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Cheap entry-level prepaid clamshell cell phone
- Cheap
- OK call quality
- Color screens
- Has voice recorder, voice dialing
- Bluetooth-enabled
- Complaints about battery life
- No camera, no music player
- Cramped keypad
- Speakerphone is "muffled"
- Some freeze-ups when texting
The Virgin Mobile Flare by LG is a very basic black clamshell cell phone with no camera and no music player. Most reviews say it's a bargain for $30 with no requirement for a service commitment. It's fine for someone who just needs to make phone calls every now and then, say reviewers, with maybe an occasional text message with the somewhat cramped (albeit raised) keys. We saw many complaints in owner reviews about battery life, but we also saw some that praise it, and rarely are those evaluations specific. Normally, an independent battery test by CNET would be the decider. But in this case, CNET merely reports the manufacturer's claim of 3.5 hours of talk time rather than testing it. One owner reports improved battery life after a few cycles of charges/discharges. CNET did do hands-on testing of call quality, however, and says it's OK except that voices sound "muffled" on the speakerphone. We found mixed opinions of call quality in user reviews.
Many owner reviews report freeze-ups when text messaging, and we found little input about the web browser. There's also just 8 MB of internal memory and no microSD memory card slot, but with no music player and no camera, that may not be much of a factor. There is Bluetooth capability for pairing with headsets but not for syncing with your computer. The Flare does have a voice recorder and voice dialing. There is also a color display on the 1-inch external and 1.75-inch internal screens. While some refer to the plastic body as "cheap," other owner reviews call it "light." Some owner reviews indicate that while they knew there was no camera before they bought the LG Flare, they miss it more than they expected to. For about $20 more, Virgin Mobile offers the Arc, another minimalist phone that does at least include a VGA camera.
CNET offers the only professional review that we found for the LG Flare. CNET is usually the top or one of the top go-to sources for cell phone reviews because it rates so many so thoroughly, usually including battery tests (which was skipped for the LG Flare). Unfortunately, other top sources like Consumer Reports don't cover the LG Flare. We found about 130 owner reviews combined among CNET, PhoneScoop.com, RadioShack.com, BestBuy.com, Amazon.com, PhoneArena.com and Target.com.
| Bluetooth (Blue Tooth) Wireless Headset for Virgin Mobile (Flare) LX165 by LG Mobile/Cell Phone + Free Cell Phone Antenna Booster | |
(34 reviews) In Stock. |
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Our Sources
1. CNET
CNET gives the LG Flare a "very good" rating as an entry-level phone, with about 15 owner reviews scoring it slightly lower. CNET says call quality is decent enough, although voices sound "muffled" on the speakerphone. Uncharacteristically, CNET didn't test battery life.
Review: LG Flare LX175 – black (Virgin Mobile), Nicole Lee, Apr. 9, 2008
2. CNET
The LG Flare ranks fifth in this top five of basic phones. This roundup links to the full review listed above.
Review: Best Basic Phones (Without Camera), Kent German, Apr. 6, 2009
About a dozen owner reviews give the LG Flare a decent overall score, with most saying it's a good deal for the price if you want a basic phone with a few features. There's some disagreement over whether the battery life is satisfactory.
Review: LG LX-160 / Flare, Contributors to PhoneScoop.com
About three dozen owner reviews combine to give the LG Flare a mediocre score. Some say it's cheaply built ("flimsy"), and while criticism of battery life outweighs those who say battery life is a plus, opinions go both ways, but no user provides specifics.
Review: Virgin Mobile Flare by LG, Contributors to RadioShack.com
5. BestBuy.com
About three dozen owner reviews combine to give the LG Flare a good overall rating. Even some who give it a high score say they miss having a camera. There is criticism and praise for the battery life. Some say the LG Flare freezes or turns on or off for no reason, and that text messages arrive slowly or not at all.
Review: Virgin Mobile -- LG Flare No-Contract Cell Phone, Contributors to BestBuy.com
6. Amazon.com
About a dozen owner reviews combine for a good overall rating, with only a couple of owners giving the LG Flare fewer than three out of five stars. Most say it's fine for the money, although if you're really into phones and talk a lot, you'll be disappointed with the lack of features and you'll run out of minutes pretty quickly.
Review: LG Flare Prepaid Phone (Virgin Mobile), Contributors to Amazon.com
There are about eight owner reviews here, but several are by the same user: "Vince." No one rates the LG Flare lower than three out of five. Most say it's a good deal for the price if all you want is a phone.
Review: LG Flare, Contributors to PhoneArena.com
8. Target.com
About 10 owner reviews generally praise the LG Flare as a good choice for those who call infrequently. One notes that battery life will "improve greatly after a few charge/discharge cycles," Adding, "My phone can now go for about three to four days without charging and minimal use."
Review: Virgin Mobile Flare Pay-As-You-Go Cell Phone by LG, Contributors to Target.com
