LONDON, November 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

It seems that the feature phone, as some have called it, is looking to disappear thanks to pricing strategies for smartphones. By feature phone we of course mean phones that don't have powerful operating systems and hundreds of features - just simple phones that text and call and little more. When you can get a smartphone for the price of a feature, there's really no reason not to.

One such device is the LG Optimus L3. With its small size and light weight, you gain no advantage in portability in purchasing a feature phone. There's also the rather ironic, considering the term 'feature phone', a huge boost in features with a smartphone.

The LG Optimus L3 has a 3.2" touchscreen, something that allows an intuitive touch approach to using your phone. Feature phones only have direction pads, so you have to tap each time you want to go up or down in menus, text messages etc. The touchscreen is almost worth the upgrade alone.

There's also the matter of the LG Optimus L3's operating system, which is Google's Android Gingerbread. This is one of the most popular smartphone operating systems on the planet, featuring in millions of phones. It also give the LG Optimus L3 access to the Google Play Store, something no feature can get to. This means the L3 can download and install hundreds of thousands of apps, allowing you edit photographs, customise your homescreens with photos and bespoke colours, access news reports offline and much more.

With the power of the LG Optimus L3 - there's an 800MHz processor at its heart - it can process tasks features phones can only dream of. Stunning games, music converters and accurate mapping apps are just some of things you can do on the go with the L3.

Then there's the matter of price. The LG Optimus L3 is priced so competitively that a feature phone won't save you much. Carphone Warehouse is offering the L3 on a pay monthly contract for just £7.50. You'll get free minutes, texts, internet data and eve the LG Optimus L3 itself is free. Don't fancy a contract? At just £49.95 from the same retailer, the feature phone's days might just be numbered.

Notes to Editors

• Carphone Warehouse is the largest independent mobile phone retailer in the UK, with over 800 stores nationwide

• Discover how to get more from your gadgets with eye openers from Carphone Warehouse. Eye openers is a YouTube channel which features videos of Carphone Warehouse team members sharing useful hints and tips on everything from laptops to Sat Navs to the latest mobile phones. With new videos being added each month, users can search through hundreds of videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/eyeopeners.

About Carphone Warehouse and Geek Squad

In 2006 Best Buy established a partnership with Carphone Warehouse to bring its business model and mobile phone expertise to the US market under the banner 'Best Buy Mobile'. Two years later, Best Buy acquired 50% of The Carphone Warehouse's European and US retail interests for £1.1billion, creating Best Buy Europe.  The joint venture now encompasses the following retail and technical support brands: Carphone Warehouse, The Phone House and Geek Squad.

Contact:    

Carphone Warehouse                    
Alison Gram
GramA@cpwplc.com 
PR Manager
Best Buy Europe

SOURCE Carphone Warehouse