LG VX-8300

The 8300 has TWO different and independant signal bars. One signal bar (4 bars) is for 1X service. The other signal bar (4 bars) is for EVDO service. When you leave EVDO service, the display changes to ONLY 1X and 4 bars.

That would explain it then. I am not in EVDO coverage area.

The RF on LG's is sub-par. Go with Motorola.

mellowpaul could be right.

I left myself a couple of voice messages yesterday from different locations and the quality between the 2 messages was quite different. Based on all the positive reviews here, I'm wondering whether I may have gotten a defective phone...

I doubt that your phone is defective. I previously owned a LG VX-4400 and had poor reception and a lot of dropped calls. The lG RF is just not all that good, and note that the VX8300 has a stub antenna. I now have a Moto V325 and the RF difference is amazing.

I would have to strongly disagree I had the 4400 and for the time the service was very good, keep in mind this is a discontinued phone and the newer technologies in regaurd to better service were not in place. It is also possible that you had a defective phone because I live in a bad service area and still never (hardly) dropped a call. I also have the 8300 now and the service is great it beats out the E815 which has been the phone to beat as far as service. Also the call quality is great. Seeing as you have never owned or had experience with the phone I don't think you should be giving anyone advice or critiquing something you don't even have. 1

I'm wondering whether I might have a defective phone (this would make me 2 for 2 under my NE2) I just returned an e815 due to a faulty headset jack (a tad bulky IMO). Anyway, it had to go back, so I tried the 8300 and I was expecting that the 8300 would be AT LEAST as good as my 4400! Should I return this one as a defective unit and try another 8300??

mellowpaul said:
The RF on LG's is sub-par. Go with Motorola.

Exactly ppl feel different tho, the fact is LG looks prettier so the majority gravitate to them. I will sit back and watch this one, not anxious to a possible pos.

what did you mean by: "not anxious to a possible pos"??

frankly, I'm not convinced the 8300 is that pretty. I intend to post a review after I give this thing a fair chance

Amen...I was a former LG user with the VG4400. I experienced a quantum leap in RF strength after switching to the Moto V325. Motorola rocks.

I've been v impressed with the audio quality of the Moto V325

Check out the negative reviews for the 8100, and they all cite the poor RF. The 8300 is pretty much a clone in this regard. Not surprising.

its that darn stub antenna most these lg fans are just blindly loyal and never tried anything but lg. i've seen it a million times, the customer walks in and has no clue what they want, salesman leads them right to the lg, and the customer just says ok. Lots of these people havent even put a good phone to their ears, so they don't know any better. the 8100 still is plaque with bugs, altough some will argue the v7 software patch fixed it, and act all proud like they finally solve the problem. CRAZY is what i say. my moto 710 rocks. E818 great RF works everywhere, Moto 325 another amazing phone.

mellowpaul & Platypus:
what phone(s) do you recommend based on the following criteria??:
- audio quality/signal strength is absolutely, by far my HIGHEST priority
- bluetooth connectivity to headsets (or even a high-quality, wired 2.5mm headset connectivity would be ok)
- decent battery life
Not so big of a deal to me items...
- plays mp3's
- EVDO
- ?

CMV , Thanks for sharing , We are on the same page.

What phone are you coming from ?

Me a 950 and a 670

Indeed.

coming from an LG 4400

first tried the Moto e815 (under the NE2) which I just returned was getting a solid 5/5 all the time

I'm a newb to this forum stuff.....what is a 950 and a 670? LG's??

No samsungs -

The 670 was like the best phone ever made, I have 2 spares and still love it. Tiny and perfect voice quality and it will make a call 20' below ground 🙂

Just no Bluetooth, No speaker, No toys - Just a great phone 🙂

It's amazing they cant repeat and make things good 2 times in a row

did you see my post about my buying criteria? Please comment on it for me.

I just looked up this post on the 8100 frm 9/05.....

"When I was indoors it seemed to work its best but if I was in my car forget about it. Even with the windows up and the radio off I was unable to hear. I called Verizon and they said that they were aware of the problem and LG is working on yet another update. This does not help me at all though. Supposedly the phone tries to block out background noise, but in the meantime it screws up the volume on the phone. I also changed the call settings hoping it would make a difference. I did not. The camera is nice, but the delay sucks. Overall I give this phone a 0, simply because its main function as a phone sucks. If...
(continues)

Wow CMV, you are really smart , I am serious..

