LG has started picking up a good reputation of high-end handsets producer, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t making other types. The LG KC550 is a camera phone with a whopping 5-megapixel camera, designed for camera phone lovers on a budget. We took it out for a spin to see if it’s worth the money.

Design
The LG KC550 is an attractive model, it’s well balanced, featuring a solid casing with attractive silver details. On its front, you’ll find a large, easy-to-view screen and underneath that, a set of well-sized navigation keys.

Slide the KC550 up and you’ll unveil a flat keypad that we found comfortable for texting and didn’t present any problems. Of course, the star of the show is the 5-megapixel camera, located at the back of the phone.

Hidden behind a solid metal sliding cover, the camera is activated when you slide the cover. To take a photo, you hold the KC550 sideways the same way as you would with a camera, and click the shutter button.

Features
The KC550’s camera takes high-quality shots in natural light and you can adjust several parameters, including sensitivity up to ISO 800 and white balance.

Picture quality in daylight is cool, with snaps coming out clear and balanced in terms of colour and brightness. The same can’t be said for low-light pictures that don’t come out as well because there’s only an LED photo light.

For such a camera phone, you will be surprised that there’s no 3G or Wi-Fi. It means that data transfers are slow. That said, you can send pictures quickly to friends via Bluetooth at close range.

There’s also the KC550’s music player and FM radio. Our only issue is that to use either, you have to use the proprietary headphones and there’s no adaptor to plug in a standard pair.

An unexpected feature on the KC550 is the motion sensor that allows to adjusts pictures to landscape or portrait depending on how you’re holding the handset. It also enables the same set of games as those found on the LG Secret, which are simple but fun.

Performance
Battery life lasted for around two days with moderate use. With no 3G or Wi-Fi to hog the battery, we didn’t see any massive energy loss. If you want to save on battery life, don’t leave Bluetooth enabled all the time.

Conclusion
The LG KC550 isn’t going to set the camera phone world on fire, but it’s relatively cheap. While we’re annoyed that it doesn’t have 3G or Wi-Fi and the camera lacks a xenon flash, we think it’s a good option if you’re watching the cents.

If you want something more impressive then we suggest going for the Nokia N82 that packs in almost every feature out there. You could also choose the slimmer LG Secret, that boasts HSDPA (3.5G) and a 5MP camera.