LG enV3 VX9200 Review

Introduction:

Verizon’s enV series of phones by LG have been popular devices among texters for years, thanks to the internal QWERTY keyboard.  When the enV2 VX9100 came out a year ago, it was noticeably smaller than its predecessors, but lacked any amount of style.  That has now changed with the introduction of the LG enV3 VX9200.  Not only is it more stylish, but has an improved keyboard, camera, and displays.  The device is mainly targeted to the consumer who does not need or require a touchscreen, such as the LG enV Touch or Samsung Glyde, but still wants the convenience of an integrated keyboard.  Its main competition comes from the Samsung Alias 2, as it offers a unique e-ink keyboard and dual-hinge display.

Included in the retail package is the LG enV3 phone, 950mAh battery, combination wall charger/microUSB cable, and user manual.

Design:

Most popular phones today come in a choice of colors, and the enV3 is no exception as it is available in Slate Blue and Maroon.  As you can see, our review unit is the Slate Blue model, where that color is used throughout the device, including the keyboard and on the soft-touch coating on the back.  The phone’s overall construction feels sturdy and should hold up to normal daily use.  It is also about the same size as the enV2 and Alias 2, but actually feels smaller in your hand due to the more rounded edges.  When placing it in your pant’s pocket it is also less noticeable than its larger brother, the enV Touch.



You can compare the LG enV3 VX9200 with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

The first improvements you will notice are with the front of the phone.  The external display is now larger, up from 1.45” to 1.56” and with a resolution of 160x96 pixels.  Though this may not sound like much, it does make a difference when using the phone and external menus.  The up/down arrows from the enV2 have been replaced with a standard d-pad, which we are glad to see.  It is chrome in color and works well when navigating through the various menus.  The dial pad is also more stylish with slightly curved lines, instead of looking like a calculator on the enV2.  The buttons are larger than the ones found on the Alias 2 and provides good feedback when pressed.  They are easy to use for dialing numbers and typing a text message with T9 entry.  The dedicated front music button has been replaced with a contacts button, but you can still access the music menu by pressing the up-arrow on the d-pad.  Located on the left side of the device is the camera button and volume rocker, with the 2.5mm headset jack and microSD card slot on the right, microUSB port on the bottom, and 3MP camera with flash on the back.



Just like with all other enV models, the LG enV3 VX9200 has the familiar 2-stop hingewhen opening up the device.  The internal display has increased in size form 2.4” to 2.6” and retains it’s QVGA 320x240 resolution.  This makes it the same size and resolution as the one found on the Alias 2.  Images look good on the internal display, as it supports up to 262K colors.  It also features a sensor that will automatically adjust the brightness of the backlight based on the surround light levels, but it can be disabled and the user can select from 7 brightness settings.  We like the ability to select our own backlight level, and wish this feature were included on the enV Touch.

The QWERTY keyboard and d-pad has been redesigned, and is actually just a scaled-down version of the one used by the enV Touch.  The buttons and d-pad are slightly larger than ones on the enV2, and there is now a center space key instead of two on either side.  When comparing the enV3’s QWERTY keyboard to the one on the Alias 2, we found typing message to be easier with the LG enV3 VX9200, since the buttons are spread out more and not cramped together.  But if you have large hands, the enV Touch still provides the best keyboard experience.

Software / Features:

There has been very little software changes from the enV2, and the internal Main Menu is still categorized into my ringtones, messaging, recent calls, contacts, media center, email, VZ Navigator, mobile IM, and settings & tools.  The external Menu can access the contacts, messaging, recent calls, my pictures, my music, Bluetooth, and key guard.  Four themes are included for the internal display: Slick Black, White, Blue Sky, and Spotlight (with the Slate Blue model) or Wine (with the Maroon Model); with two themes for the external display: Sapphire and Snow.  You can change their layout on the internal screen between tab, list, and grid view, as well as replace certain menu items and change their locations on the grid.  What we find peculiar is that the LG enV3 VX9200 actually has more themes and menu customizations than the higher-end enV Touch.



The phonebook is almost identical to the one used by the enV2, allowing up to 1000 contacts to be stored with their name, 5 numbers, 2 email addresses, picture and ringtone, but it now allows you to enter a person’s street address.  After a contact is saved, you can assign them to one of 999 speed-dial locations.



