LG VX8600 (Verizon Wireless)

I just got my LG VX8600 a couple of days ago to replace my LG VX6000 (a great phone in itself!). But during these few days, I've basically tested out most of the features and I know im bound to find more new ones. I've rated each of these features on a scale of 1 to 10:

Design (10/10) - Phone is slim, sleek and sexy. Nice chrome accent trim around the phone. Glossy finish is great but attracts fingerprints (im constantly wiping it clean so it looks good, get a nice case for it!). Very comfortable to hold while talking. Everyone raves about my new phone!

Screen (10/10) - Main internal screen is big, bright and beautiful. It's one of the best things about this phone. External screen is just as great and one of the largest i've seen. Can be used as a "mirror" for self portrait shots by pressing the camera button on the side. Best of all, the banner and wallpaper can be different for the internal and external screens.

Call Quality (9/10) - Call is clear and crisp. Most importantly, loudness is user adjustable and very loud!

MP3 Player (7/10) - Has just about the same features and use as a regular MP3 player (repeat, A-B, displays ID tags, music info, quality etc). Requires seperately buying the Verizon Music Essentials Kit (contains USB cable, software CD and earbuds) and a MicroSD card (for larger storage of music). After software is installed, getting music to the phone is pretty easy to do and playlist is easy to sort. External MP3 Player touch sensitive buttons are responsive and is a nice feature of the phone. Is automatically locked to prevent accidental activation in your pocket/purse/bookbag. Can be unlocked by pressing any of the side keys.

Battery Life (9/10) - Usually lasts up to 3+ days for me, thats with regular calling and mp3 player usage. When using the online EVDO network, drops down to 2 days of use (but can be disabled for increased battery life). Overall, the battery life is excellent.

Speakerphone (7/10) - There is a dedicated button for the speakerphone on the side. Couldn't find it at first but eventually did. Sound is a bit low, which is surprising since the ringtones are loud. Other than that, it works well, people can hear you clearly on the other line.

Camera/Video (8/10) - Overall, picture quality is great for a 1.3MP cell phone. Sometimes you'll need to make changes color and balance in darker environments (no flash) but its easy to use. Not great for action shots since there is a 1-2 second pause. Video quality is lower, but generally thats with all phones today. Store either 15 second video message clips or up to 1 hour of video (if you have a MicroSD card for larger storage)

Bluetooth (8/10) - Fairly easy to use, my phone is connected to my laptop to transfer ringtones. Its fast and I haven't dropped a connection yet. Range is around 15-20 feet, if not more.

MicroSD Slot (9/10) - Necessary if you want to store additional pictures, videos and music. Easy to pop in and very small (easily lost as well!). The cards are very cheap so its a great upgrade to get.

So far, the phone is excellent. I know I will be tinkering around and with it since its packed with stuff that i'll probably discover later on. If your looking for a new sexy Verizon Wireless phone at a great price and packed with features, this is the phone for you! If you have any questions/comments about the phone or my review, don't hesitate to contact me via eBay. Please vote YES if my review has been helpful to you!

As a former VZW employee, I am going to give you just the good and the bad of the phones, not long indepth reviews but the basics for making a good decision.

LG VX8600 (this is the phone im using now)

Pros:
Modern layout and functions
Rzr like slimness
music player
1.3 mp cam
memory card slot
good bluetooth
Great size
You can read your txt messages from the outside!!!!(again yeah, they took it away on the 8300)

Cons:
Low battery life

Bottom line:
I love this phone, very slim, easy to use and stylish.

The LG VX8600,on Verizon Wireless is the best phone I have owned. It takes great pictures, gets a signal anywhere and I live out in the sticks. Easy texting, a good assortment of ring tones and everyone I know wants this phone. I am sorry to say I have dropped the phone twice with no damage. Which is good considering what I paid for it. It's like a Timex, takes a licking and keeps on ticking. I bought the pnone because of the style and it is a LG. That is the difference. LG makes the BEST phones on the market today. It has everything I want in a phone and I would recommend it to anyone.

