LG's KG920 has become the first phone to hit UK shores sporting a built-in 5-megapixel camera array. At a time when most mobile phones offer around a million pixels (1 megapixel), and some notable bestsellers still have VGA cameras, the release of such a record-breaker is a real technology headline-grabber.

Basically, the more pixels, the more detail a digital picture holds, allowing it to stand closer inspection, and enabling it to be blown up that much further. Previous best-in-class cameraphones have raised the bar to just over three million pixels - but the additional resolution comes into play if you want to print out your pictures. This is particularly so if you are going to crop in on the image before making your hard copy.

In theory, a 5-megapixel image file can be used to produce professional-standard 8x6 inch prints, and should easily be capable of producing an A4 print on a desktop printer. Anyone who has bought a standalone digital camera will already know that five megapixels is less than extraordinary - even some sub-£100 models offer this resolution. And those that watch what is going on in the far east, will know that cameraphones in Korea are already on sale with 8-megapixel and 10-megapixel sensors.

The pixel count, however, is not the only way to judge a camera. It isn't even the most important. Lens capability, focusing accuracy, processing speed and the sophistication in the analogue-to-digital conversion process are also paramount. Ultimately, it is the pictures themselves and the camera handling that count...

Small packages

The first pleasant surprise about the LG KG920 is that it is not particularly big. At 130-odd grams it is not as small as non-3G handsets go - however, compared with some 3-megapixel cameraphones that we have looked at in the past it is reasonably compact. Part of the reason for this, however, is that it does not have an optical zoom (found on models such as the chunky Nokia N93 and the heavyweight Sharp 903) - nor does it offer any onboard smartphone operating system.

However, in comparison to a digital camera it is a likeable shape, and if you like your gadgets to have lots of knobs and buttons you will love the design. The surfeit of controls are designed to give you fast access to as many phone and camera features as possible, without having to delve into menus.