LG enV VX-9900
Phone Scoop Review
Mar 6, 2007 by Eric Zeman
Our in-depth review of Verizon's sophomore messaging phone. It's as good at photos as it is at email. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
Finally a phone that verizon didnt destroy!
I have had many phones, most recently the 9800, The Q, samsung a990 and now this. Verizon actually let LG do what they wanted with this phone. There are tons of great improvements to this over the 9800.
Pros:
Great interior screen
Sleek Design
Much lighter than previous model
2.0 megapixels
Nice menu
Bigger keyboard
Cons:
Phone doesnt convert larger pictures to send in pix message
Cannot use speakerphone when phone is closed
No auto-flash
Phone should come with a data cable
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My First "Real" Cell Phone
This was the phone that I got with my very first contract with Verizon. I was moving to Iowa, and needed a carrier that got good service in rural areas. I had heard that you should always buy the "best and most expensive" piece of tech you could find and hope that it lasted more than two years - I still think that this holds somewhat true, when it comes to cell phones.
I stopped in at a Verizon kiosk at Circuit City (remember those??) in Schaumbug IL, and looked fondly at all of the flip phones. The EnV looked just too fancy, too futuristic, too complicated for little 'ol me. The salesman showed me his EnV, and I was completely BLOWN AWAY by the photo quality. He even let me text a little on it and make a phone call... again, I was amazed at how well it worked. I paid full price for the phone (expensive for an 18 year old!) and took my new treasure home.
I ended up keeping this cell phone for over three years. It got reception absolutely EVERYWHERE, and I was so fast at texting on it that people with T9 phones would get really annoyed at me and tell me to space out my messages. I loved that the speakerphone worked while the phone was open and sitting on a desk, and it blasted sound out of the two side speakers. The front keypad was annoying to use, so I generally used all the internal keys to navigate through the menus. I only ended up replacing this phone when the space bar, enter, and delete keys wore out from a ridiculous amount of texting. I even resorted to using the front key pad and texting T9 style for a while, because I couldn't bear to part with this phone.
When the battery finally started to crap out, I traded in the phone and switched to a Samsung Intensity, which was horrible. This phone lasted me all through college, and beyond, and remains one of my very favorite phones ever. For a while, it was the coolest thing I owned. I miss those days of loving a specific model of phone - No new phone will give me the same thrill.
Very good phone!
This phone has lasted me all the two years that ive had it and i havent had any problems with it! Ive spilled water on it, dropped it many many times (but i guess i had a cover on it the whole time to protect it and it worked quite well..the only problems i had with the cover is it scratches the actual phone, but i can live with that) People might complain about the small screen on the outside, but you'll get used to it. The picture and video quality is great. Battery lasts for how much you use it. If your a heavy heavy texter or you play on your phone alot it will probably last about a day and a half when you first get it. When youve had it for about a year it starts to go down, but youll still get a good 2 days out of it. Texting is nice and fast. The buttons are starting to wear out though since i text so much. On the inside of my keyboard a row went out at the very end of my phone contract and if you use certain keys alot they will wear off on the front. I suggest anyone to get this phone whether its for parents or kids! It will last you a good two years and you will enjoy it!
what a disapointment!
Pros.
Sturdy... at first
Great Reception.
nice sized keyboard.
Cons
Viewing area is minuscule compared to overall size of the phone.
breaks down after a while. sometimes after a few hours of use.
I bought this phone the day before the env2 came out.
Phone number 1. Lasted 6 months before the keys started malfunctioning... while i was on vacation.
phone number 2. lasted 4 months before the camera went haywire. kept using it for another 2 months.
phone number 3. keys malfunctioned immediately and a week later i got another env.
phone number 4. worked 2 days and the charge port came out with the charger. had to get the folks at verizon to pry the port off the charger.
phone number 5. same thing occurred again after 2 weeks!
phone number 6. is coming in a few days. disgusting.
thankfully i have insurance otherwise i would be demanding a new phone for free. maybe i should anyways!
9800 move over we have a successor!
Sure with the 9800 your going to get the lines in the screen the phone stop working, both screens go black, dropped calls, so here's the answer.
