In the wake of the BlackBerry Storm, T-Mobile G1 and HTC Touch HD, it’s easy to forget LG’s dinky touchscreen number, but we reckon the Renoir is one of the true iPhone killers being overshadowed by the bigger boys. What do you think?

Now we’re not going to pretend the Renoir can compete on the app front. Apple has that sewn up and The G1′s Android OS is catching up fast, but when it comes to hardware features, the Renoir is hard to fault.

Lets see: There’s an 8 megapixel camera, with proper face, scene and blink detection, as well as shooting video at 120 frames per second. That tramples all over the photographic offering of all three phones currently hogging the limelight.

Then there’s the LG’s media playback abilities. Inside there’s DivX and XviD support, as well as audio processing from Dolby that packs a genuine sonic punch, with specific tuning for headphone or speaker playback.

There’s Wi-Fi too, unlike the BlackBerry Storm, as well as an 8GB microSD card included, quadrupling the out-of-the-box capacity of T-Mobile’s G1.

See? We’re not talking rubbish. All that’s missing is the apps, and there’s good news there too: LG says there’s an SDK in the works, so developers will be able to crank out software for it soon.

What do you think? Is the Renoir seriously overlooked, or are we backing the wrong horse all the way? Sound off in the comments section below.

Be Sociable, Share!
  • filthymcnasty

    I didn’t realise the G1 only came with 2GB. How incredibly shit!

  • Salvador

    LG has never made a good phone. Fact. If you reply, saying the Prada wasn’t too bad, think hard, and you’ll soon remember it was in fact a brainless wannabe, a tart with no heart. The Renoir? What’s that noise? Oh, it’s the French master is rolling in his grave.

  • Will Head

    Specs, yes. But it’s no iPhone.

    Until someone can rival Apple on the software side then you can pack as much tech into a handset as you like but people will still want an iPhone.

  • http://gravatars.com jbc

    I’m with the others on this one. Until LG learns to make some decent software, it ain’t gonna amount to much.

  • Stephen Ebert

    Some good specs there but it’s not just about specs with phones, even software. Having prodded a few LG’s myself and then the iPhone there’s no comparing the user experience. I don’t want a phone that’s clunky and slow to respond, as has been my own experience with LG.

  • http://www.gravatar.com Simon Munk

    The Renoir is an absolute pig to use. As are most of the smartphones.
    It’s not just the apps you can add on that keeps the iPhone way out front, it’s the user-interface that means even technophobes can play with it straight out of the box.

  • Jones

    I played with this LG (I think it was this one, anyway) in a shop at the weekend. It felt nice enough, but the screen just wouldn’t respond. I had to press and hold to get it to work, rather than poke it. Yeah, I want an 8meg phone, but if I can’t use it, what’s the point? Still waiting for something as quick as iPhone, but I refuse to buy apple.

  • Stephen Ebert

    Spot on, Jones. I’ve lost count of the number of times i’ve been excited to get my hands on a phone only to be let down by a rubbish touchscreen.

  • http://NA Stephen

    I was getting excited for a minute until I read people’s comments :(

  • Ben Sillis

    I have never had the urge to film something at 120 fps, let alone on a mobile. I don’t need to film a kernel of corn popping on a bus. Bit unnecessary really…

  • http://gravatars.com jbc

    What’s wrong with filming corn popping? Am I on my own here?

  • jc

    the renoir has no 3.5mm headphone jack thus rendering audio playback a complicated affair

  • jjjd

    the phone is awesome.

  • Gamarn

    Until you use it, dont abuse it. The Renoir makes a good leap forward towards the multimedia slice of life.

    I got no probs with the touchscreen, if anything to sensitive. The git goes off in my pocket.

  • Emdii

    I’ve shopped through all the touchscreen phones available right now and the Renoir comes in a very good second after the iPhone. The Nokia 5800 Express Music is third with a super confusing UI and Samsung’s Touchwiz comes after that. Most of the rest have Windows Mobile so are out of the game. It’s lacking features and a software qwerty. I’d say the Renoir is a really good phone, and really not comparable to the iPhone since it’s not really a smartphone. It’s certainly one of the best touchscreen phones out there.

  • 23

    THe renoir is da bomb. best phone out there

  • DavieJones

    Well first off its a good phone and has turned me to like touchscreens. Touch seems to be sensitive enough, camera’s good, cant say much about the music player in it because id rather keep my mp3 player so as to not kill the battery. Only grpe with it is the software thats bundled with the pc. Doesnt seem to like transferring in contacts which is a bit annoying but ive just bluetoothed them from my old phone over so its no big deal.