We discovered an echo cancel in the 8300 we have never seen before. If you read one of my posts , I was walking around best buy talking to a friend , I was on speaker and all he heard was me not the store noise. It's really well done until you realize what they screwed up..

Not sure if they are going to fix this, but if they do , I would be happy. The earpiece and volumes are all a bit wacky and the reception is questionable as well.

I was at a baseball game trying to talk to someone and was puzzled why I could hardly hear the person

so your 2.5 rating may be right on

cmv96 said:
did all that.......still have the same weak/inconsistent signal

BTW, I live in a big VZW market.....SE Michigan

Bummer deal, return it now wait ONE year, then try again 🤨 😎

if I wait, will VZX let me get out of my 2 yr contract then since I won't be getting a new phone??

I don't care I'm not here trying to win a popularity contest 🤨 😎

Amen, I had the 4400, with it's weak reception and dropped calls. I went with the Moto V325 and never looked back. 😎 😎 😎

I had the 4400 and it was not that great, weak RF, heavy and bulky. The Moto V325 is much better. Try it, you will like it. Are you in Washtenaw? I am an old Wolverine. 😎 😎 😎

I will. I also use this phone primarily for business and that would definitely be a deal breaker if I can't hear or be heard clearly in noisy areas. My old phone was the LG4600 whic is totally dated at this point. I tried the 9800 in December but returned it because it was too bulky to lug around. I don't need and of the music or camera options in a phone but it's difficult to find one that just has a clear bright screen and good phone quality alone.

that's what I'm seeking - a clear bright screen and clear reception. Tough to find it appears as phones have become very complex with all the bells and whistles. I assumed that audio quality had also improved since my 4400. Guess I was wrong.
I'm going to look at the Moto 325 and v3m. Seems the razr has the best audio quality but risky build quality.

Hopefully, that's been improved in the v3m. At least it's made in a higher grade metal case.

I should have added that the only reason i haven;t looked at either the 325 or v3c or v3m is the sub par 65k screens that they all have. More to the point of what I was saying before. It's almost impossible to find a phone that has both a good screen and good voice quality without all the frills. Seems they all end up sacrificing somewhere,

yep...and this process has helped me better define my own priorities - I have a STRONG preference for audio quality & consistent signal strength.

Well, I pulled the plug and got my old 4600 back online this afternoon. I called and found out you CAN return online/phone orders to your local store. I think that's new. I will tonight or tomorrow and probably just sit back(again), monitor these forums, and wait to see if ever again a really good PHONE comes about.

Guys,

Sitting in my office and taking calls on my 8300.. I had 3 instances where I had to call them back on the land line because they could not unerstand me , they were getting breaking up..

I am so pissed - I love this phone , I really like it alot - But the reception is a huge problem and in my office I have used my 670 for years , My Sams 950 ( Which I hate for other reasons) But never a problem with reception. LG has always had reception issues and they still do..

I dont know what to do ?? I need bluetooth and a Good Speaker phone and great battery life. This was so close..

I am giving it one more day and then back it goes.

Who knows anything about the Sams 870 ? Is this coming ??

Ok, I ordered the 8300 baised on the positives being said on this forum, and about 10 minutes after I ordered it this thread popped up. You guys are making me nervous!

I posted a question about reception on Howard and i've had a couple of people respond saying that they have had no problems. My guess is that you might have a buggy phone.

I had an 8100 with a fluctuating volume issue, and I simply returned it and got a new phone. Second phone worked fine and I still use it today.

Just my two cents! 😎

I'll bet anything it is not a volume or signal issue but merely an attenuation issue tied to the noise reduction feature.
I think background noise is also cancelling out the regular voices somehow.
Just my guess.

The echo cancel is great and it's not a problem.

The phone simply has Reception issues in fringe areas like most LG's.

So we brought over 2 more 8300's tonight and they all do the exact same thing in my office..

Everything is fine for a while and then the person you are talking to gets some broken up sound and it comes and goes.

3 for 3 they all do it..

You guys so many times think it's the phone and another will help..

You have to understand, when in production , if they had production differences that bad, the FCC would shut them down.

These phones are stamped out like M&M's and most of the time they are the same.

Still not saying I dont like the 8300. It's awesome and does alot real well.