The LG VX8600,on Verizon Wireless is the best phone I have owned and use. It gets a signal anywhere, takes great pictures. Easy testing,(I been told!) a good assortment of ring tones. I keep this phone on my lap when I drive and everitime I get out of the car I forgot and I have dropped the phone untold number of times with no damage. Which is good considering what I paid for it (was free from Verison!). It's like a OMEGA watch, takes a licking and keeps on ticking. I bought the phone because of the style and it is a LG . That is the difference. LG makes the strongest phones on the market today. It has everything I need in a phone and I would strongly recommended to anyone.

I must admit, who would NOT buy this phone because of its looks? When I first saw the phone in a store, I was just stupified at how the device looked and felt while placing calls!

I first activated a line w/ Verizon Wireless and purchased the phone just to find the device to match up with my interest in style and fashion with clothing. (Yes, it almost seemed to match what I was wearing! lol.)

But it doesn't stop there: The phone is jam-packed full of features which gives it more than just a pretty face: 1.3MP camera, Bluetooth support and Stereo headset support, VCast Music with glowing external touch keys for music, All-Digital with BroadbandAccess on Verizon's EV-DO network, VCast, Get-it-Now, and slim user interface that has revamped the down-right horrific Verizon GUI.

User-wise, I'm an avid TXT fan, so the smooth keys were a bit hard for me to get used to, but then again, I have high finger dexterity which allowed me to pick up the keys without too much trouble. I'm sure others would have equal problems though as I did, if not worse. Also, the front housing attracts dust and fingerprints like no other, meaning I'd have to wipe down the front constantly to keep it in tip-top shape. And also, the device is just awesome with user-friendly features and downloading/placing calls with an awesome speakerphone and clear voice reception as well!

The reason I'm giving this phone a 3 is because of the durability of the phone, of which I ended up learning the hard way. Just my luck, I didn't purchase insurance and two weeks later ended up dropping the phone once. Once it hit, a screw on the right side just flew out of the phone and caused the housing to just flip from side to side. And the funny part was it was on carpet! DEFINITELY invest in some Total Equipment Coverage with Verizon Wireless to protect the phone from any sort of damage, especially if you're like me and tend to drop things lol.

Otherwise, I LOVED the phone, just sad to see it go to waste. =)

I've been using the LG VX8600 for about 6 weeks now and it's really grown on me. Sleek and stylish, nearly everyone says it looks great. It fits in my pocket without a bulge, and it holds a weak signal surprisingly well. The camera takes really nice photos in daylight (it has no flash), and the Bluetooth features rock! It took me awhile to get the MP3 player figured out, but mostly because I was not familiar with Windows Media Player, which you use to sync your music files. Once it was all figured out, it plays back music very nicely, though it's still a little awkward to navigate the menus and create playlists.

I got this phone directly from Verizon, but the accessories have all come from eBay: 2 GB micro SD memory card; Motorola HT820 Bluetooth stereo headset; Bluetooth dongle for moving files between phone and computer; data cable for loading music. I probably saved at least $200 buying these things through eBay!

I love this phone, but here are the things that could be better:
1) tricky to text with because the keypad is seamless, and it's so slim that it's difficult for me to text one-handed (I have large hands)
2) the high-gloss black finish looks great but smudges easily
3) there is no 2.5mm headphone jack for listening to music; you have to buy an adapter or use Bluetooth wireless headphones
4) the speaker phone is really crappy!
5) it doesn't come with a data cable for loading music. Verizon will sell you one for $30, or get one on eBay for well under $10 delivered.
6) you can use the Bluetooth connection to transfer pictures and other data between phone and computer, but not music files - you must use a data cable for music. Why? Good question!

So it's not perfect, but I still rate it excellent.

This is a great phone! I didn't even know about it until I saw it at the Verizon store when I was due for an upgrade. I've been using it for 3 weeks now and here's what I've found:

Pros:
-Sleek, slim design! People ask me about it all the time..definitely a head turner
-1.3mp camera--very good quality for a camera phone
-touch sensitive audio controls (also allows you to access parts of the phone without flipping it open--e.g. can view text messages)
-nice LCD screen--big and very clear display
-great call/audio quality
-very responsive and quick--no lag time between menus as seen with the Razr

Cons:
-somewhat low battery life--especially if you spend significant amounts of time in areas where reception is not good
-fingerprints/scratches--but the prints wipe off really easily. you can also purchase protective clear covers off Ebay.
-flimsy covers for the battery and memory card slots
-flushed keypad..only a problem when trying to type something in fast
-speakerphone not too loud

Hope this helps!

