Customer Reviews

LG VX9400 Phone (Verizon Wireless)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Reception
Excellent - one of the better phones for reception that I have had.

Speaker Phone
Good quality speaker phone and very simple to activate. Actually, have to be careful if holding the phone can accidentally activate the speaker phone very easily.

Texting
Texting is pretty simple but does take some getting used to. The clear button is on the bottom of the key pad area versus on top in most phones. Nothing a little practice can't overcome.

Battery Life
The standard battery is 2-3 days depending upon usage. I just received my extended battery and expect much better results.

Overall Design
I like it. I am a big fan of the flip phone. This design is a little nicer since you can just push the phone to the left. The only issue I could potentially see is if you are left handed. The way the phone is designed, it works best for right handers.

Update 4/25/07
One thing I just accidentally found out is that the phone has an antenna. Shows you how observant I was when I bought it!!

Overall still very pleased with the phone. My wife especially likes it because the font is larger.

Update 5/28/07
I would still rate this phone 5 stars however, last week I purchased the new Blackberry 8830. I am the type of person who likes a phone that can do pretty much everything and the 8830 fits my needs (push email, games, stable, nice form factor, etc. See my review whenever they decide to post a 8830 on amazon).

The 9400 is a good phone, excellent reception/talk time with extended battery and very good wow factor but the rotation is pretty much just a gimick. From a practicality standpoint it isn't the greatest form. Here is why. 1. The phone is really built for right handers. 2. To call someone you have to rotate the screen, dial and then flip it back. If you don't, you end up holding the phone at an awkward angle so that the speaker can be near your ear. Is this a big deal for me? No because I mainly use bluetooth headsets. That is why I left the rating at a 5.

I've had this phone for about a week now and so far I'm loving it. After some research online and at the Verizon store I decided to go with this phone and I'm glad I did. Because this is first and foremost a cell phone I'll start with the phone features.

VOICE QUALITY
This was key for me. I had a Nokia 2128i which was both analog and digital so it had crystal clear voice quality. Most people couldn't tell I was on a cell phone. This phone is all digital and as such your voice will sound slightly "tinny," however, that said, almost all cell phones are now digital so you may not be able to escape this. On the other hand, the voice you hear is crystal clear - other people (even on cell phones) sound really clear - I would have guessed they were on a landline. This is the primary reason I give this phone 5 stars because if it's not a good phone, what's the point of buying this gadget?

PHONE FEATURES
This phone's sleek, swivel design is eye-popping and head turning. Everyone who sees it is amazed by its design (though the swivel screen has already been popularized in Asia). The keys are backlit with a relatively dim blue light so I have to say they are a little hard to read, especially if you're a heavy texter. Also, the location of the keys takes some getting used to because they are at the bottom underneath the screen. There are external volume controls, voice command button, camera, and speaker phone controls. A small gripe I have is the speaker phone control - it's positioned on the side near the bottom and I often find myself on speakerphone because it's so easy to push this button by mistake. Also, other reviews on CNET complain of no external music controls. I don't care about this because I have an iPod for my music but if you want to use your phone as an MP3 player, maybe the lack of external controls for music may bug you. The 1.3 MP camera takes very good, clear photos for a cell phone camera. I was impressed with the quality. The phone also sports a video cam but I haven't tried that yet. There is also an external slot for SD memory in case you want to store music, videos, and pics - this seems to be pretty standard in most newer, higher end phones. One note about the phone's navigation - Verizon told me all Verizon phones now come with Verizon's interface (no escaping it now). However, on this phone and the VX 8700, you can choose the LG theme so at least you don't see the annoying red Verizon theme.

