LG enV2 Cell Phone Review
By Alfredo Padilla
Reviewed.com Editorial Staff
Published on May 14, 2008
The LG enV2 is the successor to Verizon’s popular QWERTY-packing messaging phone. The enV2 adds some new styling and GPS to what was already a solid package, producing one of the better cell phones we’ve seen this year. Throw in a reasonable price of $129.99 with a two-year contract and there’s a lot to like about the LG enV2.
Like its predecessor, the enV2 doesn’t look like much when you first glance at it. The front of the device is dominated by a large number of keys and controls, with a small display just above them. Opening the device up, however, reveals a large 2.4-inch display and a comfortable QWERTY keyboard.
Dialing a number on the LG enV2 is quick and easy, thanks to the large and comfortable exterior number keys. The phone sports a fairly standard address book and calendar features, enough for the casual user but not enough to replace a BlackBerry or Windows Mobile smart phone. There’s also no way to synchronize this information with your computer.
The enV2 did stumble a bit in our audio test. The sound sent and received by the phone shows minor issues that exaggerates or clips some voices. Its worst area of performance is in side tone, which is the small amount of your own voice piped back into your ear so you can judge how loudly you’re speaking. On the LG enV2 side tone is much too low, which may lead users to speak louder than they should while on a call.
For media mavens the enV2 provides good, but not great performance. The 2-megapixel camera captures colors accurately, but resolution is terrible. This means the colors on your photos will look good, but blow it up larger than the phone’s display and you will get some blurriness.
We aren’t fond of Verizon’s V Cast music software. It’s clunky and unintuitive; however we do like the support for high-capacity Micro SD cards that allow you store up to 8 GB of music on the device. You can also purchase music and download it directly to the device using the V Cast music store, although prices are high at $1.99 per song. Video playback on the large internal display is good, but the software for managing your videos lacks features.
Anyone who has used a Verizon handset will feel right at home with the LG enV2’s interface. Those coming from other carriers will find the interface fairly straightforward, but be prepared to spend some time finding where everything is located, as the menu system is not very intuitive. If you’re hoping to browse the web on the enV2 we have one word of advice for you: don’t. The web browser lacks features and has a clunky interface, especially compared to more modern mobile web browsers like that found on the iPhone.
For messaging, the presence of a QWERTY keyboard obviously announces the enV2’s intentions, however not all is rosy. Although text messaging features are solid, the phone lacks an e-mail client, meaning it won’t be replacing a BlackBerry anytime soon. Those who just want to text, however, will enjoy the speedy 45.7 words per minute (WPM) we’re able to manage on the keyboard. And if you prefer to type out a message with the keypad on the front you won’t be losing much, as we achieved a speed of 41.6 WPM, thanks to large and comfortable buttons.
One of the enV2’s strong suits is battery life, with above average scores on all three of our tests. Talk time is 5 hours and 29 minutes, which should be enough for even the gabbiest teenager to talk to their heart’s content, although we’re not sure Mom and/or Dad will like the bill they get. Music playback time is 8 hours and 21 minutes, while web browsing time is an impressive 6 hours and 8 minutes.
The enV2’s GPS functionality is an added bonus, however you will have to use Verizon’s Navigator software, which costs either $9.99 per month or $2.99 for a single day’s use. The software does an unspectacular job, but if you need quick GPS functionality it’s nice to have it at your fingertips.
The LG enV2 is an attractive phone for the young text messaging set. With stylish looks that have improved over its predecessor, solid battery life, and enough features to make most people happy, it will hit the sweet spot for many. It’s not an advanced smart phone like the Nokia N95, and the multimedia features are not as good as an iPhone, but at $129.99 with a two-year contract it provides enough of the features people want to make it compelling.For a more in-depth review, visit the LG enV2 Review at our partner WirelessInfo.com
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