LG CU500 Review

The first thing to note is that UMTS in the US is not the same as UMTS everywhere else in the world – it’s an 850/1900 MHz UMTS device rather than the UMTS 2100 MHz standard that pretty much everyone else uses. It does have quad-band GSM and EDGE support though, so you can still continue to use the LG CU500 more-or-less anywhere in the world.

The LG CU500 is an HSDPA phone that’s exclusive available on the Cingular network in the United States. Running on the back of Cingular’s UMTS network, the LG CU500 is one of only a handful of HSDPA high-speed 3.5G phones on the market anywhere in the world.

It looks a little like the European LG U880 and LG U890 UMTS phones, with a squarish clamshell design and rotating camera – in other words, it’s basically an existing UMTS device adapted for the Cingular network and HSPDA. It weights 3.7 ounces (105 grams) and measures 3.80 x 1.95 x 0.75 inches (97×50x19mm). As with the European UMTS phones, the LG CU500 has a 176×220 pixel display, microSD (TransFlash) expandable memory, 1.3 megapixel rotating camera, stereo Bluetooth, a pretty versatile multimedia player and external media controls.

The maximum download speed of the LG CU500 is 1.8Mbps. Where the CU500 can’t pick up an HSDPA signal, it will fall back to UMTS 850/1900, EDGE or GPRS. It’s pretty much the same speed as you’ll get from a EVDO handset though, but the LG CU500 has the advantage that it can be used worldwide as well as in the US.

It’s a nice looking device with a neat design and internal antenna which gives it an somewhat distinctive look when compared to many other phones.

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