THE LCD SCREEN, ET AL
The screen is both the best and worst thing about this phone. The viewable screen is about 2" x 1.5" (give or take a bit) and the color and resolution are fabulous. The colors pop and the screen size allows the phone commands and any text to be larger, which of course is more readable. The screen swivels from vertical to horizontal (for TV viewing) and back again - it automatically changes text, pics, etc. from portrait to landscape. I think it's better for right handers than leftys but what else is new. The problem with it is that it is a finger print and smudge magnet. This phone should come with its own chamois cloth so you can keep it clean. I suppose this is a foible of all cell phones with screens but because this screen is so large and so much a part of the phone's appearance, it's very obvious you've got ear wax or who knows what on your screen. If you don't mind wiping a lot or don't care about ear debris and smudges, you'll be fine. It's a small gripe really in the larger scheme of things but one that I thought I'd mention.

Because of the swivel screen - you have to swivel it up to dial calls - it leaves the little "sweet spot" or the ear hole to listen, in kind of an awkward position for having an actual conversation (i.e. the sweet spot is at about a 90 degree angle) so to talk more comfortably you have to swivel it back to the vertical position. Not a huge deal but it is an extra step you'll have to take in the execution of a making a phone call. Of course receiving a call doesn't present this issue because most likely your screen is already in the vertical position.

THE TV
Verizon offers TV service broadcast from its UHF airwaves so it uses different airtime than your phone minutes. In other words, when you watch TV you will not be using your phone minutes for this. They have 3 plans right now: Select (for about $25 per month) offers unlimited TV - 8 channels right now but supposedly more will be added, V CAST (videos, music games, etc. and internet access). Basic is just the 8 channels (around $15 per month), and then there's another plan for around $13 that offers only 4 channels. Despite the fact that the TV operates over different airwaves, you do need to have decent phone reception (Verizon tech support said "at least 2 bars") to get TV reception. Some channels are live (and thus are subject to some pixelation and lag from buffering) while others are pre-recorded and stream flawlessly with no buffering issues. Verizon is offering one month free of the select service with TV and V CAST V Pack - just be sure to cancel the service within the 30 day period so you are not charged afterward if you don't want the TV service. Also, keep in mind the service is only offered in limited geographic areas right now. Verizon tech support told me that as UHF stations get converted to mobile TV more areas will be added. Apparently the FCC has ordered this change to happen soon. We'll see. Oh and BTW, if you get a call while watching TV, you simply answer it and then rejoin your show already in progress (if live) or where you left off (if pre-recorded).

SUMMARY
As my review title states, even if you don't want the TV service, this may be the phone for you. The voice quality is overall very good and sometimes excellent. The phone features like the camera are equally good (again have not tried video but assume it's at least as good as the camera, we'll see). The feel of the phone is good, quality components and not at all "plasticky" like some phones out there. It's a bit larger and heavier than some high end phones but probably on par or smaller than some smart phones. Plus, this phone just looks cool. Oddly enough my local Verizon store didn't have a case for it yet but you can order a holster at their on line store (or maybe in a store near you - just not in my store) that acts as a TV stand as well (about $20 bucks). One reviewer noted a cracked LCD screen - it's too bad about that; maybe it was just a lemon which is bound to happen from time to time. I've already dropped my phone twice (!) and so far so good still. This does bring up the point that because of the LCD screen size it is a bit slippery (though the back of the phone is thinly rubberized which helps a great deal).

So, to sum it up (finally!), because the phone itself is very good, I recommend it highly, even if you don't pay the $14-$25 for montly TV service. If you pony up for that, you will definitely be too sexy for your shirt, at least until the iPhone comes out which will no doubt blow this out of the water. Hmmm, maybe wait another month and the price of this baby will come down from its current $369.99 Verizon store retail price (without contract), $199.99 price with 2 yr contract. Have fun with your phone; I am.

Summary: If you are looking for mobile TV viewing with limited choices bundled with a substandard phone, this is phone you. Otherwise, run, don't walk, away.

Detailed Review:

This was an interesting idea from Verizon, but I think the best that can be said is hopefully the next generation LG TV phone will be better. It seems that they forgot that this was supposed to function in a comparable way to other modern day cell phones in addition to being able to receive TV broadcasts. Here's a look at how the phone performs in various aspects:

Call Quality - This is the primary reason to have a cell phone, right? Not with this model. Regular calls have OK quality, but do not expect much from the speakerphone. It is not full duplexed so you and the other person will continually cut each other off.

