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
sweetness
Pros:
Good reception quality
crisp, clear display that does not easily wash in sunlight ( a + in AZ)
Ability to vibe at any ring volume level
Good speaker phone
Nice size and feel
Vice commands revamped and improved
Cons:
Was hoping for the mp3's (minor)
Short battery life (minor as well, I can get a day easily)
can't use miniSD to create ringtones
Overall, I love the phone. I like it better than both my vx6000 and v710. The cons are minor issues that don't bug me. I use the bluetooth headset (moto hs850) and don't really care about bt file sharing. Anyone who wants this phone should purchase without doubt.
Solid Phone
I just bought the vx8100 a few days ago and am very pleased with what it offers. Coming off of a audiovox cdm8900, it's a different world. The color, camera, and overall features cannot even compare. The phone has the best color on the market and with the mp3 feature on the way, its a no-brainer to purchase this phone. The only complaints I have at this time is about the delay when using the camera and also the sound quality. If anyone knows anything about these two problems, please let me know. Other than that, this is the phone to buy.
Phenomenal Phone
When I first read about this phone in April, I was excited. A 4.14 ounce phone that played Mp3s, included a 1.3 megapixel camera, and had video capability seemed incredible. Even with all the wait for the release and then the software update, I am thrilled to own it! The phone functions very well, the menus are easy to learn and then to use, the camera is certainly adequate, and the Mp3 player with equalizer--wow!
My only negative is that it does seem to drop more calls than my old Nokia did.
Overall, though, I agree that this is the best Verizon ever has carried!
Switched from E815
I just got this phone after exchanging the E815 for it due to many problems with the software freezing and resetting itself. I absolutely love the 8100.
Pros:
-Feels much sturdier than the 815
-Software is quick and doesn't lock up
-MP3 Player (mine already had the update)
-Strong vibrate alert
-Good Speakerphone
-V-Cast seems faster than 815
-Able to read texts and missed calls from outer screen.
-Mini SD cards are easier to find than Transflash
-Crisp outer display
Cons:
-Voice dialing is more tedious than the 815
-The rainbow lights when getting a text or call -- not practical for an office environment
-Battery life is less than 815
Overall, this phone is a huge step above the e815. It is a stellar phone and I would recommend it to anyone. For some reason, I always lean toward motorola's when I am buying a phone. However, the last 3 I have bought, I have ended up returning it for an LG. You would think I would just learn my lesson and buy LG from the start.
New LG8100 So-Far-So-Good Purchase
Updated from LG4400 which was necessary and long overdue step. Phone features all working as expected.
Pros:
Nice size - a little weighty.
MP3 player - maybe - need to buy the card and reader.
Finally a loud enough ringer to hear in the Bar!
Blue Tooth is great. Can not go too far from phone - next room furthest. Ear piece won't fit under the Motorcycle helmet - Speaker Phone Comes into play here and works fine. Speaker phone took a while to figure out - was not explained in the manual.
Video and Still photo concerns from other users - hey, its a cell phone. Cool when you need it in a pinch. Camera functions from a closed position pretty quickly and easily. Flash accessible from closed position also.
Cons:
MP3 player - still waiting on an update that isn't going to kill my phone. - Need to buy the card and card reader.
Reading about bugs included in the verizon update. Have to wait for 'them' to figure it out.
Overview:
Overall, Happy with purchase and will add another review after MP3 player is up and running.
GREAT QUALITY PHONE; NEEDS BETTER SOUND RECEPTION
It's a quality made instrument! Detail is beautiful. Fit and finish are excellent. But overall, it's a little less than I expected... just a little!
(Note: I'm coming off the LG-6000 which I truly love. I never had one minute's worth of problems with it, and I plan one keeping it as a backup.)
The SOUND/reception is much better than adequate, but not great.
The overall QUALITY is excellent, but I think it's not up to Samsung standards.
I don't like that you can't change the RED MENU BARS. That's very annoying... I don't like red!
The MENUs are not as "flowing" as the 6000.
And I don't like that you cannot change GRAPHIC MENUs to LIST style. If anyone knows how, please let me know.
V-CAST is slow and annoying to use, and the screen is a bit too small for comfort. I'm not gonna bother with V-cast after the 30-day free trial.
The FONTS are a bit small for us older folks.
Verizon is very cheap for not including more free RINGTONES, WALLPAPER, GRAPHICS, etc. The ones they supply are absolutely disgraceful!!
The DESIGN is nice, a tiny bit bulky, but nice. However, I think it's the kind of design that one would grow tired of soon. (Just my opinion.)
I went back to the VZW store to get a leather case, and while I was there, I tried the MOTO E815 again. There are some things about it that I like better than the 8100, but not enough to sway me at this point.
