LG VX-8350
Average Ratings
Its ok
The phone is great until the hinge decides to break. I have had 3 of them now with each one breaking earlier than the last. All three broke in the exact same spot, the right side hinge. The plastic on the back side of the hinge is weak and snaps off.
The only reason I have had three and not switched is that I have the insurance offered through verizon to replace it. So they kept sending me the same phone.
The last one I received was more glossy than the first two. I figured "ok they changed the style a little bit". Ya, this one started to crack on the keypad within about a week of me having it. I didnt think anything of it really since it did not harm the functionality of the phone. Then today it decided to break again right in the same spot.
I was told by a verizon wireless employee at one of the kiosks that "oh yea that happens to all of them".
Just a pain.
Frustrated
At first I thought the phone was lots of fun, other than the boring gray color, with its easy access to the music player but then found that it had very little memory & had to buy bigger memory which was no real biggie since I was planning on getting more memory for a music player anyways. Then I found that if it was in my pocket, purse, bag, even in a case the music would start playing on its own because the buttons were too sensitive & there isn't an option to turn off the front buttons. The camera button is also way too sensitive & have taken many pictures of the inside of a case, jacket pockets, & purse. I am never sure if the music has been on or if the battery life is just poor. I'm thinking it maybe a little bit of both. It is also difficult to open with one hand.
My biggest aggravation with this phone is that the hinge breaks. I had my first one about a year when the hinge broke & I thought that maybe I had dropped it the previous day and not thought about it. I got a replacement & made sure to take greater care but still about 6 months later after speaking with a friend, I hang up & the hinge cracked. It does not take being dropped or poor care to make the hinge break. According to my bill I don't use much time on my phone so I know it's not an over usage that causes it to wear out.
I do like the reception & it keeps a strong signal where other phones have had the problems of being weaker. The internal antenna was good but it's not doing not doing any good if the battery is dead from the music player staying on or if it's broken from basic every day usage.
I hate this phone!
This phone had problems since the day I got it. First of all, it makes some weird noise that sounds like the person on the other line hung up. It just goes silent for like 2 secs. I could never tell if they hung up or not without looking on the phone.
Another thing is that the phone had problems ringing! I have no idea why, but it didn't matter where I was and all of a sudden I would get a voice mail warning.
I'm getting a new phone today and I say good riddance!!
Very good basic phone
I needed a basic phone with an MP3 player that had controls on the front cover, and didn't have the shiny/chrome-y finish I saw on other phones. This was the only unit in the Verizon store that met these requirements.
PROS
-Call sound quality is good.
-MP3 player with one-touch activation and basic player controls on the front cover and screen, so you don't need to keep it open to play/pause/skip through songs.
-Camera and video capture work well for basic use. Self portrait feature also.
-Front screen shows incoming calls or texts when closed.
-Battery on standby has lasted 6 days + for me. Long phone calls and a lot of MP3 player use require a recharge within 2 days.
-Phone has a "standalone mode" that turns off incoming/outgoing calls. I activate this mode at the gym so I can use the MP3 player without having my tunes interrupted by incoming calls, text or voicemail. (Yea, I'm looking at you "Talk on the phone while on the treadmill" guys...) Any incoming calls are waiting for you when the standalone mode is deactivated.
-Additional memory storage available by adding a micro SD card. I have a 2Gb card for MP3's
CONS
-Yea, it's kinda ugly.
-No flash for the camera.
-There is a button on the side of the phone that activates the camera, very touchy and you will find yourself turning on the camera by accident constantly until you get used to it.
-MP3 player can't handle subfolders.
-Voice activation feature is either too sensitive or stone deaf. If this feature is important to you, look at another phone.
-Contacts only has room for names and phone numbers. No additional fields available for home or business addresses.
LG VX8350
I've had this phone for a year, and I'm giving it a 4.0 since it serves all of my needs, which are pretty basic (translation: I want a phone I can talk to people on and that's it).
Cons:
Short battery life (after only talking for 20 minutes or so, I lose a bar). I charge my phone every day (and don't use it for anything but calling), so this is not really an issue for me.
The vibrate feature on the phone is so weak as to be useless.
The phone is lightweight and I was constantly dropping it. I got an inexpensive cover and that added some heft to it.
Pros:
Buttons are big and easy to navigate - this is esp. important to my parents who also have the 8350.
Ringer is loud, which I like - esp. when it's buried in my purse.
I think the fact that I don't have a lot of complaints about this phone makes it a good buy.
Not the best from LG but good
Lg is a good company but disappointed in this phone since it is an upgrade from the famous VX-8300, i am sad that it doesnt live up to its name.I have had this phone for about a year and am already on 3rd on, but the speaker wont work on it.
Pros;
Sturdy
takes OK pictures
Fast
Music Player
Cons:
The music player keys get hit a lot in the pocked
Feels Cheap
LG 8350 its amazing
This phone is amazing! I dropped mine in a pool of slush and it sat there in it for 40 minutes. I let it sit in a bag of rice for 2 days and then took it to verizon they said it would work for like 3 months. It has lasted me 16 months. Its amazing! It is slowly dying though but i think this cause i dropped it alot and in water once... The hinge just broke on it but i am getting a new one just like it right now :)
Solid phone but external keys drain battery
I have had the phone over a year now, I like it alot. The one annoying factor is the external keys for the MP3 player. LG does not have an option for locking the external keys so anytime when you bump the outside you drain the batter b/c the lights come on. I don't use the MP3 player anyway. I got the phone b/c Verizon had a good deal and LG has a great name. Other than the external keys being annoying the phone is solid, I have the Verizon network and where I live the signal has never been lost. I will definitely buy another LG phone again.
An upgrade that is actually a downgrade
I got this phone to replace its predecessor, the LG 8300. The 8300 was an excellent phone that was top of the line when it came out. The 8350 is hardly that.
The main problem I had with the phone was the placement of the "clear" key. It is located directly below the down arrow and there is not a gap between the two buttons. Far too often, when pushing the arrow button I would hit the clear key and have to go through my whole process again. This would get very aggrevating when I would do it three times in a row, when specifically trying not to.
The second problem with the phone was the non-rounded edges of the seam that touches when the phone is closed. The 8300 had rounded edges that made it easy to flip open with one hand. The 8350 pretty much requires you to open it with two.
Lastly, and this may be petty, the phone feels cheap in your hand. I know phones are designed to be lighter than ever, but this phone felt like I should throw it away and get a new one after every call.
The features of the phone are all top notch and the call quality was very high. The phone functioned well, but the ergonomics of the phone were too poor for me, so it went back and I picked up a different phone. (LG Venus)
Happy W/ My purchase
I just bought this phone last week in red and I must say that I'm very happy with it thus far. This was my 2 year upgrade from a 1st gen. Chocolate(of whichI went through 3 because of software failings..always get that extended warranty). It's a very sharp looking phone.
It's a light but sturdy phone. I love that I can read my texts on the front screen, but as of yet I haven't figured out how to go through multiple new texts. I like the animations, and it gets great reception.
The keys are audible even when the phone is set to silent, but it doesn't really bother me. The only thing i'm not too keen on is the placement of the speaker button.
I haven't managed to take any photos of my pocket or purse yet like some other users, but I can check my yahoo email, facebook, and myspace so I'm happy.
It's a good phone, and I've had many a motorolla and samsung phone in the past, but so far like the LG's best, this one so far being my favorite cell phone yet.
For the money it's everything I could want and then some. I highly recommend it.
