Pages appear fast, and it's easy to zoom in and out, and you can tab and switch between two sites at the tap of the screen. It does a decent job for a mobile – although it's not as slick and easy as the iPhone's browser. Downloading stuff, or viewing streamed content is suitably efficient too.

Among the other apps LG has included on the Renoir are a couple of motion-sensitive M-Toy games, although these are a bit weak compared to others we've seen on the LG Secret. A selection of other regular Java games is included too.

Naturally, the Renoir is set up for more serious stuff. A Picsel document viewer is included for viewing files sent as email attachments or loaded onto the phone, while the phone ticks the usual list of organiser functionality with calendar, to do lists, voice recorder, memo function, various clock options, calculator and a convertor.

Battery drain

On basic voice calls, the LG Renoir KC910 works fine with clear and reliable connections. The virtual numberpad arrangement is no hassle to use either.

In terms of battery life, LG estimates that the Renoir can run for up to 350 hours on standby or 220 minutes of talktime. Real world performance is going to depend on exactly how much the more power-hungry gadgetry onboard is being used – a potential issue for any feature-packed phone like this.

With our average levels of usage we got a couple of days between charges, but other Renoir users who use its features more intensely may find more frequent charging is necessary.

Fine LG phone

As a successor to the Viewty, LG has certainly raised the bar with the Renoir KC910. It's packed with a heck of a lot more gadgetry for your bucks – with that feature-packed 8-megapixel shooter making it one of the most impressive cameraphones we've yet seen.

The A-GPS system on our review sample didn't appear to be as well-exploited as it could have been on our, but features like Wi-Fi and HSDPA connectivity, a fine music player and top-class mobile video options give the Renoir more than just hot-shot camera appeal.

Network availability: Orange, O2, T-Mobile, Vodafone

Looks: 4/5
Ease of use: 4/5
Features: 4.5/5
Call quality: 4.5/5
Value: 3.5/5