The designer brand Prada has taken a step in an entirely new direction with the launch of the new LG Prada 3.0 mobile phone. Far from being just a regular mobile plastered with tacky Prada logos, the LG model is actually an impressive piece of kit – although it is unclear how much the fashion house had to do with developing the functionality and technological side of the handset or whether their role was limited to design choices when it came to available colours.
At first glance, the LG Prada 3.0 looks and feels very similar to the LG Optimus 3D and the two handsets also share a lot of the same technological specifications too. However, in the new designer model, the dual-core, dual-channel processor is boosted with a memory capacity of 1GB, rather than the inadequate 500MB available with the Optimus.
Using an Android running system, the LG Prada 3.0 also provides all the usual features, such as Bluetooth, Wifi, GPS and slots for memory cards, but anyone can get that from pretty much every mobile phone on the market today. There is only one reason that consumers will be interested in this latest LG model and that is the magic of the Prada name.
Previous collaborations between designer labels and mobile phone companies have been less than successful, with common complaints being that the handsets may look good but they are so far behind the curve when it comes to functions and apps that no self-respecting fashionista would be seen dead with one in her handbag. By focusing on the technology first and the brand name second, LG and Prada have come up with the first impressive designer mobile phone.
As you would expect from a phone with the Prada name, the LG Prada 3.0 looks fabulous, thanks mainly to the Saffiano design on the back of the handset. It feels nice and light too, and features some classy touches such as a hidden power button, a sliding switch to uncover the USB port and 4.3inch NOVA screen, which is apparently much easier to use in bright sunlight.
The only innovation that hasn’t quite hit the mark is the decision to do away with an external camera button, forcing users to take pictures using the touch screen. Only a small complaint, but many people still like the feeling of pushing a button to take a picture. There is nothing that revolutionary, technologically, on the LG Prada 3.0; what is revolutionary is finding all these as-standard functions on a fashion phone.
Featuring a Prada-branded overlay and a unique black and white theme, complete with its own style of icons and widgets, the handset does still feel like something of a fashion accessory rather than a major step forward in the mobile phone market. If fashion conscious consumers can get themselves a decent-looking phone that also works well, however, then surely everyone is a winner.
The LG Prada 3.0 is due to be launched in UK shops during the first quarter of 2012 and, as yet, no details of pricing have been revealed. Handsets of this standard without the Prada label are available on monthly contracts priced at around £35, but that kind of price would make the mobile phone one of the cheapest Prada products in the world.
LG are likely to capitalise on the joint venture with their famous partners by pushing up the price, even though the technology contained within that famous exterior doesn’t justify it.
