- Full-color internal and external LCDs
- Integrated VGA CMOS digital camera with flash and 2x digital zoom
- Bluetooth (v1.1) wireless technology supporting headset, handsfree, serial, dial-up networking, and object push profile for vCard
- Customizable brightness, white balance, shutter sound, color effects
- Speaker-independent voice recognition with full-duplex speakerphone
- Voice Memo Recorder can store up to 100 memos 1 minute each
- Personal organizer with Calendar, Scheduler, Alarm Clock, and Notepad
- Tools including World Clock, Calculator, and Ez Tip Calc
- Announce Mode for audio confirmation of menu navigation
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| 1. Posted by kickstop |
Sun Sep 17, 2006 4:05 pm |
I was due for a New Every 2 upgrade with VerizonWireless and was interested in replacing my old LG VX4400 with a bluetooth phone (for wireless communication and connectivity). Being a bit oldschool, I do not care about video and music playback on my phone. As I often travel through areas with weak digital signal, I wanted to keep with a trimode phone for the analog fallback option. The two trimode bluetooth phones currently available for VZW were the LG VX5300 and the Samsung A870. As I had good luck with my previous LG phones, I decided to go with the VX5300. I got one for myself and another for my mom (replacing her old LG TM510).
FORM: While other phones go for flashy style, the VX5300 has a classic yet sleek silver appearance. Some might find it boring, but I prefer classic looks that don't go out of date in a few months. I would not feel embarrassed pulling this phone out in a business or casual setting. The unit is quite a bit lighter than the VX4400 and VX5200, but feels well built with tight hinges and no give at the seams. The outside OLED color screen displays quite a bit of information such as time, date, battery level, signal strength, current connections, messages/mail, missed calls, etc. The drawbacks to this screen is 1)it isn't as easy to see in sunlight as a black and white LCD, 2) the font might be a bit small for some people to read comfortably, 3)phone does not show picture caller ID on this screen although it can display wallpaper image. The internal screen is a rather bright 262K color TFT screen that I find easy to read even in bright sunlight. Both screens can be used as viewfinder for the VGA camera, and camera can be used even with phone closed. The antenna on this phone is external and does not extend. The stubby antenna might be a concern for people who pocket their phones or wear it on their front waistline while bending over. I personally haven't had an issue with the antenna poking me while I wear it in a holster even when phone rotated vertically. With the standard battery and cover, the VX5300 is roughly 2/3 the thickness of the VX4400 with standard battery.
Controls: The keypad buttons are smooth, rounded, slightly raised, and give an affirmative click when pressed. The buttons are a bit more slippery than the rubbery buttons found on the VX4400, but I did not have any difficulty with the transition. A great improvement on the VX5300 is that all four shortcuts on the 4 way rocker can be customized (the VX4400 only allowed one direction/shorcut to be remapped). This is great as I can remap the shortcuts so I don't accidently trigger airtime using features like "GET IT NOW" or "Mobile Web" while quickly accessing frequently used features such as the calculator. A handy speakerphone button is centered between the keypad and rocker/call buttons. The volume buttons and a voicedial/cameraflash toggle button reside along the side of phone under a standard 2.5mm headset jack. The voicedial button does not switch between normal and vibrate mode when held down (preventing the accidental silencing of phone while it is in purse/pocket/etc experienced by the VX4400). The camera mode button resides on the other side of phone near antenna. Note that camera can be turned on (external screen as viewfinder) when phone is closed by holding down this button for a couple of seconds.
Reception: I have been using the VX5300 in the Chicagoland area and the San Francisco South Bay area over the past two weeks. I also tested out my mom's VX5300 when I was in SF area. I did not encounter any areas where I could not receive or initiate a call. There are some areas in southside Chicago where my VX4400 (as well as friends' VX4500 and Motorola V710) had problems initiating a call or occasionally dropped calls. I have not experienced any of this with the VX5300 in those areas. Even when the phone shows signal strength with no bars (I travel across farm country in central Illinois quite often), no distortions or clipping occurs in the phone conversation.
