LG enV2 (VX-9100)
Phone Scoop Review
May 2, 2008 by Eric M. Zeman
Successor to the popular enV, the enV2 pares down on the size and makes improvements on the hardware. The only thing preventing it from being a superb phone is the software. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
LG VX9100(ENVY2)
Wonderful Phone. People complain about the small screen but that is no problem if you want to send a brief message. You can turn the Bluetooth on using the keys on the front. That is a big plus when you consider that you had to go thru menus to get to the Bluetooth. It is a very easy phone to use when you consider the old ENV. I have had MANY Verizon phones and I have never given any of them ratings. Most of them were just bad. This phone gets a 5.0
enV2 VS Voyager
So, right now Verizon's hottest new phone is the Voyager, but I personally find the enV2 to still be a great phone that is, unlike the Voyager, cost effective. The enV2 happens to cost about $250 less than the Voyager.
PROS:
* Extremely useful front screen that basically serves as another phone. This allows you to easily and quickly text back or answer a call. A great idea. (this the Voyager doesn't have)
*Unlike other phones the flip mechanism doesn't seem to break easily.
*Great battery charge
*Good speaker quality, great for using as a speaker phone
*Keys are easy to press down and clickey on both the front and the inside
*A great phone for a reasonable price (the Voayager is like $350!)
*A great size, can fit in small pockets
*Good look and feel to it
*Great camera
*Really customizable, which is great
CONS:
*It isn't a touch screen (which the Voyager does have and can be useful in many ways)
*When you text from the front, it defaults to Abc, but when texting from the inside it defaults to abc
*If you take a photo or video and forget to hit the "save" button they won't save and you'll lose them
*Not the best camera for taking quick snapshots (although the camera is very good!)
*Lock function is easy to use, but tends to become unlocked on accident a lot
*Could probably use more shortcut keys (Getting to your inbox is something you have to get used to)
*While I use to music button, if you don't you won't like it there because it is not programmable
While the Voyager has a touch screen and all that jazz, the enV2 is still a great phone. The main difference between the two is that one has a touch screen (which can be handy I'll admit) Plus, the Voyager is the first, which means it has glitches that won't be worked out till the second one. The enV2's have for the most part already have been fixed Depending on your plan an what not, to get the Voyager you have to upgrade you service. I do not think this is true with the enV2.
Sceptical at first
When I was looking for a phone I looked at this phone and wasn't sure about it.
I picked it up for a few reasons and since the price wasn't too high.
PROS
-Great reception wherever I go.
-Easy to use menu's and easily Customizable
-Keyboard is nice
-Battery Life is Great (Didn't charge for two and half days while using all the music and texting stuff on the phone)
-Camara is very good
-Fast loading times
CONS
-Space key on keyboard is sometimes hard to hit (the period key seems to be my space key 90% of the time, proper english really isn't used while texting)
Love my Env2
I've had the maroon env2 for a few hours now and it is wonderful! It is everything I need in a phone and more. I love the fact that I can text on the front the way I'm used to or open it for the Qwerty keyboard.
The only thing I have found that irks me a little is that on my contacts I couldn't put multiple numbers under the same name on the front.I was worried about the small screen on the front but its nothing to fret about. You are still able to do everything you need to.
That is truly the only slight negative I have found! And thats really not a big deal at all.
This phone is extremely user friendly. The speaker phone is loud which is great. LG did great when they made this phone!
A lot of phone in a compact package
Pros:
-Great QVGA internal screen
-Very nice external and internal keypads (very clicky)
-Responsive interface (by Verizon standards)
-Mobile Web is quite fast
-Plays MPEG4 video
-MicroSD slot easy to access
-Many keyboard shortcuts and custom options
-Good (not spectacular) call quality
-Good balance between small size and ease of use
Cons:
-Somewhat weird front keypad locking mechanism is causing people problems (although I haven't had any phantom calls)
-Front screen cannot be set to remain on
-Weak vibrate mode
-Stuck with some ugly verizon software, like the MP3 player
Summary:
Even though it's a bit quirky and is saddled with some dated verizon software, I'm still really enjoying this phone. It's easy to use and powerful enough for me without costing an arm and a leg.
Awesome Phne
This is a great phone; I was a little hesitant at first. But I really love the phone. Highly recommended.
Pros:
The feel of the phone.
Internal Keyboard easier to use.
Text Message In-box holds a ton of messages.
Battery Life
Perfect size
Speaker Phone
Cons:
The music button: I don't use it; I would rather another function key.
