LG Cosmos Touch Review

Introduction:

As a follow-up to the Cosmos VN250, LG needed to improve on the entry-level messaging, but unlike what they did on Sprint (with the Rumor line) they couldn’t risk encroaching on their successful enV lineup by moving into the feature phone market. So what do you do to a basic, side-sliding messaging phone? Why add a touchscreen, of course! The VN270 Cosmos Touch retains the same basic specs as the original, and mostly just adds a touchscreen. Other features include a 1.3 megapixel camera, full QWERTY keyboard and GPS. The Cosmos Touch simply includes the battery and AC adapter.

Design:

By ditching the numeric keypad, LG was able to make the Cosmos Touch shorter than the original Cosmos, while still giving it a bigger display. The Cosmos Touch has a 2.8” resistive TFT display with a resolution of 240x400, but manages to be 0.4” shorter than the Cosmos. On the right side of the phone is the lock key, microSD slot and camera key. On the left is the microUSB charging/data port and volume rocker, while the top simply has the 3.5mm headphone jack.



You can compare the LG Cosmos Touch with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

Other dimensions and weight remain nearly identical, but a shorter phone means a more cramped keyboard. It was noticeable to us, but to the target market of teenage hands this smaller version may not be a big deal. The keys have a very good feel to them; they are rubbery but not too sticky and the travel is reassuring.


The resistive display isn’t too shabby for an entry-level device. At 2.8” it is decently sized and with 262K colors, images look pretty good. It is fairly responsive, but when tapping out text messages on the on-screen T9 keyboard it did have trouble keeping up with us on longer words. We don’t imagine many people will opt for the screen over the keyboard though, so this is a minor issue. General navigation of the menu system worked well.  Below the display are three physical keys: Send, Back/Voice Dial and End.


The LG Cosmos Touch feels good in the hand, thanks in part to the soft touch paint used along the sides and on the back door. The slide mechanism is smooth and solid and we don’t foresee issues with it down the road. Even though it is an entry-level phone it is well build and we feel it’ll withstand the bumps and bruises of everyday use.