Sound quality: There have been reports around the net about the VX5300 sounding muffled or echoing. I suppose a lot of this is individual preferences on how a phone should sound. In my opinion a phone should allow all parties to understand each other without being annoyed by extraneous noises. I put both my mom's phone and mine through numerous phone call tests to landlines and friends on various wireless carriers around the country. Neither I or my mom heard any echoing and found the earpiece sound quality to be quite clear and of more than sufficient volume. People on other end of the line report very clear audio quality from phone's mic. The speakerphone sound quality is definitely less than earpiece and tends to distort at higher volumes. My mom's speakerphone sounded a bit less distorted at highest volume than my own. That said, I still found the speakerphone feature on mine absolutely usable in my slightly noisy car when my bluetooth headset ran out of battery power. I can confirm that the VX5300 speakerphone is full-duplex which means simultaneous transmission of incoming and outgoing audio. Think of full duplex as a two lane, two direction road while half-duplex is a one lane, one way road. This is essential in noisy environments because with half-duplex speakerphone the phone is constantly stuck in transmit mode and phone is not receiving audio from other person in quiet environment. Another complaint found on the net is that the volume of the 2.5mm headphone jack is too low. I do notice that the volume level is lower than my previous LG phones when using cheap Sanyo earbud/mic sets, but when used with my mom's Panasonic headset the volume is roughly the same. My mom is able to use her headset while driving without problems with volume level 2 steps below maximum. I think the autogain feature on the VX4400 was what cranked up volume so loud on the earbuds, and since VX5300 doesn't appear to have this feature...the earbuds are quieter. Mind you, that autogain feature on VX4400 made the earbuds so loud it hurt my ears and forced me to direct buds away from ear canal. I just now wear earbuds normally (directed toward ear canal) with VX5300 and find it usable in the car unless I'm driving at high speeds with windows down. It should be pointed out that neither my mom or I have any hearing impairments. People who regularly attend extremely loud rock concerts may have different opinion about volume level. At the same time, I really wished the VX5300 retained the autogain feature that increased volume in presence of background noise.
Battery life: The standard 1000mAh battery is rated by LG for 3 hours of talk time and up to 7 days standby. I find the talk time be actually better than 3 hours on a fully charged battery. I managed to squeeze close to 4 hours of talk time out despite using a bluetooth headset. I find if I talk about 30-60mins a day, a fully charged battery can last 3 days depending on area's signal strength. My mom uses a wired headset and gets longer standby time of 4-5 days with bluetooth turned off. There is a 1700mAh battery available from LG, but it is thicker and requires different battery cover. I am content with the talktime and sleeker look of standard battery. By accessing the service menu, the phone can be set to run only on digital, specifically on different revisions of CDMA digital, specific frequency, or forcing analog mode. When I'm in urban areas with great digital coverage, I force the phone to run digital only to save battery (preventing phone from switching to analog and burning more battery power).
Bluetooth Headsets used: Motorola H500, Motorola H850, Plantronics M2500, Plantronics Voyager 510 v.G (greenish gray version with separate windsock), Plantronics Voyager 510 with Windsmart (silver and black version with built-in windsock). Two people reported hearing very slight echo (which they said they only noticed when I specifically asked them if they heard an echo) with Motorola H500 that was eliminated by turning volume down one bar. The H500 mic seemed to pick up background noise quite a bit which made using voice commands difficult to use in the car, but did not hinder actual phone conversation even with moderate breeze. The H850 had lower max earpiece volume than H500 and an earpiece ruff that made for rather floppy fit. The Plantronics M2500, and both versions of the 510 had higher maximum volume than the Motorolas. The Plantronics M2500 battery only lasted a bit over an hour of talktime and seemed to have a shorter range than the other headsets I used. Both versions of the 510 had the best outgoing clarity and least amount of background noise. Older 510 vG seemed more prone to incoming audio clipping and static from 802.11b/g networks than the newer 510. My mom usually can't tell I'm in the car driving until something really loud like big rig or Harley rolls by. Experienced one unexplained dropped bluetooth connection with 510 vG (could be related to multipoint function). No drops with the other headsets despite often being connected for a couple of days straight. Generally the VX5300 seems pretty tolerant and functional with the headsets I've tried.