Just the earpiece issu...
(continues)

I returned mine last night. I hated to do it. If it wasn't for the issue with people not hearing me this phone would have been perfect for my needs. It had a great screen, great volume for listening and you can even get rid of the red bars. I didn't care at all about the camera or mp3 player as I never use them anyway. It was a shame to have to turn it back in especially since it only costs $50. If you are in an area where you don't have reception problems then this phone would be great for you.

I also view the earpiece design as flawed. To hear best, you have to slide the opening down toward your chin slightly which allows outside noise to get in creating a bit of a problem hearing. The 8300 is not the only phone with this issue IMO

theatermax said:
Guys,

Sitting in my office and taking calls on my 8300.. I had 3 instances where I had to call them back on the land line because they could not unerstand me , they were getting breaking up..

I am so pissed - I love this phone , I really like it alot - But the reception is a huge problem and in my office I have used my 670 for years , My Sams 950 ( Which I hate for other reasons) But never a problem with reception. LG has always had reception issues and they still do..

I dont know what to do ?? I need bluetooth and a Good Speaker phone and great battery life. This was so close..

I am giving it one more day and then back it goes.

Who knows anything about the Sams 870 ? Is this coming ??

...
(continues)

I really like this phone ALOT too. HOWEVER, LG has always had reception issues.

I am on a lonG road trip as I write this and I was experiencing the roller coaster effect that I had with my 4400. My testing indicates 3 of the Moto models are offering better reception and call quality. Speakerphone on the Motos was incredible

The newer ones might. My old 4600 is perfect. I never had trouble with my 6000s either. It's too bad moto can't make a decent phone to go along with their reception. All their phones are junk. My son is on his third e815 since december. First one had both screens go bad. Second stopped ringing twice a day unless you removed the battery and put it back in. Don't drop a razr unless you have a dust pan nearby and the Q appears to be a bad joke.

cmv96 said:
I have been doing some EXTENSIVE, PERSONAL phone testing the past few days and I believe I'm getting to the root of this audio qual thing. Unfortunately, I have to go out of town for the rest of this week and don't have time to report my findings right now, but will do so when I can.
My problem is probably that I have an audiophile background and a very well-trained, discriminating ear.
the 8300 is a very nice phone, just not the tops in audio and receptivity performance

I tried to tell everybody 🙄

CMV,

That is so funyn that you are an Audiophile - Thats why we have the same feelings about this phone.

I am into Audio like you cant believe.

If you heard of Theta Digital and Aerial Acoustics, I am their biggest dealer worldwide. I build super high end 2 channel and multi channel listening rooms 🙂

Ahhh, so you understand all about D/A converters.. Yeah I have a Theta Gen VIII dac here so I know all about D/A..

This is where most of the problems occur on these phones. In the D/A area..

It's amazing how easy is to to fix if they would just ask and test more..

makers are too into the toy aspects which cause people to buy "the latest"

VZW today recommended I get a tri-mode phone like the Moto V325.......your thoughts?? what are the benefits of tri-mode?

NOthing, Tri mode means it has an Analog 800MHz radio in it for Analog calls. They are so silly..

You have not made an analog call in probably 5-7 years.. They still support Analog on some towers and for people who dont have full digital service i guess it would be okay.

It's like going back to Cup and string 🙂

thought so.

I have recorded roughly 15-20 diff v.m.'s from diff locations and diff phones. The most natural and clearest recordings are coming from Moto IMO. The V325 may have the edge, tied for second is the e815 and the razr. the razr "projects" loudly and cleary, but also has a bit of digital harshness (you know what i mean)....unfortunately, people seem to have a lot of reliability issues with the e815. That leaves me with the V325 for best audio available at this time. The user reviews on the 325 seem to reflect my personal findings.
If the 8300 had the audio quality it would be close to the best in class right now.

And I thought I was the only geek that did that sort of thing. 😉 My RAZR has excellent voice quality but you are saying the 325 could possibly be better? Wow, off to the store I go.

yeah, pls check it out DoubleHelix. I'd like to know your opinion.

No, I'm not saying the 325 RAZR is better, but PERHAPS more "natural" or a bit softer than the RZAR. Although, today I listened very closely to a voice message that came in to my cellphone from a landline, and it actually had a bit of digital harshness to it (I think actually due to the 8300 earpiece) closely resembling a RAZR in audio quality.

I intend to do more research next week before I exchange the 8300. The more I use my 8300, the more I'm finding the mediocre audio quality to be increasingly agitating for the reasons I've already sighted in this extensive thread.