LG VX-8600 Review - Conclusion
ConclusionIn a world of sleek, thin phones, the LG VX-8600 manages to stand out from the crowd on the sheer power of its good looks. I wasn't a big fan of this phone's predecessor, the VX-8500 "Chocolate," as I found the touch-sensitive controls overly difficult to use, the features run-of-the-mill, and the design uninspired. LG's got me hooked on the 8600, however. This slim, light clamshell is light, comfortable, and easy to pocket.
Feature-wise, the VX-8600 is a solid entry in Verizon's VCAST lineup. With dual color displays, external music controls, and a 1.3MP camera, the phone is capable of myriad feats of entertainment. Access to Verizon's speedy EV-DO network enhances the entertainment experience, though I do wish the handset came with a stereo headset (or, better yet, a standard stereo headphone jack).
To me, the VX-8600 and Motorola K1m are the best looking phones in Verizon's current lineup. It's not the king of the spec sheet, but it's a solid performer with great looks. If you can get past the lousy speakerphone performance and want a handset that looks great in use and all but disappears into your pocket when you're done, look no further than the LG 8600. This is what the Chocolate should have been in the first place.
 Compare prices »Fetch me more...Quickly jump to more information about related topics, cell phones, carriers or phone manufacturers mentioned in this In-Depth Review by using the links below. About our in-depth cell phone reviewsWe take great pride to ensure that the our reviews are thorough and accurate. In no way are our editors directed or influenced by any manufacturers, advertisers, or partners; we believe that honest, opinionated reviews -positive or negative - are the only way to maintain credibility and serve our users. Reviews by companyApple, BenQ, BlackBerry, Eten, HTC, LG, Motorola, Nokia, o2, Palm, Pantech, Samsung, Sanyo, Sharp, Sony EricssonLG's VX-8600 is the clamshell successor to their very popular "Chocolate" candy bar phone. This dual-band CDMA cell phone for Verizon Wireless actually packs all of Chocolate's functionality into a sleek flip phone that I found easier to use and more attractive than the VX-8500. Clad in shiny black with silver trim, the 8600 is a thin clamshell packed with multimedia features.
The VX-8600 features a 1.3 megapixel camera,... Like the rest of Verizon's VCast-compatible handsets, the VX-8600 is capable of providing you with a host of entertainment options including music, video, and gaming. Nothing comes free in this world, however, and access to online entertainment requires a $15/month VCast subscription.
The built-in digital music player works with music files purchased and downloaded from the VCast music store; songs cost $1.99 for a dual phone/PC... The main display is a 2.2" TFT screen capable of resolutions of 176 x 220 pixels at up to 262,00 colors. Big and bright, the display is easy to read and generally looks great. Watching videos on the handset, however, reveals the limitations of the display resolution - some videos that looked a bit blocky here surely would have benefited from a QVGA (320 x 240) display.
A real treat, however, was the externally mounted secondary... Composing SMS and MMS messages on the VX-8600 was straightforward, as was attaching images, videos, and audio clips to MMS messages. The predictive text input system worked well, though this handset shouldn't be mistaken for a "serious" messaging device. On the other hand, tapping out missives on the 8600's keys is much, much easier than on the VX-8500's famously difficult touch-sensitive keypad.
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4.7
