LG enV3 in Maroon (Verizon Wireless)

Calls and speakerphone: We found calls for the most part to be loud on the LG enV3. On our end, callers came through crystal clear. We did occasionally use the side volume keys to adjust the sound both up and down. Using the speakerphone didn’t degrade call quality, and we had no problem hearing callers over the speaker. You don’t have to be too close to the cell phone when using the speakerphone to be heard clearly by callers. Also, regardless of where you initiate a call either with the LG cell phone closed or open the call is still active if you change modes.

Audio quality: Playback of songs is decent, but a bit tinny through the cell phone’s speakers. The LG enV3 has a standard cell phone headset jack (so you can’t you use your own stereo headphones with the cell phone). Since the LG enV3 supports Bluetooth stereo, you can also purchase an optional Bluetooth stereo headset if you want to listen to music without wires.

Menu/phone book: Like many Verizon Wireless cell phones, the LG enV3 has a standard menu system; if you're already accustomed to it, using this LG cell phone should be a breeze. That said, this interface is a bit more customizable. In fact, when the cell phone is first activated it will prompt you to customize the LG enV3 (it only takes about a minute to complete). The external display sports an abbreviated version of the more in-depth menu options you’ll find on the internal screen. We should note the external display is much larger and crisper than that of its predecessor the LG enV2 and as a result is much more usable.

We particularly like how easy it is to use the phone book, which can store 1,000 contacts, each with five phone numbers, two e-mail addresses, a picture, and street address information. If you want to find your phone number, it’s easy to locate. Simply scroll to My Name Card in the Contacts. There’s also an option to send it to someone via text, picture message, video message, voice message or Bluetooth.

Camera/video: The LG enV3 sports a 3-megapixel camera (an upgrade from the 2-megapixel camera found in the enV2) with a flash. You can snap pictures or record short videos. The shutter on this camera is fast so it snaps pictures at about the same time you press the camera button. While you can also snap self-portraits, there’s no mirror next to the lens to help you frame the shot- so you’re basically winging it. On the plus side, the entire screen turns into a viewfinder (similar to digital cameras), so it seems like you have more room to frame your photo. Another plus is that you can use the external screen or internal display to frame shots, so you don’t have to open the cell phone to take a picture.

As for image quality, we found colors to be true and details sharp. There are also quite a few settings for taking pictures, which include resolution, self timer, shot mode (Smile Shot, Panorama, Intelligent Shot, and Dual Display), white balance (Sunny, Cloudy, Fluorescent, and Glow), color effects, and (Negative, Aqua, Sepia, and Black and White). Video quality is acceptable but not stellar. You can record up to 30 seconds of video at a time.

Music: The LG enV3 sports an MP3 player and comes with 120MB of internal memory, so you can store a few songs (at least an album worth of tunes) and pictures on the cell phone. If you want more storage, we recommend buying an optional MicroSD media card, as this cell phone will support up to a 16GB MicroSD card. The easiest way to get music on this cell phone is to either download it directly from Verizon VCast Music Rhapsody service or load music on a MicroSD and just slip it into the slot. You can play MP3, WMA (Windows Media Audio), and AAC (Apple’s music format) files on the MP3 player. As noted, the audio quality is decent through the cell phone speaker.

There’s not a ton you can do with the music on the LG enV3, since all you can do is skip forward and back between songs, repeat a song, add a song to a playlists and shuffle songs. There’s no repeat. Additionally, playing music through the cell phone did not drain battery life any faster.

Connectivity/Bluetooth: We were able to pair the LG cell phone with a Plantronics 925 Bluetooth headset. You can turn the Bluetooth feature on when the cell phone is closed and pair a cell phone without ever opening it up and doing it via the internal keys and screen We found call quality to be clear with a headset, and users didn’t know we were using a cell phone, let alone a headset.

Look and feel: When looking at the size of the LG enV3, the overall width and length is close to that of a credit card or license. It is, however, thicker than either of those two comparison items. That said, the cell phone isn’t enormously thick and fits comfortably in a pocket. Additionally, since the cell phone comes in blue or maroon the LG enV3 is still fairly easy to find floating around a purse. The cell phone does feel comfortable when you hold it up to your ear or cradle it between ear and shoulder for longer calls. We should note that the base of the cell phone sits far from the mouth, but this doesn’t have an adverse affect on call quality. The exterior of the cell phone sports a five-line display, but its ability to attract face grease is negligible.

About that screen, the small external screen is bright and easy to read in sunlight.. We found the internal screen viewable in direct sunlight, but bright, crisp and easy to read indoors. Another plus is that the cell phone’s spine isn’t littered with extra buttons. The only buttons you’ll find are camera (which is placed perfectly for snapping shots when in picture mode), the volume keys, a 2.5mm headset jack, and the slot for an optional MicroSD card. At the base of the cell phone is the microUSB slot.

Keypad: If you’re in the market for a cell phone that has an easy-to-read numeric keypad, look no further than the LG enV3. The white backlit numbers are large and easy to discern. There is also a 4-way navi-key on the outside of the cell phone and inside as well. Outside there are also dedicated keys for Contacts, Clear, Send and End, while inside the cell phone you’ll find dedicated keys for Favorites, Messaging, Send, End, Clear, Speakerphone and two soft keys for maneuvering through menus. We found the internal 4-line QWERTY keypad easy to use and spacious. We didn’t encounter any accidental mistypes.

Battery Life In the battery life department, the LG enV3 didn’t disappoint. We found that the cell phone could last about four days before recharging when using the LG enV3 regularly to make calls, occasionally surf the wireless Web, and send/receive text messages. Users who barely use the cell phone to make/receive calls and send/receive messages can probably last about a week before needing to recharge, while heavier cell phone users will likely need to charge the LG enV3 every two to three days. We should also note that leaving the phone's Bluetooth activated does not have an adverse affect on the battery.

• LG enV3 in Maroon User Guide
• Comparison: LG enV 3, enV Touch, and Versa

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