  • homeless

    This phone exploded and i lost an ear and an eye and also my home burned downed and i lost my PS3 and my game collection and my pets. Don’t buy it!

  • Viv

    I got the phone in Dec and I love it… Software is not up to the i phone however its also half the price

  • bigshineybike

    I never understood why anyone on a contract wouldnt simple get the best phone in the catalog.
    The renoir and its ILK is why.
    The speaker has done for me. if you cannot hear a phone ring (please dont even suggest it, of course I have adjusted the volume)then what good is it as a phone?
    The camera is the good bit but there are better cameras that are not trying to be telephones. The user interface is mostly very good but I cannot work out how to make a phone call from the contacts list.
    I wish i could get an i-phone whatever they cost they work.

    • http://philgilman.me.uk Phil Gilman

      Touch on address book from either main interface menu desktop in the NAME box, touch & keyboard comes up. Type in first letter, second letter etc. until you are in the correct alphabet area of the contacts list, or touch the four spots on initial menu arriving at the contacts menu, touch address book and touch search and continue as abouve from the NAME box. Touch the name you want to phone and either touch the phone number or the call button on the bootom of the screen.
      The camera is great. I don’t always want to trundle my Sony DSLR and lenes around but I don’t miss a photo cause I reach for the Renoir.
      If I dont hear the ringer, I do feel the vibrator in my pocxket.
      As a phone is a tool to me, I can forgo the flashy iphone interface.
      I would like some of the apps the iphone has but glad to say I have just read that LG are doing and SDK for it so allowing developers to create apps. I wonder how many apps iphoners really do use frequently or not at all even?
      PhilG

  • Lunar

    Guys, actually use this phone for yourself before you place bad comments on it. i have no problem with the touch screen, think about it, its in a shop, people and pikeys are gonna have their grubby hands all over it and may make it less sensitive as you get little buggers poking it as hard as they can. I recieved mine on friday and love it. its easy to use, unless you are retarded. camera is amazing, slow-mo recording is funny, beauty shot and smile shot are very good functions which actually work, and also it has dolby mobile, in my opinion, this shits all over the i-phone, btw, before this phone i used an iphone ;) Renoir ftw.

    • http://philgilman.me.uk Phil Gilman

      Yea, I’ve had one for a year, £80 from ebay and as you say the features are right on. Some people think you should pick up a phone and it will mind-read what they want. I guess they haven’t heard of instruction manuals!
      Glad you have put forward the reasoned argument for the Renoir.
      PhilG

  • enidub

    I’ve had my renoir since november last year and the only thing that bothers me about it is the ring level and the fact that LG are taking thier time to release a sdk. Ive played with the iphone countless times and yes, it is pretty but i dont really see why i’d pick it over the renoir. i can see why people opt for the iphone, its a social status symbol with things that seem to be new to most people. i love apples vision but i refuse to own an iphone for that exact reason.

  • Atomixed

    Hey nerds! You want software? Get a laptop, you want a phone that does stuff like take pictures of the hot strippers dancing on the deck of the sailboat and be able to email it to your friends before they even stop? Get the LG. Or have fun playing with your silly bartender app to make us fun guys some more drinks:)

  • Breezy

    I think the lg renoir is a brilliant phone. I had been put off a little before buying this phone by people saying that lg phones are not any good that they keep breaking down etc Im really glad I didnt listen! this phone is great. anyone telling you different just doesnt understand how to use the phone correctly the camera is the icing on the cake you’ll love it!!!

  • sirius98_99

    the renoir is a gr8 phone! period. the cam is wonderful.and am surprised no 1 mentioned the Dolby sound on the headphones. Simply mindblowing!
    if u want to buy 1, dont think twice. the screen is responsive and the only complaint i have is with the pcsuite, not the phone.

  • melinda

    The Renoir is a brilliant work of art! It is so easy to use. Whereas I had a few problems with the Samsung Omnia touch interface. It was too slow to react, the Renoir is infact the easiest thing to use. Useless you have no brains. The video camera is the best! It isn’t as slow as my old phone which was a Nokia 6110. It’s features are way better than iphones I’d say. It’s just like a Samsung Inov8. With only little difference.

  • superphone

    the LG renoir is GREAT, BUT, it does have some bad points…..
    to beat the iphone, you have to first beat its great and FUN user interface… LG comes close but doesnt beat it.

    also i wish i could download applications so that it was like a symbian phone. my n95 was great and i think the n95 is a GREAT phone – stilll.
    infact the n95 can still do a significant amount of things the LG can.

    but out of all the phones LG looks the best.. they did work hard on ergonomics.

    i just wish you could have things like word veiwer, PDF veiwer ect and that its camera was as smooth as the n95′s. renoir’s camera is NOT smooth (but still good)

  • theodore

    I had mine for a couple months now and have to say the only thing to fault is the ringer volume.

