Flip Phone Review: LG Ice Cream Smart!🍦📱

I'm not sure where to put this, but I thought I could give a review of a flip phone I had for a few months before it tragically broke after I dropped it into my cup of coffee. Feel free to pay your respects in the comments. 

The flip phone I had was called the LG Ice Cream Smart, or the LG F440 or F440L which was released in 2015. It's old tech by 9 years, but not completely Y2K status. This phone isn't easy to come by, not only because of the fact that it's old and outdated, but because it was released in South Korea. Despite being a flip phone, it also runs on Android with a touch screen and can download apps and function like many other smartphones. The thing is that it has a t9 keypad. They come in two different colors: pink and blue. I got the blue one.

If you are a K-pop fan, you may recognize that this is the phone that BTS member Jin used for a time. 

This phone is very cute and I absolutely loved it when I did have it in working condition. However, it did come with its flaws and I am here to tell you the ups and downs of this particular flip phone. I am well aware that there are other smart flip phones out there, and I plan on getting and reviewing them once I save up enough money. These things aren't cheap. I got into flip phones because of a YouTube video I saw talking about the Samsung Galaxy Folder 2, I was starstruck, and it led me down a rabbit hole of different flip phones. Especially those that run on Android and are touchscreen. This led me to discover the LG Ice Cream Smart and instantly fall in love with it. The moment I had it was very exciting for me, but this had its ups and downs.

Let me explain... It's not THAT old of a phone, but it is pretty old, and it shows by the old version of Android it uses. Simply put: It's outdated. Not to mention it can only work for 2G and 3G. Maybe 4G if I'm being generous. Also, good luck with downloading all of your apps because most apps are not compatible with this phone. Not to mention the headache I had when trying to download apps. The app store barely works, and I had to go on my laptop to transfer my apps onto my phone or download the APK files onto my phone for it to work. Even then, some apps refused to download or would be so outdated that they wouldn't let me log in or function properly. Some apps will straight up crash. 

I even tried to download spacehey onto that phone. It worked, but every time I opened the app, it would crash. It honestly sucked because I wanted the whole nostalgic experience with this phone. Also, good luck watching YouTube. YouTube is effectively no longer compatible with this phone, and the only way you can watch YouTube there is through the browser. In fact, any social media you wanna go on must go through the browser, but even some websites won't function because the browser itself is outdated. Thankfully, you can update it via the App Store... Through another device, but it won't update to the most recent version of the browser you may have on your regular phone. Spacehey does work on the browser, just an FYI. I have tested it before my phone's tragic death.

Also, if you plan on downloading apps onto that device, be sure you have an SD card handy because this phone only has 8 GB of storage. The audio jack? You won't believe this: Is too small to fit your headphones in. Trust me, I tried. Wanna use Bluetooth? Surprise Surprise, does not work. I'm honestly shocked about that one.

Now, you might be saying: Well, why don't you just system update the phone? Here is the issue: I tried. I really did. However, every time I checked for updates, it would always say it was on the latest version.

Now, the camera quality is mid. It's an old phone so you can't really expect the highest quality pictures to be taken with this thing. However, because it's so old, you can actually get that nostalgic, low-quality look to your photos. It also makes a fun little shutter sound as you take the photo. If you want flash, or to take photos in the dark, enjoy barely seeing anything because this phone has NO flash. Not even a flashlight. It does have a light, but it's more or less a notification light to inform you on messages and stuff.

Now, would I recommend this phone? If you're looking for something you can use frequently for social media, texting friends, calls, and getting that nostalgic look while it's functioning, not really. Other phone models might do better than this one, but I'll keep looking. If you want it as a collector's item, for a bit of fun and nostalgia, or just because it's cute, be my guest. Don't get me wrong, this phone does function, but its functionality is limited. Don't get me wrong, when I got this phone I LOVED it. Even with my own personal gripes, I really did enjoy using it, but now that it's officially bricked I don't think I'll buy this model again. Who knows. I may change my mind and buy another just as a collector. 

Once I save up enough money, I'll buy either the LG folder or the Samsung Folder 2. I was gonna buy the LG Wine Smart, but I heard it also has the same issues as the LG Ice Cream. Once I do, I'll post my personal review of it.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask them, or if you know of other smart flip phones that have the keypad, feel free to share! I love old tech, especially flip phones, so I'm open to hearing what you know or recommend. If you also have the same phone model, or any of the phone models mentioned, feel free to share your experiences and opinions. 

Anyway, that is all I have today. I hope you all are doing well and I hope you like what I had to share. Take care, stay safe, and have a wonderful rest of your day!