LG VX-8100
Phone Scoop Review
Nov 17, 2005 by Jesse Lewin
In-depth review of LG's mainstream EV-DO phone for 2005. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
Sweet Machine this LG8100
A month ago I decided to upgrade one of our cell phones. First I tried the Motorola e815 which is reported to be the best of the best. My husband liked it but didn't want to give up his LG4500. He doesn't use his phone as much as I do. So after having had enough time to putter around with it I wanted to try the LG8100 having been really happy with my LG6000. I love the features and the layout. But the first 8100 was not a good handset..I had such feedback I thought I was at the Grand Canyon! And the static....so to make a long story short I took it back, looked at all the other phones and decided to give another 8100 a try and I am glad I did!
This one has not had a bit of static and there has been no echo or feedback. So what do I like about this phone..EVERYTHING but the delay with the camera and most ringtones.
Pros: easy to program
nice large clear screen
fits the hand very well
nice feel, solid build, not flimsy
have not played around with some of
Vcast features yet..
like the lights that light up when a
restricted call comes in
love the front screen..being able to
see who is calling before opening
phone.
Cons: the camera lag from click to the
actual picture is bad if you are trying to take a picture of something that is moving
yucky ring tones but that is not a
real biggie since you can download
what you want.
I like the feel of this better than the Motor e815 which felt flimsy to me.
I would suggest if anyone is debating which to try..don't be shy to try this one. It is a dandy phone. I don't think the Motoe815 is a bad phone...just like this one better.
In response the the review below....
Regarding the front STATUS LIGHT... or "the light show" as some refer to it as. There has ALWAYS been an option to turn this ON or OFF... even before the version 6 or 7 upgrade. It has always been under TOOLS... DISPLAY... STATUS LIGHT... and then On or OFF. Just wanted to clarify.
Personally... I don't mind the status light, especially when I am at work and have my sounds turned off... I can still see the lights going off if I have a call or message :o)
Good phone for the price!
I love this phone.
I use this phone in Central NY, I am 14 years old and I just purchased this phone on Jan. 28th. Where i live is a total dead zone no matter who you have as a service provider. I can get just enough signal so that it will update my phones time. This phone is REALLY bad with signal if you live in a place with little signal. But in a normal town with out lots of trees and such your signal is perfect! I haven't used bluetooth or the MP3 player (even though they are the best features or the phone) but everything else is good.
Pros:
sleek features/shape.design
love the missed calls/txt on the outside
when you have a headset hooked up you can close it and anser it from the outside
camera is great
Cons
flash is kinda too bright
cant set the sounds as ringtones
cant record ringtones
i think thats it
THE BEST VERIZON PHONE OUT
THE LG8100 IS A GREAT PHONE. I LOVE THE FACT I CAN READ MY TEXT FROM THE OUTSIDE, THE MP3 PLAYER SOUNDS REALLY GOOD AND YOU HEAR IT VERY WELL. THE PHONE IS OVERALL VERY USER FRIENDLY WITH A LARGE MEMORY
THE ONLY NEGATIVE IS THE EAR PIECE VOLUME IS NOT THAT LOUD AND SOMETIME MY PHONE POWER CYCLES WHEN I PRESS A BOTTON.
I HAVE USED THE SAM950, RAZAR AND MOTOROLA E815 AND LIKE THIS MUCH BETTER!
Nice phone
I have been a Motorola fan for years. I tried an LG two years ago and returned it. After reading the reviews I decided to try the 8100. What a great phone. I have used it for about 20 hours and never dropped a call. I get signal in places that I couldn't with any other phone.
Pros
Full of features
Able to voice dial everyone in my phonebook as week as digit dial
Nice size with good sturdy feel.
Ring and alarms are loud
Vibrate is strong enough to feel thru a winter coat.
Good battery life, recharges quickly
Cons
I wish the volume thru a headset was louder. I have been told that it is louder with a bluetooth headset but haven't tried one yet.
Speaker not as good as my old Timeport but better than any other phone I have owned.
A worthy successor to the VX7000
I'd had the VX7000 for about a year and a half before upgrading to the VX8100 earlier this month. I'd loved the 7000, especially after coming from the Samsung A670(a very slow phone) and the VX6000(a decent phone but pretty bare bones). The 8100 is very similar to the 7000, which in my opinion is a very good thing. The menu system is very easy to navigate and can be picked up in a very short period of time. Add features like an MP3 player (unlockable through the secret menu discussed in this forum), a megapixel camera, and Bluetooth and you really can't go wrong.
Pros:
-Easily navigated menu.
-MP3 player.
-Vivid main/exterior displays.
-Megapixel camera.
-Text messaging formats.
-MiniSD card expandable memory.
-Good reception.
-Great build quality.
Cons:
-Limited selection of Get It Now software
(to be addressed with future updates and
time).
All in all, this is a great phone and a good choice in upgrading from the VX7000. It took my favorite phone and just made it better.
My best VZW phone to date!
PROs: Great reception(Tennessee), clear sound, Stereo speakers, Vcast music, bluetooth, easy to use.
CONs: few average ringtones.
This is my third LG phone & the best, you can download any songs to this phone & play it on the go, you need a usb cable, windows xp & media player version 10. The playback sound is awesome coming out of the two little speakers, it's the newest version with the vcast music that came out on January 16th of this year. Picture quality is really good 1.3 megpix, you can also record video clips or download one, Speaker phone is clear, very easy to use.Voice dial. Consumer Reports magazine gave this phone a top rated review in December 2005 issue.
So Far a Superior Phone
Have had this phone for almost 4 weeks. So far it has been representative of what LG claims. My Main reason for upgrading to this phone (Had a LG VX-4400B before), is that I wanted a cell phone with a built in speaker phone.
PROS:
Great Speaker Phone - Good Volume and the callee can hear you with minimal background noise.
Love the MP-3 Player.
Battery life seems as good as my old VX-4400 even with all of the extra features
Signal strength is as good as the old phone. The old phone had a retractable antenna, this one does not. It was a concern before I purchased it.
CONS:
Need more volume control IE: Higher when using the MP-3 Player.
They should give you a SD card with he phone.
Can't use any of my old accessories IE: Car Charger, Home Charger, Contact Mgmt Software. The plug is different.
The Mobile Office software from Verizon is NOT available
Default Menu selection defaults to MESSAGING - I would like to set it to contacts but NO CAN DO !
Other than these items, its a great phone.
Storage_man
PS: I have found a substitute software for contact mgmt
Awesome Phone!!!!!!!!!!
This phone is by far the best Verizon has to offer right now!!
Pros:
MP3 player
MiniSD vs. TF
You can read text on outside screen
You can hit snooze on the outside (alarm)
Outside screen is so clear and bright
Phone style is great
Feels good in your hands/solid
inside screen and buttons are perfect
Great battery life
Cons:
Would be great if it had an intenna, but stub is at least better than retractable. No biggie!
Can a Phone Get Any Better?
PROS-
Great Camera/Video
Incredible Speakers
Cool Outside Color
MP3 player
Great External Display
--------------------------------------------
CONS-
Slight Camera Delay (1-2 seconds)
You have to buy the data cable and a mini sd chip to put any songs or pics into your phone.
-----------------------------------------
Overall, this phone is a great buy, i had to buy it retail price($350.00) but it is worth every cent. I would deffinatly choose this phone over the moto razr or the E-815.
