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
Good phone
I just received this phone a few days ago and it is a nice improvement from my VX7000. It's a little smaller, which is always nice. Internet connection is very fast, much faster than the VX7000. It is a speaker phone, has duel stero speakers and digit dialing - the VX7000 does not. It also has Bluetooth capabilities which the VX7000 does not.
Here's my cons:
Can only download ringtones from Get It Now. You can't download ringtones from other sites as it will only go to the "sounds" file. Pretty much Verizon wants all your money when it comes to ringtones. You can't convert any sounds at all. My VX7000, everything goes into ringtones from Get It Now & other sites as well as recording a sound on the phone. This is my main complaint about the phone and since I have tons of ringtones that I cannot transfer over I am sending the VX8100 back to Verizon & I'm going to stick with my VX7000. And did I mention that the so called V-Cast is not currently available in all areas? That's another downer about this.
I forgot another con, which was it only comes with the phone & wall charger. Nothing else. A clip holster would've been nice, which is what I've gotten with all my other Verizon phones. Just another way to make more money.
I would keep this phone if, and only if, the sounds could be converted to ringtones and Verizon customers were not subjected to only using the Get it Now feature to get ringtones!
BEST EVER!!!
I love love love this phone. It's a mere 12 hours old right now but have had NO problems whatsoever! Service is outstanding where I could never get service before. I love the graphics. Everything is very user friendly. I used to have a LG VX-6100 which unfortunately gave me nothing but problems. I upgraded to this phone because I love LG's. I was not disappointed. I was toying with the idea of going with the new Motorola E815 but with it's bulky design, and general unattractiveness I decided to go with the LG VX 8100 and and so happy I did!!!
Great Phone!
This is one great phone..
So far, my 8100 has performed flawlessly for me. No "glitches" or "lockups". The calls sound great, and I get great reception! The camera takes very nice pictures... not the best that I've seen, but it goes great for what it is. The two color displays are very sharp and bright.
I could care less about the MP3 player.. just another useless feature to drain my battery.
As far as the design goes, I think this is the nicest looking phone LG has to offer.
You can't go wrong with this one.
Very Happy with this phone!!!!!!
I tried out the E815 first because I was tired of waiting for the 8100 to come out. Although the 815 was a nice phone, I am very happy that I decided to get the 8100 in the end. Everyone keeps saying that the 8100 looks like a toy compared to the 815, but in my opinion, the LG is more sturdy. Although the 815 may look more professional on the hip of a very important businessman, I, as a housewife and mother of two boys, think the LG looks more casual and fun and fits my lifestyle a lot better. As far as function, so far the best in every aspect. I have had no problems and the sounds/menus/ etc. etc. are easy and although I could go on forever, bottom line is it's a great phone!
A must buy
LG make an absolutely great phone. The 8100 is my fifth phone from LG. Why so many? I want the best phone available. I used to have a moto phone, and I find there nothing special.
Pro's The clear and vibrant inner and outer display. The ease of operation, and tweaking it to the user. You can take a picture with it open or closed. Voice commands make it possible that All numbers in your phone book are available for voice dialing, not just a few as in other phones. Being able to store pictures, video clips, and sound on a separate mini card is a plus. If for some reason you would have to replace your phone you loose nothing.Being bluetooth is a plus. With your bluetooth head phone you never have to touch your phone to make Any call, and you have a 30 foot limit to to make or receive a call. The improvement in the hinge make it strong and less likely to break. The 1.3 megapixal camera gives you some very clear pictures.
Con's When taking a picture if the subject moves or you move the phone before the picture settles there will be some movement in the photo. Sounds cant be used for anything much except attaching them to a message. For example they cant be used as a ring tone, ring tones are separate. I think LG should include a holster, and a battery cradle for the phone. A battery cradle makes it possible to charge the battery separately from the phone, so less wear and tear on the phone, and increased phone life.
Great Phone
So here's the scoop from my perspective. Right out of the box the 8100 was eye catching and felt durable and well made. The flip feels very solid and the phone feels a tad top heavy flipped open, but not bad. I tend to hold phones up around the hinge though and this causes my top finger to block part of the camera so I'm adjusting to that.
