The forgotten smartphone: LG KM900 Arena

July 3, 2022 Luisa Rey

In 2009, when the smartphone was still in its infancy, LG launched the KM900 Arena. It was also the year that the first phones with Android 1.5 Cupcake were released. In this edition of ‘The forgotten smartphone’ we discuss the LG Arena.

LG KM900 Arena

However, it took a while before LG’s first Android smartphone came on the market. The LG KM900 Arena ran on an operating system developed by LG, namely S-Class UI. For example, each manufacturer had its own operating system. The S-Class interface was full of 3D animations that were reflected in many actions. Spin, flip, jump; all animations can be found in the LG Arena.

Before that time, the LG KM900 Arena was quite an advanced smartphone. The device was equipped with a 3.0 inch screen with a resolution of 800 by 480 pixels. What is very striking is that the device had very wide edges, the screen took up only a small 44% of the device. The Arena had enough storage space, no less than 8GB and this could also be expanded with an SD card of up to 32GB. Of course you could also use the internet with the LG KM900 Arena. The device had 3G and HSDPA. You could also use WiFi.

On the back of the Arena was a 5MP camera with a Schneider-Kreuznach lens. This camera could film in 480p at 30 fps. Movies were shot in 3GP, which was seen as a drawback for many. On the front was a camera with which you could make video calls.

LG KM900 Arena back cover

The LG KM900 Arena was equipped with a 1000mAh. With this you could call for almost 4 hours and listen to music for up to 30 hours. There was also an FM radio built in, so you could listen to the radio. Of course you could also watch videos on the LG KM900 Arena. The device supported DivX and XviD file formats. At release, the Arena had a suggested retail price of around 400 euros.