Bluetooth Data: I used my old VX4400 as an internet modem connection for my laptops via USB cable quite a lot when I'm in middle of nowhere without any other net access. I was happy to find that the VX5300 supports this DUN (dialup networking) feature via bluetooth connection. Once paired with my laptops and PDAs, I just choose the Bluetooth Dialup Modem using my previous connection configuration and it worked like a charm with an average of 80-90kbps throughput. Not broadband, but very functional for productivity without added cost. Very convenient to pull out my laptop/PDA and access the internet for email/browsing while my phone remains wherever it is (corner of room charging or in my holster). *I have noticed a quirk that happened a couple of times where the VX5300 reconfigured DUN feature from bluetooth to USB after disconnecting from a headset. I found that turning the bluetooth off and then back on fixed this and prevented this from happening again. I recommend turning bluetooth off and back on when you first turn phone on (or after phone reset) to ensure the phone doesn't reconfigure DUN from bluetooth to USB. If you don't use DUN, you don't need to bother with this as other bluetooth functions aren't affected.*
Misc: Powering on and off is MUCH faster than VX4400. The voice command feature of this phone can be quite useful for visually impaired people as it can be set to read out menu/onscreen activity/numbers entered/etc (go into voice dial menu/setting/prompt/select readout). Heck, it can be helpful for those who don't have their reading glasses(although my mom can read the numbers she dials without her reading glasses just fine with large font option switched on). I have successfully uploaded my own wallpapers and mp3 ringtones using bitpim via bluetooth serial connection. Bitpim doesn't currently have VX5300 officially supported, but I just manually choose VX8300 setting in Bitpim which works fine (suggest setting 3 to 5db increase on ringers in bitpim since LG phones are softer with custom rings). The phone has 28MB memory which should be plenty for wallpapers, 640x480 pictures from built-in flash camera, and mp3 ringers. I like the fact that I can choose to have phone vibrate simultaneously with ringing (VX4400 would vibrate first, then ring...which often made me miss a call if I wasn't wearing my phone). Another nice feature is to only have the alarm clock be audible while calls do not ring. This allows use of phone as alarm clock without risk of people calling and interrupting you while you sleep.
Conclusion: After more than 3 weeks of extensive use and testing of two VX5300 phones, I find the model to be a very capable bluetooth trimode phone. It does not have a megapixel camera or fancy multimedia features for anyone looking for that in a phone. For people who are like me and are looking for a dependable communication device with analog and bluetooth capability, the VX5300 should fill the role nicely.
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| 2. Posted by roamingdad |
Fri Aug 04, 2006 10:20 pm |
I've had my 5300 about a week, and find that it does just what I need it to. It's reception is good, it's small and light enough to throw in my pocket, and I love having bluetooth. The battery seems to have better life than they claim, but I haven't run it lower than halfway in regular use yet so we'll see.
I may end up trading up to a Razr, just because the clarity of the Razr earpiece and speaker are superior - I did a side-by-side comparison with my brother's Razr, and while not as loud, it's definitely clearer. It made the LG sound a little fuzzy. The stated battery life of the V3m is longer than the 5300, though in reality I suspect it would be pretty close, so that's not a factor. I could care less about camera/music/etc., I just need good reception and clarity (incl. speakerphone). The only fancy thing I need is bluetooth for the car.
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| 3. Posted by gbodybilly |
Fri Jul 28, 2006 8:08 pm |
My past experience:
This is my 2nd LG from the VX3200 and have had service from Bell Atlantic, Sprint, Cingular and now for over 2 years now, Verizon. I still have an ancient Nextel Motorola i1000 from work. That thing is indestructible.
For me, important features were tri-mode and speakerphone. This being my only phone and the amount of driving and multitasking that I do. The LG interface on my VX3200 only comes second to my much older Kyocera as far as intuitiveness and one hand operation "feel".
