T720 vs. VX4400: More numbers IS better!
Written: Nov 11 '03
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Pros: BETTER BATTERY LIFE! BETTER CALL QUALITY!
Cons: ringtones, key placement
The Bottom Line: Recommend the VX4400 over the T720 based on basic performance - battery and reception - even though it's less "flashy".
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| drew99_mi's Full Review: LG VX4400 |
After an unfortunate incident involving my 2-year-old son and my Motorola T720, I had to claim a loss on my cell phone through the insurance company. A couple days and a lost claim later, I find out that they can't give me another T720, but they can offer me the VX4400. Naturally, I was very skeptical at first, because I'd only owned Motorolas for years, but I decided to give it a try (based on Epinions reviews, thank you very much).
On first receiving the phone, it was obviously different (though my unhelpful insurance agent assured me they were near-identical in features). It was more curvy than the boxy T720, and not as "flashy". The color screen is a bit smaller and not as bright. The outer display, however, was larger and easier to read (the time is BIG). Plus, the outer display has multi-colored backlights.
FEATURES
The menu system isn't as easy to navigate as Motorola's, but isn't bad once you get it set up. My only complaint here is that the fonts are too large. I'd like smaller print, so that I can see more in one screen. The menu size is not adjustable at all. (I feel like my parents, who use oversized fonts whenever possible because of poor close-up vision.)
Missed calls are grouped in a separate menu from Outgoing and Incoming calls, which is nice because I can go directly to that menu without guessing which call was missed in a list of incoming calls.
As I said, the outer LED has multiple backlight colors, and you can customize them for different situations (incoming call, voicemail, etc).
The keys are backlit in pretty blue, and are generally less slippery than the T720. Like the 720, there are two soft keys on the top of the keypad, and four directional arrow buttons, but there is also a circular "OK" button inside the directional navigation keys. Although it's handy to have (beats looking for the "SELECT" button on the T720 every time), but for people with big fingers like me, the keys are placed just too close for comfort. I like to play games on my phone, and find that I accidentally hit a wrong key and exit the game because of the key layout.
Voice-activated dialing is a great feature and works reliably, but this model waits approximately 4 seconds after pressing the voice key before asking you "Name, please", which is a little long for me. (I'd like to say the name right away).
There are fewer rings on the 4400, and, let me be honest, they all stink. I miss the great ringtones I got with the T720. BUT the ring volume is MUCH louder with the LG, and I like that, because many times I have missed calls because I couldn't hear the phone ring. Even on low volume, you definitely can't miss a call with this baby.
Text messaging, another feature I use occasionally, is based on the methods used by Motorola. However, LG has improved upon this by adding shortcuts (like a menu allowing you to add suffixes like .com, .org, .net or whatever, without having to type all of it out). I really appreciate those extra shortcuts.
An alarm clock and Notepad were added , which is great for those of us who travel. This is in addition to the scheduler (which I don't use).
CALL QUALITY
I won't lie and say I haven't had a dropped call on this phone, I have. We all have. But by and large, I have had fewer dropped calls, and better reception, with the VX4400 than with the T720.
BATTERY LIFE
This is where every inconvenience ... and every "I wish" you've read in this review so far ... goes away. The battery life on this phone is AT LEAST THREE TIMES BETTER than the Motorola T720. With the T720, I had to have a charger at work, and one at home, and one in the car, to keep the battery alive from day to day... the rule of thumb, if I didn't charge it fully one day, it would be dead the next. Of course color-display phones have less-than-desirable battery life... that's the nature of the beast, right? That may be true, but the LG VX4400 helped me break free of my battery-charging habit. Not only does it last longer, but it charges so much quicker... 30 minutes in the car brings me from 2 bars to 3 (wouldn't have made a difference on the T720), and a full charge in 3 hours or less on the home charger.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 50
Recommended for: World Travelers - Works Anywhere and Everywhere!
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Epinions.com ID:
drew99_mi
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Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Reviews written: 20
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
Software engineer, musician, husband, father...
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