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Good entry-level messaging phone for AT&T
Pros
- Touch-screen display
- Long battery life
- Good call quality
- High-speed network
- Solid build quality
Cons
- Confusing user interface
- Touch-screen can be quirky
- Limited email compatibility
- Web browsing hit-and-miss
Teen-targeted handset offers compelling features
The LG Xenon combines a sliding QWERTY keyboard and a 2.8-inch touch-screen display in a well-built and inexpensive unit. The Xenon comes in a choice of black, red or blue, and reviewers agree that it's a good messaging phone for teens. It has a number of good extras for its niche, including compatibility with high speed (3G) data networks, GPS and an accelerometer, which allows automatic switching between landscape and portrait screen orientation, depending on how the phone is held. Some reviewers complain though, that not all applications take advantage of the acceleromater.
As a budget phone, some of its features leave something to be desired, according to reviewers, though it is a better phone overall than the LG Neon. Testers report difficulty mastering the touch interface, and customization is limited. The screen looks good, but its touch responsiveness isn't perfect; it uses resistive touch technology, which is not as precise as capacitive type used on the iPhone and other pricier devices. It does have haptic feedback (vibration) when you press it, and that level can be adjusted. Web browsing is speedy on its 3G network and the phone sports a full HTML browser, but many reviewers find the screen too small for displaying web pages, and find zooming cumbersome. Critics are pleased with the Xenon's messaging features, though they are unanimous in their disappointment that Gmail is not compatible with the phone, though most big names are included such as Hotmail, Yahoo, and ISPs like Comcast and Earthlink. One small annoyance is that the AC adapter and headphones (not included) share the same proprietary port on the phone so you can't use both at once. No reviewer seems surprised that the 2-megapixel camera doesn't deliver particularly good shots.
Phone performance
Critics are pleased overall with the Xenon's core functions, finding it an improvement over other phones in LG's stable, such as the Vu. Call quality is praised, and reception is also quite good. CNET's Nicole Lee praises voice quality over the speakerphone, though she is careful to note that the Xenon's speaker won't do music justice. Some find battery life, at around 4-5 hours of talktime, very good, while to others it is merely acceptable. Reviewers are divided over whether the slide-out keyboard is good or not, although most critics appreciate the shortcut buttons for messaging and contacts and the @ symbol and .com keys for emails and web addresses. As for the keys themselves, reviews are mixed. Eric Zeman at PhoneScoop gripes that there is "barely any shape to them, making hard to find and tell apart." On the other hand, Ricky Cadden, in his review for MobileBurn.com says that the keyboard is "a pleasure to type on," and CNET's Cha finds the keys "tactile" and "well-spaced."
The LG Xenon gets attention from a good cross-section of professional cell phone testers. CNET, PCMag.com, PhoneArena.com, PhoneScoop.com and MobileBurn.com all give the Xenon a thorough, and generally positive, evaluation. The Xenon also gets helpful reviews from Good Gear Guide, Mobiledia.com and MobileTechReview.com, but these sites have some gaps in testing or coverage.
Our Sources
1. PCMag.com
Jamie Lendino provides a thorough review of the LG Xenon and gives it PCMag's Editors' Choice award for its " music, video, and Web browsing power." He finds the keyboard a bit cramped, but the "tactile" keys make it easy to type. Lendino is irked by the proprietary headphone jack coupled with the lack of bundled headphones and disappointed with the camera, but is overall pleased with the Xenon.
Review: LG Xenon GR500 (AT&T), Jamie Lendino, Aug. 6, 2009
2. CNET
CNET's Nicole Lee is quite complimentary of the LG Xenon in this review. She likes the touch screen, although she warns that the interface does have a bit of a learning curve. The slide-out QWERTY keyboard is also praised, and Lee is impressed with extra features like GPS and 3G speeds, considering that the Xenon is a lower-market messenger phone.
Review: LG Xenon -- Black (AT&T), Nicole Lee, Apr. 8, 2009
PhoneArena.com's review of the LG Xenon pronounces the phone a solid device, but a bit unspectacular. Reviewers find it makes some improvements upon the similar LG Vu, and has a good QWERTY keyboard for messaging; web browsing is also good. The 2-megapixel camera falls short, however.
Review: LG Xenon GR500 Review, Editors of PhoneArena.com, May 20, 2009
Eric Zeman at PhoneScoop.com finds that the LG Xenon's hardware is good overall -- solid-feeling, despite its plastic casing. Zeman likes the camera, but finds there are too many editing functions, and he notes that other user interface menus can also be confusing.
Review: Review: LG Xenon, Eric M. Zeman, Apr. 28, 2009
MobileBurn.com gives the LG Xenon a "Highly Recommended" rating, and reviewer Ricky Cadden praises its build quality and customizable interface. Cadden reports that reception is "stellar" and call quality is "impressive," although speakerphone calls tend to sound muffled on the other end.
Review: Review of LG Xenon , Ricky Cadden, July 16, 2009
Ross Catanzariti, writing for Australia's Good Gear Guide, feels that the LG Xenon is primarily for a teenage demographic that wants mobile internet access without having to pay smartphone prices. Much of this review is concerned with a critique of software features unique to the Xenon's Australian localization. More usefully, Catanzariti does point out that since the headphones and AC adapter plug into the same proprietary jack, you can't charge the phone and listen to music at the same time.
Review: LG Xenon, Ross Catanzariti, July 10, 2009
Mobiledia.com's Jill Bauerle says that the LG Xenon is a good choice for consumers who want messaging and multimedia at a low cost. Her review covers all aspects of the phone in detail, but, aside from a few pertinent observations, there is little testing evident. Bauerle notes that the speaker is on the back of the phone, which muffles the speakerphone when the Xenon is placed on a flat surface.
Review: LG Xenon Review, Jill Bauerle, May 26, 2009
Lisa Gade says that the LG Xenon is sturdily built and quite compact for a touch screen/QWERTY phone. While it doesn't look flashy or stylish, the Xenon offers good options for the price. Gade finds the touch screen isn't as responsive as she'd like, and complains about inconsistencies in the user interface -- specifically, some applications make use of the accelerometer in changing screen orientation, while others don't.
Review: LG Xenon Review, Lisa Gade, Apr. 16, 2009