    8 meg Camera 10 points, Usability 10 points, 8 gigs outta the box 10 points, Wi-Fi, Dolby,Div X??? Come on people let’s face it…

    If you want an all in one multimedia device without being a social clone, then there is only one choice.

  • lgftw

    superphone, if im not mistaken, the lg renoir *does* support office documents (eg word, powerpoint etc).

  • bunster

    i cant see why people are putting the renoir down??? i had it for well over a month and i love it, ok maybe the touch screen is not as sens as id like it but that mite be cus i got sum fat fingers lol. i think 10/10 overall!

  • bilios

    Salvador you suck man!! you must be one of the i phone users, (an amazing phone really..) BUT iphone forgot to be a phone, you are talking about software that iphone rules, well…i have my phone and 80% of the consumers for talking and sometimes save-write something. I DONT NEED guitar soft, or any other soft, me and 80% of the users, so dont give me this BS about i phone being better than ANY phone out there, and last i say…iphone–>2MP photos, renoir–>8MP, hell man…shut the f…. up and simply say that renoir is better in the area (i am not even talking about video..)

  • http://facebook LuluLovesJock

    O M G! salvador watever your name is, you have no eyes/brains! Anyone could see that this phone is brilliant! I mean yeah the Samsung Tocco Ultra is pretty cool but who cares? its also pretty crap as my best friend has it and trust me its so weird! I used my LG Renoir then the Tocco Ultra and we both prefere the LG Renoir! anyone thats thinking of buying it should go forward and buy it! Theres notthing wrong with it! dont ever think twice about buying this phone, its the best move you’ll ever make if you buy this phone!

  • sales@applei

    i get paid to read all the comments on various pages for customer servise and support but fuck me guys what the fuck you people need to wise up harden the fuck up and get laid its a fucking phone who gives a shit you sad bastards!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • migs

    I have a G1 and Also an I phone so far the G1 Gets my vote. But this phone seems to be a good contender for the smart phone wars. I think I will wait a bit for the developers to catch up on the software side and then I’ll give it a try. Until there’s full Divx functionality on the IPHONE or the G1 I think this one should not be overlooked.

  • Jerry

    I have the LG Renoir for about 3 Months and I love it.
    I wasn’t confident at first to go with a touch screen phone, but I don’t regret it one bit… And so much better than by N73 which started breaking down after exactly one year like every Nokia!
    I’m now thinking to upgrade it to LG Arena, though it doesn’t exist yet on Three Network! :-( In the meantime, I just upgraded my Renoir to v10k and it’s just great!

  • carl

    okay, I bought the renoir about a month ago and answer people’s problems with the phone.

    jc – the renoir has no 3.5mm headphone…..

    yes true but the set up is LG’s own connection to the phone. on the wire control system with mic then on that its 3.5mm its actually good, and the noise reducing headphone’s that come with it are reasonable (unlike iPods or iPhones biggest let downs, i work in a electronic shop and we have atleast 8 people a week saying they want to replace there iPod/iPhone headphones)

    jones – there maybe faulty phones out there, mine has a screen protector on and is still very responsive.

    okay bad points

    low processor speed and the intergrated web browser is alittle crap but apart from that….

    everyone says the following about mac and apple “there brilliant” until you realise you have limited frequency on your speakers, but most would notice, besides the fact that majority of people with iphones/ipods are tossers that wanna look like they have a ipod or iphone. i’ll finish with this

    iTunes let down of ALL mac shit

  • GG447uk

    I LOVE MY LG!!!!!! once you work out the settings its a pretty good phone, only thing i wud agree on is that LG need to bring out more themes and apps, oh and i dnt bother with the stilus, i just use me fingers!!! anyone considering in buying should go ahead!!!

  • J.L.B.X

    well to be quite honest my lg renoir is amazing and when you know how to use it and what it can actually do then its ten thousand times better than the iphone. iphones are useless they have no file transfer via bluetooth or a decent camera and has limated options on everything not forgeting thats its much slower than any phone available . where as the renoir its incrediably good for what you pay 16 gb standard and 8 m camera hd screen and much more if you look at the difference but all of you are just apple geeks so when you relise you will know what your missing,…

  • zain

    I’ve owned a LG Renoir before & after using all its features i was quiet bored with it allready within a few weeks,it looks Cheap & has a Slow Interface, the Camera is crap even though its a 8 Megapixel camera, as the pictures come out dark unless your in very bright light or outdoors in sunny conditions, Sorry but the LG Renoir just is’nt my cup of tea,
    I was’nt too sure with the iphone but i gave it a try & since then i hav;nt put it down since, i have jailborke & unlocked my iphone so i can use its full potential like Bluetooth transfer & third party Apps like High Qaulity Video Recording software, the amount of Apps & Software is amazing there just about an App for everything, as for overall User Interface Experiance its way better than the Lg Renoir & faster, smoother. As for the iphone camera only being 2 mega pixel the pictures are nice & bright & sometimes better quality than the Lg Renoir’s in certain Conditions. So sorry its a no for Lg Renoir its just a Flimsy Piece of Plastic.

