LG Chocolate

Last updated
LG Chocolate / CYON Chocolate
LG KG800.jpg
The LG Chocolate (KG800) in white
Manufacturer LG Electronics
Slogan Are you craving for Chocolate?
Series Black Label Series
Model
Successor LG Shine
Form factor Slider
Dimensions95 x 48 x 15.2 mm
97 x 48 x 17.5 mm (VX8500)
Weight83 grams
98 grams (KU800)
100 grams (VX8500)
Memory128 MB / 512 MB
Removable storage Yes/No
Battery800mAh Li-Ion
DisplayTFT, 262,144 colors / 65,000 colors (KU800)
External displayN/A
Rear camera1.3 MP, 1280 x 960 pixels, video (QCIF), flash
Front camera N/A
Connectivity USB & Bluetooth

LG Chocolate is a mobile phone created by LG Electronics, the first of the LG Black Label Series. It was released at the end of 2005 in South Korea, followed by an international GSM release in 2006 (the KG800), and a slightly altered CDMA model released for Verizon Wireless in the United States (the VX8500). The LG Chocolate is a 'slider' style phone that reveals touch sensitive buttons on its face, which activate upon sliding the phone open. The Chocolate was extremely popular worldwide due to its highly fashionable design, [1] [2] [3] selling over 21 million handsets. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

Contents

Features and design

The LG Chocolate is a feature phone in sliding style. Features include a 1.3 megapixel camera, MP3 player, and FM radio. [10] The Korean models came with 512 MB memory while the KG800 had only 128 MB. There is no memory card slot in the original Chocolate but the 3G variant and the American CDMA variant do have it. [11] It was considered both stylish and sleek, with touch-sensitive keys that would glow up in red, and was designed to resemble chocolate. A chief LG designer claimed the phone was designed to not look like a mobile phone. [12] At about 83 grams and 14.4 mm thickness it was also lighter and slimmer than most phones; to achieve this, LG converted from a multi-layer structure to a single-layer and all of its parts had to be freshly developed. [13]

Release and variants

The Chocolate was released in November 2005 in South Korea during a time when simplicity became trendy. [12] It was available in three colours: black, white, and red. The phone was so in demand in South Korea, recording 4,000 units sold on day one. [14] The phone was backed by an advertising campaign featuring Kim Tae-hee, Hyun Bin and Daniel Henney. [15]

It was released in China in April 2006 (GSM model KG90, CDMA model KG90c), [16] [17] and internationally as GSM model KG800 in May 2006, which had its marketing strategy planned and executed [18] by John Bernard, a marketer based in the UK. [19]

Colours included the original black (reminiscent of dark chocolate) and later white, pink and red. [13]

LG KU800

The KU800 is a 3G version of the KG800 Chocolate, providing higher speed UMTS connections. It was released in the UK at end 2006 by Vodafone. Its display resolution has also increased to 240x320 but with a drop in colour depth. [20]

LG VX8500 (Verizon Wireless, U.S.)

LG VX8500 Chocolate Charcolatesmall.jpg
LG VX8500 Chocolate

The LG VX8500 was the LG Chocolate released in the United States on Verizon Wireless. It differed from the original Chocolate design by having physical directional keys combined with music keys, putting emphasis on music playback. [12] The touch panel has a circular button arrangement bordered with glossy metal, versus the original Chocolate's square arrangement featuring simple arrow designs. Additionally it has an improved QVGA (320x240) display over the original Chocolate's 176x220.

It was released in July 2006 for online sale. On August 7, 2006, it was released for sale in Verizon stores. In addition to the original black “Dark Chocolate” model, the LG Chocolate VX8500 was also available in light green, white, pink, and red models called "Mint Chocolate," "White Chocolate," "Strawberry Chocolate," and "Cherry Chocolate," respectively.

The LG Chocolate had successor called the VX8550 LG Chocolate "Spin" which featured touch buttons with improved accuracy, a scroll wheel, support for 4 GB microSD cards, and tactile send and end keys.

LG TG800 (Canada)

A slightly modified version of the KG800, released as the LG TG800, was sold by Rogers Wireless and Fido in Canada, released on the market in November 2006. [21] Additionally, Bell Mobility has a modified version of this phone that works on their CDMA/3G EVDO network despite the offering of the LG Chocolate (VX8500) in Canada available there through Telus Mobility.

Sales and reception

In over half a year, 600,000 Chocolates were sold in South Korea. [12] A total of 1.4 million units were sold in its first three months in the European, Asian, and Latin American markets. [22] In April 2007, LG reported that Chocolate sales had topped 10 million. [23] In December 2007, it reported 15 million sales. [24] It eventually reached sales of over 20 million units. [25]

Legacy

Before its European debut, the phone had already won an iF Design Award and a Red Dot Design Award. [26]

At the Mobile Choice Consumer Awards 2006, the Chocolate won the award for Best Fashion Phone, and was runner up in Phone of the Year beaten by Sony Ericsson K800i. [27]

The Chocolate single-handedly helped turn LG Electronics's business from a loss to profit by the end of 2006. [28]

Successors

The LG Chocolate was succeeded by the LG Shine, the second member of the LG Black Label Series. [29]

Numerous other Chocolate-style phones were released by LG, including the LG Chocolate Platinum (KE800/SV600/KV6000), a clamshell model LG Chocolate Folder (KG810), and the LG KG320. [12] In the United States, carrier Verizon Wireless also released several Chocolate updates, including: Chocolate Spin (VX8550), Chocolate 3 (VX8560), and Chocolate Touch (VX8575).