I also tried the SAMSUNG SCH A-890. I LOVE the quality and rendering of that phone. It is superb. But I think there are some reception or sound issues with it. That phone swayed me a little more than the Moto, but still not enough to change right now.
When I made calls on the E815, the sound/reception was worse than both the 8100 and the Samsung. The 8100 was best at that point, and the Samsung 2nd.
I'm KEEPING the 8100!!
I may change my mind, but I'm fairly satisfied right now, and I can live with the very few shortcomings of the 8100.
Later I'll play with BLUETOOTH and a few other things.
8100- Top Marks 5/5 !!!
My primary mobile phone use is for business, with an average of 2200 minutes talk-time a month, not including nights & weekends. So as you can imagine, I have real-world/real-time experience with mobile phones. I upgrade to a new phone, once a year, NE2 or no contract, bad case of OCD when it comes to mobile phones. In the past, I have utilized and rated the Motorola Startac, Timeport, V60, LG-VX4400, 4500, 4600, and most recently the Motorola V710. This is the best phone I have ever owned. 3 days now and 700 Minutes later...Here is the skinny:
Pros-
1. Construction- Well built, no squeaks & flimsiness feeling
2. Speakerphone- Loud & Stable acoustic/projection
3. Menus- Intuitive
4. Battery Life- OK
5. V-Cast- Fast and Stable, subject to signal strength and area
6. Earpiece- Moderate to good, but adequate
7. Antenna- Stub, non-retractable
8. Resolution- Good, but screen could have been designed larger from engineer/designer
9. Charger- Finally LG carries a plug no cradle. Cradle charging problems/issues prevalent with early generation LG's
Cons-
1. Speakers side-mounted is uncomfortable to your face
2. No Holster enclosed with package
3. Camera, sub-standard performance
4. Heavy and bulky
5. Front controls inoperable, hopefully will be operational with music on-demand feature
6. Mini-sd slot is great idea for added memory, however is crippled
There you have it, a quick review from Common!
Dont Listen to Everyone Else
Pros (Compared to V8000)
- Bluetooth
- MiniSD
- VCast Speed
- Smaller
- Speaker Phone
- MP3 (Need a MiniDS Card)
Cons
- Crippled Features
Bottom Line: People fail to give this phone a chance. Call quality varies from city to city and from tower to tower. People shouldn't judge the phone as having poor reception, rather their network signal. It is true that the phone's bluetooth and MP3 features are somewhat crippled. The MP3 player works by using the MiniSD memory card which can range from $30 - &60. As for bluetooth, the VX8100 does limit its ability but works fine with headsets, computers, and capable cars. Find me a phone that works with Bluetooth and MP3's flawlessly - You Cant. The VX8100 is by far the most advanced phone on the market. Although some features may be limited, this phone is one of the only ones making significant technological advancements. Just because this phone has a few minor downfalls doesn't give anyone the right to totally shoot it down. Give credit where credit is due.
Switched from E815
Just switched to the VX8100 after trying the E815 for a week. E815 was a replacement for my V710. Big improvement over the V710 but I had to try the 8100 after some of the more recent positive reviews I've read here.
Pros:
*Phone feels a bit more solid than the E815
*Seems a bit smaller and fits in my holster better.
*Battery life is GREAT! Charged for first time on 8/4 in the evening. Used all weekend (maybe 90 minutes of call time) and just got low battery signal at 7pm today (8/8). E815 I had to charge every other day.
*Outside screen is brighter and more vibrant.
*You can actually feel the vibrate mode on 8100, missed a lot of calls due to this with E815. This was the deal clincher for me.
*No noticeable difference in signal strength between 8100 and E815. Signal is about the same inside my house, 0-2 bars with both phones.
Cons:
*Not as customizable as the E815.
*Voice dialing not as quick or accurate as E815.
*Volume in ear-piece not quite as loud as E815 but then again, E815 is probably the loudest I've ever heard.
*Ring-tone selection not as large.
That's it. I was somewhat concerned with the negative reviews this phone's been getting but I'm glad I made the switch.
Great Phone!!
I owned the VX8000 for two months and was pleased with it until the VCAST started to turn my phone off from time to time. So I upgraded to the 8100. Let me tell you I am happy I did.
Pros
-Faster than the 8000 in regards to
Mobile Web and VCAST connection
-Small in size and very stylish
-Standalone mode is a great addition
-Sturdy build with great speakers
-Bluetooth
-external memory via MiniSD card
-mp3 player when Verizon unlocks it
-Easy to use menus
-Camera is good but cant beat the 8000
Cons
-Verizons inability to allow phones
to be fully utilized by their
customers as
LG intended. (Bluetooth, MP3 player,
and games that come with the phone
but are crippled Verizon)
