LG New Chocolate Slide mobile phone

A mid-range slider mobile phone, LG's New Chocolate Slide features both a snazzy name and an attractive design. It doesn’t offer a wealth of features, but if you're after something affordable to do the basics, then you can’t get much more stylish than the New Chocolate Slide.

The LG New Chocolate Slide is one of the most attractive mid-range mobile phones we've reviewed. It follows in the footsteps of the more illustrious LG New Chocolate.

The sturdy, glossy black frame means it looks more expensive than it actually is, and the red highlights and keypad are impressive. The New Chocolate slide is a basic rectangular shape and has sharp corners and flat edges. When combined with the chrome highlights and the deep red backlight of the touch-sensitive buttons below the display, the LG New Chocolate Slide is certainly visually impressive.

Build quality feels exceptionally good for a phone with this price tag. The slider is spring operated and clicks reassuringly into place when opened and closed, and there are no creaks or rattles. The glossy surface means the New Chocolate Slide is a fingerprint magnet, however, and it's hard to keep clean at the best of times.

The LG New Chocolate Slide's display is also quite impressive. It's bright, clear and possesses reasonable viewing angles, though the glossy finish means it can be difficult to see in direct sunlight. Below the display are a number of touch-sensitive buttons that only light up when the phone is slid open or when the lock key is pressed. The red backlit buttons are responsive and suit the style of the phone, though they are easy to accidentally bump.

The flat keypad matches the aesthetic of the rest of the handset, but the keys don't provide excellent tactility. The soft white backlight looks superb, however, and ensures you'll always be able to text in low-light conditions.

The LG New Chocolate Slide does the basics, but there are no real exciting or innovative features beneath its attractive exterior. A basic Web browser, FM radio, music player, and a 5-megapixel camera with Schneider-Kreuznach lens are the main highlights. There is no 3.5mm headphone jack and the micro-USB headphone port also doubles as the charging port, so you can't listen to music and charge the phone simultaneously.

There are no dedicated apps for social-networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, only links to the Web pages of each. The Web browser performs well when loading basic pages but it takes a long time to load sites filled with images and graphics. Many of the applications included in the menus are links to Telstra services including BigPond Music, Send-A-Card, BigPond Games and OzChat.

An attractive and fast user interface is a nice feature of the LG New Chocolate Slide. There is no keystroke lag when messaging, applications open and close almost instantly and there is no delay when scrolling through the main menu. Other features include a range of PIM functions (calendar, tasks, memo, alarm, calculator, voice recorder, stopwatch, unit converter, world clock) and access to the full suite of Telstra services include Mobile Foxtel and Sensis search.

The LG New Chocolate slide is exclusively available though Telstra in Australia on a $30 plan over 24 months.

Stay up to date with the latest reviews. Sign up to GoodGearGuide’s Gear Daily newsletters

Follow GoodGearGuide on Twitter: @Goodgearguide