As with most phones today, the LG enV3 VX9200 can send and receive text, picture, and video messages.  Composing a text message is pretty straightforward and can be done using T9 predictive entry with the front dial pad, or by using the internal QWERTY keyboard.  When you receive a message you can view it on either screen and can reply to it directly just by typing on the QWERTY keyboard, without having to select “reply”.  Other messaging options include Mobile Email, which will allow you to send and receive email through your standard POP or IMAP accounts, and Mobile IM for connecting to people in you AIM, Windows Live, and Yahoo buddy lists.

The LG enV3 VX9200 comes with an HTML browser, similar to the one found on the enV Touch, except this one can only be used on the internal display.  Because of this, you have to use the d-pad for zooming in and out, panning around pages and selecting links, which isn’t as simple as using the touchscreen interface on the enV Touch.  Also, due to the enV3’s smaller screen, it makes viewing pages more difficult.  Since it only comes with EVDO Rev 0, large sites will take 15-25 seconds longer to load than the enV Touch with Rev A.  Flash is also not supported, so you can’t view embedded YouTube videos in web pages, but can watch videos directly on the m.youtube.com mobile site.  Since the browsing experience on the enV3 isn’t that impressive, we’d rather it was still limited to WAP instead of being HTML.  That way people with the original enV or enV2 could keep their older calling plans and not be forced to change to a Nationwide plan which charges for data usage instead of just using your plan minutes.




There is 120MB of internal memory (twice the amount of the env2) and 30MB is used out of the box.  You can use microSDHC cards up to 16GB in size for storing music, pictures, and videos.

Other features include the VCast video player, VZ Navigator for detailed driving directions, and the ability to download games, ringtones and other applications.

Multimedia:

Once nice improvement with the enV3 is that it now comes with a 3MP camera and flash.  Images taken outside look almost identical to ones taken by the enV Touch, with good detail and accurate colors, despite it not having autofocus or a Schneider-Kreuznach lens.  We’re sure having an autofocus system on the enV3 would help, especially with Macro shots, but as long as your subject is at least 6 feet away, they will look just fine.  Pictures taken indoors still suffer from a lot of gain in the image and a slight blurriness due to slow shutter speeds.  The built in flash does help, but only has a range of about 10 feet.  Unfortunately videos can only be recorded at 320x240 resolution, which is only good enough for playing them back on the phone, as viewing them on a PC will show how bad they look.




The music player has a few improvements, including the ability to multitask.  Due to the internal stereo speakers, it is recommended to flip open the device for the sound not to be muffled.  Files are still categorized by playlists, artists, genres and albums, and will shows the album art and track information on the screen when being played.  It also comes with the same music equalizer settings used by the enV Touch and Chocolate 3.  We were surprised by how good the music quality was, and that volume was noticeably louder than when using the enV Touch.  You can also use a Stereo Bluetooth headset or connect wired earbuds to the 2.5mm headset jack, though we wish it were 3.5mm instead.

Performance:

We are pleased to report that the call quality and reception of the LG enV3 VX9200 is nearly identical to what we experienced while using the enV Touch.  Voices through the earpiece speaker were clear and lacked any background noise or distortion.  People that we called on a landline also agreed that our voice sounded clear and natural.  The speakerphone was also quite loud, and we had to keep it set to the lowest level to avoid any distortion.  We were able to place and receive calls around South FL without any of them dropping and would average between 2-3 bars of signal reception.

The included 950mAh battery has the same capacity as the one found on the enV2 and enV Touch, and is rated by LG to provide up to 5.4 hours of talk time or 19 days of standby time on a full charge.  During our testing we were able to get up to 5 hours of continuous talk time on a full charge (the same amount as the enV Touch), but that is actually 1 hour less talk time than we got with the enV2.  We’re not sure why this is, but people with the enV2 should keep this in mind before upgrading to the new model.

Conclusion:

The LG enV3 VX9200 is a nice upgrade from last year’s model, as it incorporates an improved QWERTY keyboard, 3MP camera and multitasking music player into one unit.  Current enV and enV2 owners will welcome these changes, as well as anyone looking for a texting device.  We like the overall keyboard design more than the Alias 2, since the buttons don’t feel cramped together, but people with larger hands might be more comfortable with the enV Touch.

LG enV3 VX9200 Video Review: