileTechReview.com. User reviews at CNET, Amazon and Mobiledia.com round out the coverage.
Our Sources
1. PCMag.com
PCMag's Sascha Segan gives the LG Chocolate 3 a good rating, calling it "a solid, midrange flip phone for Verizon with a wide range of modern features," though he considers LG's Dare to be the best Verizon phone.
Review: LG Chocolate 3 VX8560, Sascha Segan, Aug. 1, 2008
2. CNET
CNET gives the LG Chocolate 3 a thorough review, comparing it with the previous two versions of the phone, but not with other Verizon phones. While Lee finds the design to be conventional, editors like the music features and easy-to-use controls. About 70 users weigh in, giving the phone a slightly lower average score; complaints are about call quality, a difficult interface and battery life.
Review: LG Chocolate 3 -- Black (Verizon Wireless), Nicole Lee, July 15, 2008
The LG Chocolate 3 gets an average rating at InfoSyncWorld.com. The review includes sample shots using the phone's 2-megapixel camera. Reviewer Berne likes the 1 GB of onboard memory and that the touch-sensitive buttons have been eliminated. However, he finds the Chocolate 3's design and interface to be "less flashy and fun" that the previous versions and doesn't see any improvement in messaging and web browsing functions.
Review: LG Chocolate 3 Review (Verizon Wireless), Philip Berne, July 24, 2008
Zeman finds the LG Chocolate 3's standard-size headphone jack "one of the most welcome changes" from previous Chocolate iterations. He's not crazy about the music player though, and finds adding songs to the phone tedious.
Review: Review: LG Chocolate 3, Eric M. Zeman, July 23, 2008
Zhang considers the LG Chocolate 3 "a worthy upgrade," mainly for the loss of the troublesome touch controls. The review covers all the major points and is accompanied by photos of the phone and photos taken with the camera. Testing isn't documented.
Review: LG Chocolate 3, Tong Zhang, Aug. 11, 2008
This review has a helpful overview of pros and cons for about a dozen categories, including calls, images and messaging. The rest of the review consists of detailed descriptions of the phone along with test results -- including frequency graphs -- and product images throughout.
Review: LG Chocolate 3 Cell Phone Review, Marianne Schultz, Sept. 2, 2008
7. Amazon.com
Less than 10 users review the LG Chocolate 3, and most of the reviews are highly rated and positive. Some users complain about the boring design, and others say the music features can be difficult to use. The black model has a separate entry, also with mostly positive reviews.
Review: LG Chocolate 3 Phone, Light Blue (Verizon Wireless), Contributors to Amazon.com