In any case, the VX5300 is only available from Verizon and there is no support on LG's website at all. As a matter of fact, the included documentation is pretty useless but being relatively familiar with LG's interface, it really wasn't hard to figure out. Online documentation is excellent, however. Both my old VX3200 and the new VX5300 being tri-mode, I do notice I have a slightly better reception in rural areas I have to travel for work.
Things I don't like:
-The added "crap" I find useless (like the Get It Now, MSG and Web) really clutters the interface. That's 2 of the 5 tabs in the main Menu. Over time, I'm sure I'll learn to mentally block these.
-My old VX3200 has an option to speak the numbers aloud as you type them in. I see no option for this phone. Though, there is a voice command number dialing feature.
-There's no brightness control. Really, WTF?
-The layout of the keypad is curved. Just something else to get use to, I guess.
-I had the option to switch between list mode and icon mode on my old phone. Not this one.
Things I do like:
-From the exterior, it does look sleek and modern. And it is colored in a titanium gray.
-It is still lighter than many phones but not by much. I often forget my phone would be in my back pocket with my old VX3200 and I'd sit on it. This one is slightly heavier and doesn't feel as flimsy. Though, no drop test yet. They're usually unplanned.
-It has Bluetooth and using the earpiece is much more convenient and would probably eliminate my habit of dialing without looking at the phone and use voice number dialing. Though, having to charge the earpiece makes the whole thing a compromise as far as convenience is concerned.
-Now this one, I really didn't care too much for, but it's "nice". The camera. Built-in flash and a night mode as well as brightness control and self timer and white balance. I have a little photography education so I'm rather impressed with this probably going to get little use feature. Though, as of right now, I find no USB data cable offered by anybody, though the documentation does mention one is available. But where? Now I have to get a Bluetooth Dongle for my PC to see if I can even transfer the images. Otherwise, it'd be even more useless with the only option is to send it from the phone where Verizon nickel and dimes you.
-The stupid crappy images the phone comes with can be deleted. This frees up memory if the number of contacts/photos get out of hand, which is nice.
Bottom line: I don't consider this as an upgrade by any means. It's always a compromise. There are new things that replace old things. Convenience of one thing is at the price of dependency of another (Bluetooth earpiece dependent on battery life of the earpiece). The interface is not as good as the VX3200 but with the amount of crap they try to shove into it, it's somewhat understandable. I'm still okay for another 10 days before I can return it. I'm not real happy with it but it just takes getting used to. If I do return it, I'd probably give the Motorola V325 a try.
Hope this helps somebody.
Follow up
Something I've found from looking at my brother's Motorola Razor and a few others. It looks like Verizon maintains similar interfaces which explains the cluttered and somewhat clumsy menu. If only there was a way to get rid of the Get It Now and Messaging...
Going through every selection available, still no brightness control on the front screen or main screen, just the limited control of how long the backlight stays lit. This can get every annoying if you're using this anywhere that's dark. This thing is like a tractor beam.
I've made several calls to automated answering machines/phone directories. I found myself punching in the wrong numbers constantly because of the curved/offset layout of the numbers. Also, the speaker button is between the directional down button and the 2. Very annoying.
Fooling around with the camera and because of the built in flash, blurriness due to slow shutter speed (to compensate for low lighting) is a non factor. I really dig the camera, though, the images on a 2 inch sreen can only do so much justice.
The Bluetooth earpiece works extremely well.
I've been on the night shift for the past week and I can't get over the keypad layout or the lack of brightness control. It sounds like nonsense things but having to live with this thing for the next 2 years, I just can't do. If they only put as much thought into the phone itself than the camera. I'll be exchanging it in the morning for the Motorola V325, I think.
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| 4. Posted by teach281 |
Sat Sep 09, 2006 5:57 pm |
I had this phone for 1 week but returned it because I literally could not hear using my head set. Some calls were ok but most were as if the other person were covering their mouth piece. And yes, I had the ear piece volume turned all the way up. If you don't use a head set then you'll have no problem!! It'll burst your eardrum! Seems as though these settings were not set up properly or tested. I wasn't crazy about the phone's interface either. I could have gotten past that though, if I could only hear on it while using my headset! I went back to my old phone. (An Audiovox). I'll wait until something better comes along. As for anyone looking for a cell phone, make sure you try it in the store...also with a headset!