I recently lost my phone and had to get a replacement. I was woo'ed in by the sleek design and good looks of the LG VX8600. And, I have not been disappointed. The phone is small and ultra-easy to carry. You can slip it in your shirt pocket or easily stow it away. The battery life is very good for such a small profile. One warning: the phone scratches easily. It is very shiny and attractive, but it is easy to get banged up. I get great signal strenght with the phone, too. I have yet to use the MP3 features, but I look forward to that. The only minor complaint I have is that the speaker phone is weak. It is hard to hear. But, with such a sleek, slim profile, it is an easy trade off. I recommend this phone!

I had the misfortune of buying the first chocolate. After many many replacements
they gave me the Lg VX8600, and an apology. Apology excepted. Besides the speaker phone not being loud enough. It works like i wished the slide chocolate had.
thanks Lg

Love: The sleek black color and design, it still doesnt compare to my razr. The only thing it has beat in the Razr department is it has external mp3 controls.

Likes: The ability to view text messages without the phone even being open, leaves room to be sneaky or lazy, whichever fits your fancy. Pretty good battery life, its 'about' the best yet.

Dislikes: Nothing above the top for its over the top price. Impossible and hard to keep from seeing smudges and fingerprints everywhere. Alot of phones give you a little time to kill before ending your call, atleast my razr goes into a reserve mode for about 30 minutes, the VX8600 doesn't permit that. Speakerphone volume is extremely low turned up to its highest setting. It does not come with extras like other phones do...like games (come on LG & Verizon!!! Atleast demos!!!!) This phone leaves you with nothing to do with your boredom besides change settings.

The VX8600 is the flip phone version of the LG Chocolate if you do your research. I would recommend either the razr or krzr over this phone any day. It just doesnt compare. I bought it because it was cheap with a new service agreement (thats explains the cheap quality I see in it).

I love the sleekness of it and the overall length and slimness. Don't like the battery life but with such a slim battery, its to be expected. The black smudges like crazy and the speakerphone is atrocious. The brightness is beautiful as is the text. can do everything from the front screen instead of opening and going to the main screen. Its unique, instead of the razr which everyone and their mother has. problem also is not too many accessories and hard to sell when you want to unload it since not too many people know about it. not advertised model. great reception [in NYC] great sound quality. nice that you can choose to use the BT or connect a wired headset or headphones with the headphone adapter that comes with it. a little top heavy but you get used to it. definately but a case, i got the leather which bulks it up but i dont care. weak vibrate [compared to all other LG's and even RAZR] the keys are one flat bed instead of raised, takes a week to get used to then its fine. the MP3 keys on the outside stay active for 5 secs. problem when u listen to music, you cant go into the phone and use other features. its one or the other. nice option when someone calls and you are listening to music, it picks up the call and when you hang up, the music picks right up. get a 2GB or 4GB sandisk microsd card and you're good to go. very good sound quality on the verizon ear buds and excellent on regular headphones.

The folks at CNET have reviewed the LG VX8600 and give it an Excellent 8 out of 10 rating, and it is hard to disagree with them. The phone goes above and beyond with it’s elegant slim design, and includes such features as downloading V CAST Music, video clips and 3D games; Bluetooth(R) capabilities ; a 1.3 megapixel camera and camcorder; and a microSD(TM) expandable memory port for MP3's. This is a pretty decked out phone for little to little to no price for new subscribers.

There are a few drawbacks though. The gloss finish attracts fingerprints and smudges, though this can be easily fixed by purchasing invisible shield’s phone protector. Also, the touch-sensitive music player controls can be a bit difficult to navigate at first, along with the phone's keypad is flush to the surface and the learning curve to get used to that.

Despite the drawbacks, the LG VX8600 will draw heads with its design and finish, glowing red, touch-sensitive, external music keys and slim ergonomics. The nice touch to this slim phone is the external controls to the MP3 options that were mentioned earlier. Once you get the hang of navigating them, it is a breeze to use.

In the end, The LG VX8600 is a stylish successor to the LG VX8500 Chocolate and just feels natural in your hand. The LG Chocolate is the hype right now, though this is the better phone between the two LG's. If you're wary of the Chocolate's different touchpad, but still want a Chocolate-like phone in a clamshell design, then go with the LG VX8600, you will not regret it.

