Samsung E900 vs. LG Chocolate phone: Slider showdown

By Andrew Lim on 22 May 2006, 12:42pm

It's no secret that LG and Samsung are sworn enemies in the battle to be the best consumer technology manufacturer in the world. One sector where the two South Korean giants are fighting it out like Godzilla and Mothra is the mobile phone industry.

Samsung has had a great couple of years with handsets like the hugely popular SGH-D500 and SGH-D600. It's also pushed technological boundaries with phones like the impressive SGH-i300, which has a 3GB hard drive, and the SCH-B600, which features a whopping 10-megapixel camera lens.

Meanwhile LG has tried to compete with the plasticky 3G-enabled U880, and earlier this year the elusive, not yet on sale, P7200 clamshell phone, which has a 2-megapixel camera with autofocus. Fortunately, LG has now pulled its act together and designed the beautiful LG Chocolate phone, aka the LG KG800, launched in the UK last month. The phone has sold over 400,000 units in South Korea, making up around 7 per cent of the South Korean market this year. It could well be similarly successful in Europe and the US, which would bring LG to the forefront of the worldwide mobile phone market.

Unsurprisingly, Samsung has hit back with a similar slider handset, the Samsung SGH-E900. According to Mobile, Samsung is launching the E900 six weeks early in a bid to outdo LG's Chocolate phone. But how do the two phones stand up side by side? Has Samsung created a Chocolate killer?

From what we know, the SGH-E900 has the same black glossy front as the Chocolate phone and also uses a touchpad. Unlike the Chocolate phone, it has EDGE support, a 2-megapixel camera (as opposed to the Chocolate's 1.3-megapixel camera) and an expandable microSD memory slot -- the Chocolate has no memory expansion at all. Based on features, the E900 packs more punch than the Chocolate phone, but it does weigh 10g more and in our opinion doesn't have the same wow factor in its appearance. We'll reserve our final judgement until we get one in, but first impressions suggest this might be a victory for LG. Expect a full review soon. -AL

Update: full reviews of the LG Chocolate phone and Samsung E900 are now live.