Reviews icon LG Decoy Review

LG Decoy Review

Published on: 26 June, 2008 by PhoneArena Team

Performance:

The reception on the Decoy was excellent as we were able to place and receive calls in around South FL and in fringe areas without dropping a signal.  Call quality through the earpiece speaker was also quite good, and lacked any background noise or interference.  People we called on a landline also agreed that our voice sounded clear and was lacking any interference.  However, once we used the Bluetooth headset, they reported that our voice sounded like we were talking in a tunnel and had an echo.  Using the headset in a car was useless, as neither end could hear due to the amount of noise.
Click to see a large image.

The included 800mAh battery is rated by LG to have 3 hours and 50 minutes of talk time or a little over 13 days of standby time on a full charge.  During our testing, we were able to achieve 3 hours and 40 minutes of continuous talk time by fully charging the battery, dialing a landline, and keeping the Decoy connected until the battery was depleted. 


Conclusion:

Despite the Decoy being an overall attractive device and offering numerous amenities, its single fault lays with its most distinguishing feature: the integrated Bluetooth headset.  Conversely, this is the feature that draws customers to it, especially in states that mandate headset use while driving.  Unfortunately, its quality is poor and is more of a joke to anyone who has used a more high-end headset.  Because of this, we would only recommend the Decoy to those who are drawn by its looks and features, and suggest that they purchase a better quality headset, one which they will be happier with.


Pros

  • Sliding form factor
  • 2.2” QVGA display
  • Joystick d-pad
  • Excellent reception and call quality (while not using the headset)
  • Supports up to 8GB microSDHC memory cards
  • 2MP camera

Cons

  • Poor voice quality when using included Bluetooth headset
  • Reflective surface around the display
  • WAP browser
  • Texting is difficult
  • Does not include a microUSB data cable
  • No flash for the camera

PAppeal

Christian Dior:
4 of 10
Low

The Decoy has a shiny appearance with its mirror-like coating on the front, but the plastic on the sides and back takes away from this style.

Average Joe:
6 of 10
Average

The average consumer who has already adopted Bluetooth technology in their life will like the fact that the Decoy comes with an integrated headset. However, its quality is lacking and should be used sparingly. For the consumers who are not into Bluetooth, the Decoy is still a nice phone with a lot of other features to offer, but it’s not much different from most other Verizon devices.

Corporate US:
1 of 10
Very low

Not a Smartphone.

High-Tech junkie
1 of 10
Very low

Having an intergraded Bluetooth headset is nice, but the headset is not high-tech.

expand ratings

PA phone rating

  • Design 7.5
    • Keyboard 7
    • Build Quality 7
    • Look 8.5
  • Display 7.5
    • Quality 7
    • Resolution 8
    • Size 7
  • Camera 7
    • Resolution 7
    • Quality 7
    • Features, Comfort 8
  • Sound Quality 6.5
    • Incoming 7
    • Outgoing 7
    • Ringing 7
    • Signal Reception 9
  • Battery 7
    • Talk time 7
    • Stand-by time 7
  • Connectivity 6.5
    • Local 7
    • Internet 5
    • Data 7
  • Multimedia 6
    • Supported formats 6
    • Connectors (3.5/A2DP) 7.5
    • Interface Comfort, Options 6
    • Quality 5.5
  • Organizer 6
    • Messaging 5
    • PIM 6
    • Phonebook 8
Good
7
out of 10
advertisment:
Check prices

Check prices

Model Carrier Price Today Price after rebate
LG Decoy
 $49.99 $49.99 Buy
 
Email this review to a friend









Subscribe

If you'd like to stay informed about news and reviews we have published, related to the following categories, please select the ones of interest to you and enter your e-mail.





 
 
 

Comments icon User comments

User comments

Show only comments with rating Display mode
0
1.
its so ugly
Reply to this comment
0
2.
tell me about it....i wish LG would go back to making phones with standard color rather then all this chrome, pink, orange, vomit green colors, etc.
0
5.
actually i would prefer a nice color (no vomit green tho, or pink, or orange etc, basically no ugly colour) as it would spice up the phone and wont be so ugly, lg for GSM makes gorgeous phones but cdma so ugly, lol
Reply to this comment
Reply to anonymous Hide 1 replies to this comment
0
3.
What is the ugly thing about it ? It is just an ordinary slider. I like the idea of having the bluetooth headset integrated into the phone, but it would have been better if it wasn't protruding that much.

Cheers !
0
4.
its an ordinary slider. that is what makes it so ugly
Reply to this comment
Reply to WingMan Hide 1 replies to this comment
0
6.
I own the phone, it's not as shiny as pictured, they seem to be using the silver model, which isn't what is for sale, its what the have for display models at Verizon stores. The screen is shiny enough to take fingerprints(lots of fingerprints), but you can actually see the screen just fine.Also the quality on the headset is fine for talking in a quiet spot(like a car, or in your house), but is a little poor if it's in a loud area.This is no problem because it prevents you from looking like a douche bag in public. This phone is a definite no for web browsing, pretty much like every other verizon non-smart phone. But all and all the black version on the phone that is actually sold is a much bigger improvement than the silver one.
0
7.
The phone is way too shiny. I've seen it in person.
Reply to this comment
Reply to anonymous Hide 1 replies to this comment
0
8.
t is so ugly. Even with the headset out and the back cover on, it still looks like there is something missing. Why did they go back to the regular buttons instead of touch-sensitive buttons? Why three colors? I don't like the black or chrome, black on the keypad and side, and blue on the back. I like the all-around all-blue color look of my VX8550 better.
Reply to this comment
0
9.
Like the phone a lot except for the joy stick - which is no joy to use. It is too close to the case and too many times when you try to rub over it to choose something you press down and select the wrong thing - make the joystick stick up more or make the pressure greater to push.
Reply to this comment
  Total: 9 post(s)
Post comment

Post comment

  • *Please register/login, to be able to edit your comment and to get your name and e-mail fields
    automatically populated. HTML is not allowed.
    Any content submitted to PhoneArena, becomes the sole property of PhoneArena and cannot be used in parts or in whole without PhoneArena’s consent. All such content expresses the views and opinions of their authors and PhoneArena will not be held responsible for any offensive or racist materials posted.
Most Popular Reviews reviews icon Most Popular Reviews

Most Popular Reviews

view all
Latest Articles news icon Latest Articles

Latest Articles

view all
Generated for: 0.0717