    • Will

      are you f@&*ing stupid

    • http://philgilman.me.uk Phil Gilman

      Pity you have no idea about photography and cameras.
      Experiment with focusing on different points of the scene you are shooting and hold down the shutter button half-way, whilst shifting the camera back to the main subject. It will transfer the exposure and focus settings and give a well lit pic. Read up on Backlight photography and dark objects against a large expanse of light background.
      If you just want to see your photos on-screen or the web, 2MP pics are OK. An 8MP camera (as in the Renoir) allows sharp prints at about 20 x 30? or bigger, so A3 or A4 or A5 pics are no problem whatsoever. Should you get a photo that is too dark and everyone does, whether a Pro or a beginner, sooner or later, the Renoir has an editing suite built in. There is no better multimedia camera on the market as yet. Not that I’m looking. And of course, one of the main advantages of digital photography is: YOU CAN TAKE THE PICTURE AGAIN!
      TIP: make sure you have set the ISO number lower rather than higher for sharper photos if you have good light. Poor light, put up the ISO settings to 400 or 800 and the flash should cut in too, so it won’t be too grainy.
      Could go on for pages but it all boils down to how much you want good pics consistantly and therefore how much effort you put into the learning curve with ANY camera.
      PhilG

    • http://philgilman.me.uk Phil Gilman

      My comments below are for ZAIN, not WILL where my reply keeps inserting itself.
      Pity you have no idea about photography and cameras.
      Experiment with focusing on different points of the scene you are shooting and hold down the shutter button half-way, whilst shifting the camera back to the main subject. It will transfer the exposure and focus settings and give a well lit pic. Read up on Backlight photography and dark objects against a large expanse of light background.
      If you just want to see your photos on-screen or the web, 2MP pics are OK. An 8MP camera (as in the Renoir) allows sharp prints at about 20 x 30? or bigger, so A3 or A4 or A5 pics are no problem whatsoever. Should you get a photo that is too dark and everyone does, whether a Pro or a beginner, sooner or later, the Renoir has an editing suite built in. There is no better multimedia camera on the market as yet. Not that I’m looking. And of course, one of the main advantages of digital photography is: YOU CAN TAKE THE PICTURE AGAIN!
      TIP: make sure you have set the ISO number lower rather than higher for sharper photos if you have good light. Poor light, put up the ISO settings to 400 or 800 and the flash should cut in too, so it won’t be too grainy.
      Could go on for pages but it all boils down to how much you want good pics consistantly and therefore how much effort you put into the learning curve with ANY camera.
      PhilG

  • Brayers

    I was worried when I ordered my Renoir, had I made a mistake? The answer is no! It is great. I don’t know if LG have fixed the volume levels with newer software but I don’t have a problem hearing my phone at all. I can connect to net with wifi, it has bluetooth, gps and all work well. I didn’t like the idea of the stylus, but after having the phone found that I never had to use it, it is still in the box, and I don’t have the smallest fingers! A mate has one, and his daughter has the iphone and he recommended the Renoir to me, he said it was far better than his daughters apple, at half the price.
    To sum up: you will never please everyone, and you will never have the perfect phone, and the way technology changes if you did have the perfect phone it would only be perfect for a couple of weeks! But the LG Renoir does a good job, it all works as a phone should do, with the bonus of having a camera that is bigger than most dedicated cameras, a video camera with slow motion a choice of internet connections and bluetooth all wrapped in a slim comfortable to hold phone.

  • Ar Cattermole

    i have just brought an old renior and after allmost 2 years of being out it is still a great phone and allmost no softwear glichs not like other phones lg every time Alan .c

  • Sars

    Now, I am using LG Renoir.. I wan’t to say.. I bored with my phone,, 

    because I ca’t install application for iphone.. can’t change theme (white and black), and i can’t playing game (game for iphone is cool)

    • sars

      *because I ca’t install application as iphone

  1. Pursuit of perfection: The Japanese swordsmith
  2. The lamp helping bookworms in relationships
  3. Crafting smart paint that detects cracks

Hot chat, right here!


Our most commented stories right now...