I think I'm one of the few people that buy a phone just to use as a phone.

Camera works OK, but cameras on a phone are just a novelty and will never have quality anywhere near that of an actual camera.

Music player works fine, but I don't use it.

Where this phone shines is in it's use as a phone. Imagine that! Call quality is excellent. Sounds loud and clear on both ends and you usually can't tell any difference from a landline phone.

Battery life is good if you just use it as a phone, not playing music all day.

Phone is very light, sleek and sexy.

Hope this helps someone.

..... even though Verizon discontinued it and Alltell picked it up - this phone rocks !! Classy looking ( lots of compliments ) , easy to use , great reception and it's a music lover's dream !! I would buy another - no question !! :D

The first characteristic that led me to the 8600 was iits slim design. However when I investigated it I realized how many wonderful features it has: very easy access to options, good speakerphone, nice and easy to use speaker-independent voice recognition, a very nice camera with good picture quality, and all the other wonderful features. I love this phone and have no desire to ever upgrade. It has everything I need and in a wonderful slim design.

A very happy customer

This phone is a great improvement over my old RAZR phone. It is beautiful, gets better signal, and has a longer battery life. They both can play MP3s, but the VX8600 has the Lithium Polymer battery-which has a longer life. You can buy a 2GB micro SD card for this phone so you can hold all the music, photos and videos your heart desires. The only real negative thing about this phone is it has a limit on the amount of text messages you can have stored. Around 70, depending on length can be stored. I like to save my messages, so this is a little bit of a disappointment, but then again-all the other features completely shadows this minor disappointment.

Well I upgraded from my LG 8000 the best phone I owned until now. The LG 8600 goes above and beyond with it’s elegant slim design, and includes such features as downloading V CAST Music, video clips and 3D games; Bluetooth(R) capabilities ; a 1.3 megapixel camera and camcorder; and a microSD(TM) expandable memory port for MP3's.

I really do not have any negatives for this phone. The only thing is its glossy finish where you can see finger prints but I solved this by purchasing a rubber case which fits perfect. Purchased off ebay for 3 bucks.

I'm no cell phone expert by any means. I had been holding on to my previous phone (i95cl from NEXTEL) until it would die. Finally, I broke down and got the vx8600 through Verizon. I read many reviews before deciding on this phone, and overall they were fairly accurate. The phone has a large bright display with a fairly easy to navigate menu. It's light in weight but still feels durable. Sound quality is excellent in my area on both ends. I had to get used to the flat buttons, but they still give a little click. However, my big fingers often hit adjacent buttons which cause mistyping or premature sending of messages, but as long as I'm careful, it's not too bad. The glossy finish of the phone does show every fingerprint, but they wipe off easily enough. The use of a memory card is nice for transferring MP3's from my computer but it doesn't allow you to use them as ringtones. However, there is a workaround for this using BitPim. My current ringtone is stored on my microSD card. The MP3 player is ok as a basic player. It sounds best through headphones. I also like the ability to read incoming text messages from the external screen using the MP3 control buttons.
Overall, it's a great phone that I expect will last me for quite awhile.

The LG 8600 is a great phone overall. I work in the wireless industry so I see alot of phones.

The speaker is useless, and may be a hair louder than not even turning it on. The biggest downfall is that the "shiny sleek" casing is a fingerprint nightmare. One touch and there goes sleek and sexy. You will find yourself constantly rubbing the outside.

Pros: Great looks, awesome mp3 player, unique design, great voice commands and bluetooth, clear screen, and great reception.

Cons: Worthless speaker, only one level of vibrate, smearing.

I decided to buy this sleek piano black finished phone on it's wonderful features, I lost previous phone, and also of course its great look. I am really happy with it, the only complaint is that once in awhile it seems to have a weak signal where I don't believe phones in the past have been weak. It is tolerable though. Overall great phone.

This phone is not only nice to look at but it is just as nice to use. It is very user friendly. Nice big main screen which makes it easy to see. Easy to call, text or listen to music on this phone. It is a great size phone too. I just love it!!!

the reception on this phone was terrible it is a good looking phone but thats about all i can say for it

The seller was polite quick and the product was perfect! This would be someone I would like to buy from again!