I owned this phone for roughly 3 days, the enV 9900 was in Green. I dropped the phone in the parking lot didn't know I had and backed over it, the reason i knew i didnt drop it, was because i left it on the car and drove off, I saw and remembered it and it was on the ground with a smashed screen and all messed up. Not wanting to spend the $50 on the insurance I had to go back to the 9800 and all the bugs it
held.
While I had this phone and it was good. i did though think the layout of the keys were weird on the outside. The inside is fine and easy to text on. This phone is also durable and easy to use, my friend who had the phone even washed it, only had the battery get dried down completely and he had to get a new phone battery, but he still uses the phone. I have seen videos on YouTube where people have litterally stuck theres in the toilet, for the tests and they've survived. I would say the phone is probably water proof.
Comparing this phone to the past phone I had before it the 9800 the front keys are bigger, my aunt had complained of this she owned the orange model.
Another thing I just thought of was that my friend and aunt had this phone as well (another friend not the washed one) had decreasing battery life, tried 3 different phones, and 3 different batteries and were just not overall impressed with this phone.
If you are looking for a more modern day tech phone I would say intensity, rival or blitz, they are cooler
LUVED IT!!!!!!!
I ahd the enV for 2 yearsand it was the best phone i ever had!!I miss it now ): It had a GREAT keypad i hav the voyager now and its now nearly as good as my enV
LG enV
I LOVED the enV when I first got it. Especially the keyboard for texting. Then it started screwing up. Not even a year after I got it the keys on the front pad started sticking. Then just a few weeks ago, the charging component on the actual phone stopped working. After spending 10 minutes trying to find the "sweet spot" (the spot where it will actually charge) I have to hold it there. If I put it down, it stops charging. And when I do hold it when it's charging I have to hold it for an hour just to get 25% charged. Not the best phone in general
My phone rocks!
Ok, so I just love my phone so much I think I will be crying myself to sleep if I ever have to get rid of it. It had some general glitches to it after I had it for almost 2 years (like any phone would) but I took it to the store and they fixed it... I also had to replace the batter after two years, and now it works perfectly...
I can go 4 days without charging my phone. I'm kinda tough on my phones and they seem to jump outta my pocket alot and land on the concrete, and it's never one cracked, broke, or been unusable. It has it's general wear and tear, but nothing major. I had a Moto Rzr before and I swore once I got my EnV and saw the extreme difference between the two phones that I would NEVER EVER go back. LG has made a loyal customer of me.
Pros: EVERYTHING
Cons: NOTHING (well nothing that cant be fixed!)
Every issue I've had with my phone has been quickly resolved by the store or customer care. I wish that they still made this kind of model, because even though they have an EnV2 now, I still want to keep by EnV as long as possible... I've finally invested in a case so it wont jump out of my pocket so much.. I think of my phone as a senior citizen... 2 year old is a REALLY old in the cell phone industry, so take care of your phones! If you treat them nicely, they will treat you nicely!
Nice phone, but cheap
I've found this phone to be built cheaply. Although I love the phones overall user interface, I've had problems with components such as the microphone and the charger port. I'm on my second EnV in a little over a year, and am about to get it replaced once again. The first time i had to get it replaced the mic stopped working without me being rough with it. I opened it up to find the wires to the mic had been torn away, so I just had Verizon replace the whole phone (I have the insurance plan). On my current EnV, it began to not charge when it was plugged in. Over about 3 weeks it's gotten so bad that to get it to charge it has to sit on a desk with half the phone hanging off. This is the only way I can get it to charge, and it's because the charger port snaps in, and since you have to push and pull the charger in and out of the port, it weakens over time. If LG had just secured the port, it wouldn't have this problem that is so common to this phone. It is a shame that this phone is built so cheaply, out of all the phones I've had this one is the easiest to use.
DISAPPOINTING
I've used this phone for 4 months and am ready to switch already. A major let down at the price it cost!
PROS (just a few):
- QWERTY keyboard great for heavy texting
- Inside screen good size and very crisp and clear
- Decent sound quality
- Micro SD easily accessible
CONS:
- Speaker only works when phone open
- Very small front screen with limited menu options
- Scratches easily
- Buttons for dialing on front very small and hard to use
- Phone frequently shuts off for no reason
- Poor battery life even when not in use
- Bulky by today's standards
- Camera lens cover hard to keep closed
- Experienced multiple problems when trying to charge with not picking up connection from chargers (car & wall charger)
- Doesn't hold many text messages so constantly need to empty