In 2009, LG released the New Chocolate (BL40) in Europe, Asia and Canada, alongside a non-touch New Chocolate model BL20.

Specifications

KG800
Display256,000 colour, TFT type, 176×220 size
Dimensions95 x 48 x 15.2mm
Weight83g
StandbytimeUp to 200hrs
Band (in MHZ)900 / 1800 / 1900 (Tri-band)
Sound64 Polyphonic
WAP browser2.0
MessagingSMS, EMS, MMS, Email
ConnectivityBluetooth, USB data kit
VX8500
TypeSpecification
ModesCDMA 800 / CDMA 1900 / GSM
Weight3.53 oz (100 g)
Dimensions3.80" x 1.88" x 0.69" (97 x 48 x 16 mm)
Battery LifeTalk: 3.50 hours (210 minutes) Standby: 384 hours (16 days) batteries were known to have a defect as they were released in December 2006. They did not hold a full charge.
Battery TypeLiPolymer 800 mAh
DisplayType: LCD (Color TFT/TFD) Colors: 262,144 (18-bit) Size: 240 x 320 pixels
MemoryPhone:61800 KB Music:62881 KB

(micro SD memory cards are available in 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB, 6 GB, and 8 GB.

CameraResolution: 1+ megapixel self-timer, night mode functions / brightness, white balance controls
Video CaptureMax. Length: 1 hour QCIF resolution / 3GPP2 format

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References

  1. ↑ "LG U830 Cell Phone is Surprisingly Un-chocolatey". September 2006.
  2. ↑ "Five popular cell phones that dominated the US market in 2006". Archived from the original on 2018-10-16. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
  3. ↑ "Will LG's Chocolate phone hit a sweet spot?". NBC News .
  4. ↑ "Design innovation: LG`s formula for success-프린트화면". www.koreaherald.com.
  5. ↑ fonearena click
  6. ↑ zdnet click
  7. ↑ techradar click
  8. ↑ gsmarena click
  9. ↑ lg click
  10. ↑ "Motorola Razr to the LG Chocolate: Classic Phones We Miss From The 2000s". January Media. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  11. ↑ "Review: LG Chocolate". Phone Scoop. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 "揭開締造百萬銷量的 LG 巧克力機驚奇之謎". SOGI手機王. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  13. 1 2 "[응답하라, 그때 그 휴대폰] LG 초콜릿폰". 스마트PC사랑 (in Korean). 2021-12-17. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  14. ↑ "Slim LG KV5900 Cyon Slider". 4 November 2005.
  15. ↑ https://www.sedaily.com (2006-05-29). "[2006 서경 베스트히트 상품] LG전자 '초콜릿폰'". 서울경제 (in Korean). Retrieved 2023-07-16.{{cite web}}: External link in |last= (help)
  16. ↑ "LG「一碰你就脸红」的巧克力手机，13 年后依旧让人心动 | 极客博物馆 | 极客公园". GeekPark. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  17. ↑ "LG mobile phone song finally exits: goodbye my "chocolate"". iPhone Wired. 2021-04-12. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  18. ↑ "How one mobile marketing specialist is now helping to save lives". 5 January 2018.
  19. ↑ John Bernard) (Brief article) (March 24, 2016). "Sony Ericsson recruits ex-LG marketing head in senior role". Marketing Week. Archived from the original on March 24, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  20. ↑ "LG KU800: 3G Chocolate – Mobile Gazette – Mobile Phone News". www.mobilegazette.com. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  21. ↑ "LG Phones and Smartphones".
  22. ↑ "Will LG's Chocolate phone hit a sweet spot?". NBC News . 21 July 2006.
  23. ↑ "LG has shipped ten million Chocolates". Engadget. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  24. ↑ Hardy, Ian (2007-12-12). "LG Chocolate hits 15 million units". MobileSyrup. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  25. ↑ "Design innovation: LG's formula for success-프린트화면". www.koreaherald.com. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  26. ↑ "Эксклюзив. Первый в мире тест LG KG800 Chocolate: самый стильный мобильник сезона". www.ferra.ru.
  27. ↑ "Mobile Choice Magazine : Mobile Choice Consumer Awards 2006 Winners". 2006-11-09. Archived from the original on 2006-11-09. Retrieved 2023-07-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  28. ↑ "How much Chocolate did the world consume? | Mobile Mentalism". 2013-10-21. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  29. ↑ "Stainless-steel Chocolate successor". CNET. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
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