Text Messaging - The experience texting on this phone was pretty average. I found it awkward to use the keypad for texting due to the fact that it is underneath the screen that flips up. That is you have to reach down with your thumb or fingers below the primary outer controls. The "Word" mode was reasonable to use. However, the keys were flush with the surface, and it just doesn't seem very tactile.

Bluetooth - This was one of the major disappointments on the phone. I previously had a 9800 (see my review), and I had been happily using a Jabra BT350v with it. I paired this headset with the 9400, and my wife reported that the noise was absolutely awful. I tried a Motorola H700, and the static was terrible on both ends. Only with the LG HBM-730 did I get reasonable performance. I suspect that the problems here are related in someway to the poor speakerphone performance. Again, it seems that they forgot that this is still primarily a phone.

Mobile Web 2.0 - This worked pretty well, but only in landscape mode. I found this somewhat annoying if I was simply trying to look something up. Otherwise, the display was great, and it performed comparable to other LG phones that Verizon offers.

V-Cast - This phone has a newer interface for V-Cast from the 9800 and 8100 phones. There are more high level menus that help organize things. However, there is one "feature" that I do not like. When viewing the clips in full screen mode, the picture quality drops considerably. It seems that it is optimized for the smaller picture that you get when sharing the screen with the controls. Why have a full screen option if the picture quality is horrible?

TV - So this is the big draw of this phone, right? As you can see, you have to concede a lot to get to this point. Is it worth it? I would say no. You have eight channels to choose from, but they rarely are showing the same programming that you would find on your cable or satellite TV at home. There is also a fair amount of repetition on the programming within a single channel during the day - especially ESPN. I used the phone for 2 months, and I found that for at least half the time, the picture was very choppy and/or blurry. I did have the antenna raised, and I tried it in a variety of locations - office, home, outside, car, etc. It just wasn't that good.

So, I put this phone in the definite fad category. As I said before, perhaps the next generation TV phone will prove better, but they have a lot of work to do to get there.

The Phone is difficult to hear, very quiet poorly placed earpiece speaker.

The TV service is ok but a bit spotty reception, and basically its not really 'real tv' its a collection of channels with limited content that repeats often, lots of filler content with a couple of standards thrown in. Signal often disappears or errors saying the service can't play the content, even though in a full bar metro area.

TV speaker faces the rear, so you can't hear that well in anything but a quiet room, cupping your hands around it helps reflect the sound but it gets annoying, doesn't seem to work with the bluetooth handset verizon supplies, it might work with the stereo one. Apparently theres a holder you can buy to prop it up, this is typical of Verizon making you buy things that really are required.


The soft keys are poorly placed, or it needs two sets, you end pressing the wrong ones often.

Bluetooth range is poor, noisy reception if in right ear, left pocket, good if all in right side.

Advertisted as DUN capable, even with the 'unlimited' Premier plan that has it ALL ( Verizon's wording) its unable to tether without either paying another $5.

Navigation software works well when you finally get it to agree to let you use it, even setting it with the location tool it often says permissions aren't set, requires you to buy the software once a month, or a subscription service if you use it or not, also may require airtime.

No real web browser to speak of, unable to do the basic things that used to be free with verizon (again even with the premier plan) it requires you to pay an additional charge to use the web (you can redo the wap settings but requires special software and is against the TOS)

Chat / email etc are all extra pay per use services, either subscription, air time etc.

Very limited amount of 'get it now' applications, games etc, some categories are even empty.

No tethering without an additional payment.

Bluetooth sync is very weak, doesn't work with a lot of software, no iSync etc, its extremly picky about the formatting of the card, i had to redo all my numbers and switch them from 'home' to 'mobile' otherwise it complained of the number or email settings problem, also had to remove all +1 from numbers (imported from my old phone)

Recharge connector is akward, needs additional usb cable and software for music sync, usb cable does not charge without plugging in a charger, 3rd party cables do work.