That's the only con I can think of for me.
Great phone for average user
The enV2 is simply a great, reliable phone. I have not found that the small screen on the outside limits the phone much if at all. I don't understand people complaining about because if you think about it, it does much more than the outside screens of most flip phones. Here are some pros and cons but the cons are hardly worth mentioning. Overall it is just a great phone for the average person. It is not the phone for an internet surfer or business man/woman but it is awesome for texting, music, calls, and just messing around with.
PROS
-Great design, weight, and feel
-Long battery life
-Good reception
-External keypad feels just perfect
-Internal keypad is the best QWERTY pad I have felt
-Plenty of soft keys for shortcuts
-Internal screen is large and bright
-Camera has plenty of options and takes good pictures (They aren't awesome but they are pretty good, especially for not having AF)
CONS
-Holding the phone to take a picture can be a little awkward
-Unlocking keys is easy but can be annoying
Small
This is a very nice phone. I only have a complaints.
-Pros-
-Smaller then the EV(9900)
-Very simple outer key pad
-QWERTY inside
-You can change your display themes
-Mini usb charger
-Strong service
-Cons-
-No full HTML browser (I was hoping this phone would have a HTML browser not just the Mini browser.)
-Same old Verizon user interface (you can change the look of it but it is still the same old UI
- The key QWERTY pad is a little smaller but still usable.
This is a good phone it would have been much better is it had the full HTML browser.
Physically nice, menus/shortcuts need tweeking
Here are my pros n cons:
PROS
-speakerphone loud
-not cheap feeling
-VZ Navigator 4.0 has traffic alerts - saved me 30 minutes yesterday by warning me about an accident and detoured me around traffic jam.
-text messaging is effortless.
-qwerty is right size, easy to use.
CONS:
--MENUS! Click on softkey MESSAGE - it defaults to NEW message- 99 times out of a 100 when I hit message I want my INBOX, not new messaget!!! What were they thinking! - three button pushes to your inbox! There is a shortcut button on the inside directional pad that can take you right to inbox, though.
-soft keys are not programable!
-limited shortcut button settngs. They LEFT OUT commonly used ones like: call settings-answer options, end call options, specific vcast video sites like news, weather (29 button pushes to get to my local news broadcast! I counted!!! REALLY NEED A SHORTCUT FOR THIS), also, web favorites needs a shortcut.
-Cannot change items on the Main menu, you have two choices - messaging icons or mulimedia icons - I like to use a mixture of both, if I could choose my main menu items I would get rid of the games icon (you have to pay a subscription to use them), and replace it with email icon, but there is no option to do that.
--Hit the OK button on the front to unlock, constantly unlocks itself in purse and pocket. Frustrating, no work around, I tried using the phone security lock function but it only turns on if you turn the phone off then on again.
-keypad locks if you hesitate more than 7 seconds between numbers whn dialing, have to start dialing all over again. Set it for more than 7 seconds and you have to wait that long for it to lock to put it away.
-To many key pressed needed to get MISSED CALLS from external - hit OK TWICE (unlock) for menu, then scroll down to RECENT CALLS, then click on MISSED - this requires several button pushes and using more than one button (directional buttons needed to scroll through list).
Env 2- had for 3 days now
I have had almost every verizon cell phone there is. I get a new phone quite often...its my weakness. Anyway, I'm a big fan of the LG Lineup. Had the 6000,7000, 8000, 8100, 8300, 8500, 8550, env, and voyager. Just got the ENV 2 3 days ago (received it in the mail before its release on April 30th). I am very impressed with the phone. The most noticeable thing for me was the SIZE. It's alot smaller than I thought, which is GREAT. I will list the Pro's and Cons...
Pro's...
Size (alot smaller in person than pictures)
large keypad on front
camera- pretty good 2.0mp
inside display- bigger than original
inside keyboard -more compact
general feel of the phone is great
alot of customization on the phone (display themes, etc)
Battery Life is great (best battery life for me was the new lg chocolate) and this seems to match that, or even be better.
Cons...
If anything, the external display (bc of its limited functionality). But the PRO's clearly outweigh the cons).
You can access from the external screen: contacts, messaging, recent calls, my music, bluetooth menu and keyguard setting.
When texting from outside, you can only text 1 person at a time.
Overall, its the best phone ive ever had, and ive had A TON of phones. If you want a slick, somewhat thin phone that has a keyboard and no touch screen, you'll love this. Compared to the original ENV i had, ALOT better in my opinion.
Hope this helps.