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| 5. Posted by mr coffee |
Fri May 18, 2007 6:16 pm |
Well, this is my 4th VX5300. and it's not because I drop them or otherwise abuse them. I'm not an LG hater or anything; in fact, I loved my VX4500 which lasted me more than 3 years without a wimper.
Featurewise, I like the phone for the reasons stated above by other reviewers. But I think the model must have some manufacturing or QA problems.
What goes wrong, you ask?
All 3 developed the problem where they wouldn't turn on in the morning after laying on my dresser with the power off. Some of the phones would sometimes go back to working seemingly normally if I simply removed the battery and reinstalled it. Some of them inexplicably drained the battery from 3 or 4 bars to nothing for no apparent reason (no, I don't live where the phone was going into analog mode from lack of a digital signal). I was pretty clear what was draining the battery in the middle of the night on phone #2. I got up to go to the john and it was just laying there with the display backlight just shining away. And I had turned it OFF before retiring for the night. Hard to say about the others. I can go to bed with 4 bars (i.e., fullly charged battery), and it's always an adventure to see what will happen in the morning if I leave the battery in.
So is it a good phone? Well, they have all worked fine for me as long as I pulled the battery out at night (or whenever I turn it off). I'm sure the techs at the Verizon store aren't supposed to say if a model is a "problem phone", but I did run into an old friend while I was waiting in line and guess what model phone he was exchanging? Yup, you guess it. The tech turned slightly red, when, overhearing the conversation and getting the gist that the phone wasn't working right, I spoke up and said, "Hi _____, let me guess, you got a VX5300 too? What's yours do?"
Yeah, they have offered to give me another phone from a different manufacturer, but I keep figuring, what are the odds of me getting ANOTHER defective LG VX5300? And I do like the phone a lot otherwise. And the VX4500 was great.
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| 6. Posted by lacorte |
Tue May 22, 2007 1:06 pm |
Good phone, however MAJOR drawback is the only option to different features is by icon only. It does not have a list option like previous versions. This makes it time-consuming to navigate. I will not buy in the future if this is still the case in the next generation.
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Technical Specifications |
| Network: |
AMPS 800 / CDMA 800 / 1900 |
| Form Factor: |
Clamshell |
| Dimensions: |
89 x 48 x 24 mm |
| Weight: |
93 g |
| Antenna: |
Stub |
| Navigation: |
5-Way Keypad |
| Battery Type: |
1100 mAh Li-Ion |
| Talk Time: |
3.00 |
| Standby Time: |
190 |
| Memory: |
28.0 MB |
| Expandable Memory: |
 |
| |
Imaging |
| Main Screen: |
262000 colors (TFT)
128 x 160 px |
| External Screen: |
65000 colors (OLED)
96 x 64 px |
| Camera: |
0.3 MP / 640 x 480 px / Flash / 2X Zoom / Self-Timer |
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Audio |
| MP3 Player: |
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| FM Radio: |
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| Speakerphone: |
 |
| Push-To-Talk: |
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Multimedia |
| Wallpapers: |
128 x 160 px |
| Screen Savers: |
128 x 160 px |
| Ring Tones: |
MP3 |
| Themes: |
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| Games: |
BREW |
| Streaming Multimedia: |
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Messaging |
| SMS: |
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| EMS: |
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| MMS: |
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| Email: |
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| Chat: |
AOL / MSN / Yahoo! |
| Predictive Text: |
T9 |
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| |
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Applications |
| Phonebook Capacity: |
500 |
| Calendar: |
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| To-Do List: |
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| WAP: |
2.0 / Openwave |
| Voice Commands: |
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| Calculator: |
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Connectivity |
| Bluetooth: |
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| Infrared Port: |
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| High-Speed Data: |
cdma2000 1xRTT |
| Wi-Fi: |
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| GPS: |
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| PC Sync: |
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More Information |
| Website: |
 |
| Discussion: |
LG Forum |
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