Backlight on keypad is poor and uneven, some keys don't light up well at all.

Frequently failed to send SMS and MMS messages and gives no reason, other than 'failed'.

Locked up and reset a few times during use.

Severe lack of accessories.

Overall, I am very satisfied with my purchase. This phone has a large, colorful screen which can be a bit difficult to see in direct sunlight (I bought an InvisibleShield screen cover to protect the screen from scratches since it's on the outside). Call quality is OK as far as I can tell.

On to the features- this phone supports MicroSD cards and Bluetooth- take advantage of this! I had no problems pairing my phone with my macbook and I was able to start sending some songs and pictures straight to my phone. If you buy a MicroSD card (this phone supports up to 4GB) you can store extra photos and songs right onto your phone using a USB card reader. All you do is stick the MicroSD card into the phone first (so that the phone can create folders on the card) and then put the card into the card reader on the computer. After that, just drag your files into their respective folders (there's MyFlix MyPix MyMusic, etc.). You can even put movies/TV shows from your computer onto your phone, just make sure you use some kind of software to convert your movies into MP4 or 3PG format (MP3 for music).

One thing I do not like about the phone is the music software Verizon uses- it's hard to organize your music unless you buy the music essentials kit, which i did not because i thought it was a ripoff.

The 1.3 MP camera included on the phone isn't the greatest out there (the enV's is better) but it is decent and looks better than the 1.3MP camera on the VX8600. One hint when taking pictures is to hold the OK button down while taking pictures (don't just click and let go) because the shutter goes very quickly so the recoil of the phone after you press the button makes the pictures a little blurry.

The build of the phone is quite good, feels solid. Many people question the T shape of the phone, but it's really not that big of a deal. You can program the phone so that when you swing the phone back into the candy bar shape after typing in a phone number, it doesn't end the call. And even if you leave the phone in the T shape, just make sure you hold the earpiece of the phone next to your ear- it's not that hard.

The LG display theme on this phone is MUCH better looking than the standard Verizon red theme.

The speakerphone of the phone is quite loud, but in very noisy surroundings (like a party) it can be hard to hear (most Motorola's have very loud speakerphones)

I have not tried the vcast TV because it is not supported where i live yet. I have watched some TV shows i put on my phone, though, and it looks quite good.

Overall, I am very pleased with the phone.

Owned this for 4 months, no problems, decent reception, small lightweight, great little screen if you watch videos. Takes nice photos for a phone, and videos. I like the size, can slip it into a pocket. I like that the keys are covered, and the ones that aren't are locked (if you want them to be locked) because I have a habit of calling people when I don't want to call them- ie the phone dials when left in a purse or pocket. Doesn't happen with this phone.

this phone is unreal , its tv is very clear but you need ear speakers to hear it clear, the phone is great for hand free, pictures are clear.

Yes, I went with this phone 'cause of the TV feature. It is very hard to hear the TV if you're like in the mall, in a store, or outside with moderate to little traffic. It's best to have a headset if you're going to listen to TV. The speaker phone is just horrible. You have to turn it way down or you will get feedback and if you put the phone down, you will get feedback. Both you and the other person get the feed back. It maybe just me but I hate how I have to flip the screen up just to make a call.

I have a LG C500 I believe is the model with Cingular and I liked how very easy it was to use. This phone is a little annoying to me. I only had it for 2 days and already am taking it back.

This is absolutely the best phone i've ever had. owned the enV for quite sometime as well.
fast/ smooth texting, phone looks cool, very accessible. (can get to any function of phone very quickly)
will be buying and using this phone till i can't find it anymore on the internet :-)

Have used this phone for 2 years. excellent reception. good battery life. no negatives. speaker phone is adequate. Web-TV (V-CAST) works great, though the screen is not large. for power texters or web users this is probably (obviously) not the optimal phone.