It has a great display and after taking a second glance at the 8000 I'm really glad I waited for this one. This one appears much easier to handle and get in and out of pocket than the 8000 would be. I've made a few calls so far and the reception is great, haven't had any trouble even indoors or in spots within my house where I'd drop calls consistently on my Sprint phone. Menus are easy for me to get through and the only (minor) complaint I have from a usability stand point is I wish the right and left menu buttons (the - buttons on the left and right side of the 4-way toggle) were lined up better with the OK button and the 4-way. With the phone in one hand it's a little bit (very little) awkward to hit these buttons when flipping through the menus.
Physically I think the 8100 is one of the best phones I've seen. Being the type of guy who is prone to dropping his phone or, at least having things knock against it in my pocket, the durability of the phone is important to me. While in the store I took a brief (very brief) second look at the e815 and felt the 8100 had it beat in pretty much every area.
Other small things I can read text messages on the outer screen (probably not uncommon now but new to me), the phone has some lights up near the camera that light up in different colors with incoming calls which is cool. And the stereo speakers sound great (for a cell phone) and make the v-cast service much more appealing.
I didn't give it 5/5 because it does have some small quirks like the speakerphone won't work with the flip closed but overall I think it's a great phone.
Great, solid phone!
Had this phone for 1 day and already love it. Much better then my old lg vx4500. Can't compare to the moto e815 since I havent used it. I would give it a five but the mp3 functionality is worthless at the moment.
Pros:
Built to last
Super bright color screens
Loud stereo speakers
View txt messages without opening
Decent camera/video recorder
VCast (If you need it)
Bluetooth (headset)
Good old tools (alarm, scheduler, world clock...)
T9 txt entry
Cons:
mp3 functionality????????
no analog roaming
menu not as easy as vx4500/6000 (imo)
heavier then other phones
bluetooth (limited)
buttons are a little stiff and not raised
GREAT PHONE!!!!!
I have owned many cell phones from all the major service providers and this is by far the best phone I have ever owned. The build and feel are excellent. Call quality and reception are great (Iowa City, IA). The only thing that slightly bothers me about the phone is the lights when recieving and making a call, although I am used to it since my 7000 had the same feature!! But hey nothing can be absolutely perfect, but this phone comes in really really close.
Personally I have had none of the earpeice volume issues. I have had the phone for close to 20 days and have talked on it quite a bit. I used a headset minimally during this time to test this problem. The MP3 deal doesn't bother me in the least bit. That is what my I-POD is for!!!!
**EXTREMELY NICE 8100**
This phone feels great in the hand, very strong and durable. Very loud speakers, great pictures, better than any other that I have seen.
I love the way it shows the pictures on the outside of the phone with it closed. Very clear.
Blue tooth headset for calls is fantastic.
I am so glad I got this phone.
Pros:
*style
*sound clarity
*feel
*camera
*menu layout
*ease of use
*Solid structure
Cons:
*crippled MP3
*crippled Blue tooth
*not enough ring tones
*red border
All in all this phone is perfect for me and if you live in an area that gets good reception for an ALL digital phone, then this phone is the one I would highly recommend.
Great Phone
Picked up phone 7/11. Have talked nearly 500 min's., used all features. I really like this phone. Used a 4400 for past 2 years. Prior to that I was a Star Tac user for at least 3 years.
PROS - Phone feels great, very solid/durable. I like the tactile feel of the phone, buttons, etc. Screens are very good.
Voice dialing has worked well so far - impression after about 20 calls using digit dialing, and many more dialing from contacts. I like the call announcement feature.
Speaker phone - used about 4 x, briefly. Not bad so far. Recipients could tell I was on a speaker, but it was a workable call, not too bad on either end.
Camera - my first camera phone. I've taken about 30 pictures just to figure out how to use. Outdoor quality much better than indoor. I'm playing w/settings to try and get rid of graininess, and brightness/whiteout issues.
Menu - 4400 user, so familiar w/LG. So far, menu is very user friendly, intuitive.
Speakers - I think the sound quality is really good, especially considering this is a PHONE, not some specialized music device.
BT Capability - my first BT phone and headset. I'm really happy, except for a few hiccups which I truly believe are the headset - HS820- and not the phone. I intend to try a different headset or two to find out.
Battery life has been good, especially considering all the time I've spent on MobileWeb, Get It Now, and VCast.
CONS - Poor indoor photo quality. Challenges using MP3 player. No holster,car charger incl. w/phone. Can't use speakerphone w/flip closed.
