14 DAY TRIAL // Even though clamshell phones are a thing of the past for the most part, there are still handset makers that launch such devices from time to time.
However, the number of clamshell smartphones has always been very low due to the different way of handling these devices, which doesn’t offer a smooth user experience in comparison with the bar form factor. Samsung and Sharp are some of the companies that continue to launch clamshell smartphones powered by Android operating system, but these devices rarely prove to be successful among consumers. This is probably one of the reasons why LG has another approach on clamshell smartphones. The new LG Wine Smart is a flip smartphone that ships with Android 4.4 KitKat operating system out of the box and is aimed at seniors. Even though it’s tagged as smartphone due to Android, LG Wine Smart does not feature a touchscreen display; instead, it comes with a 3.5-inch standard HVGA screen that supports 320 x 480 pixel resolution. Apparently, LG Wine Smart runs a UI that’s been specifically designed without the need to operate it on a touchscreen display. That makes it easier for elderly people who never owned a smartphone before to use such a device. Apart from this, LG Wine Smart (F480K) comes packed with decent specs that put it in the mid-range category of Android smartphones.
The clamshell doesn't feature a touchscreen display It’s also worth mentioning that the smartphone comes with a dedicated Kakao Talk button that provides LG Wine Smart users with quick access to one of the most popular instant messaging apps available in South Korea. Keep in mind though that LG’s clamshell handset will only be launched in South Korea through various major carriers, including SK Telekom, KT and LG U+. There’s no word on pricing options, but LG has confirmed that the Wine Smart will go on sale in black and white colors beginning September 26. Hardware-wise, LG Wine Smart is equipped with a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB of RAM and only 4GB of internal memory. The amount of storage does not seem to be enough even for seniors, which is why LG also added a microSD card slot for memory expansion (up to 32GB). On the back, the clamshell features an 8-megapixel photo snapper that lacks LED flash, but offers video recording capability. There’s also a VGA front-facing camera and a decent 1700 mAh battery inside. According to LG, the Wine Smart offers LTE support, along with other connectivity options such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, microUSB and T-DMB.
