LG VX-8600 Review - Introduction & Design

Introduction & Design

LG's VX-8600 is the clamshell successor to their very popular "Chocolate" candy bar phone.  This dual-band CDMA cell phone for Verizon Wireless actually packs all of Chocolate's functionality into a sleek flip phone that I found easier to use and more attractive than the VX-8500.  Clad in shiny black with silver trim, the 8600 is a thin clamshell packed with multimedia features.

The VX-8600 features a 1.3 megapixel camera, VCAST-compatible media player with external touch-sensitive music controls, and dual color displays.  While Verizon doesn't include many goodies in their retail package, the handset is compatible with a number of add-ons to make phone calls and listening to music more enjoyable on this very capable handset.  Are the 8600's good looks enough to make it stand out from the crowd in a marketplace packed with multimedia phones?  If Verizon's your carrier, then yes, I think so.  Read on ...

I love the design of the VX-8600.  The black clamshell is sleek, shiny, and light but sturdy-feeling.  This handset doesn't at all feel bulky or cumbersome in a front pants pocket, which is my defacto "real world" design test.  The glossy black plastic finish is a bit prone to attracting fingerprints, but that's going to be the case with any handset with a non-matte finish.

Measuring 99 x 48.5 x 15mm and weighing in at 93g, the 8600 is both thinner and lighter than the VX-8500 Chocolate, and roughly the size of a Motorola RAZR.  Where the RAZR (and it is a testament to the longevity of that phone's popularity that I'm still using it as a reference point) is all about hard, clean angles, however, the 8600 features soft curves and rounded edges set off by chrome-colored plastic trim.

The front panel of the handset features an external display and three touch-sensitive buttons that "disappear" when not in use.  Twin LG and Verizon logos frame the display top and bottom, and the sensor for a 1.3 megapixel camera is set in a circular housing at the top of the panel.

Opening the flip reveals a large color display on the top half of the interior and a roomy navigation pad and dialing keypad on the bottom. The navigational controls include a five-way directional pad with a centered OK button and left/right soft keys.  Keeping with the phone's overall design, keys are finished in black, flush-mount plastic with silver trim.  The flush design of the buttons doesn't provide quite the same tactile feedback as standard buttons, which are more readily delineated by the "valleys" between raised surfaces.  While this might create a fear of difficulty during blind dialing, I had no problem with the keys.  In fact, I found all of the keys easy to use and being that I have somewhat large fingers, I appreciated the roomy layout.

The left panel of the phone houses a charger/data port and volume up/down buttons.  The volume controls are actually located on the top portion of the flip (the display half) and would probably be easier to use if they'd been moved down to the lower half, as that's the portion most people hold while talking on the phone.  On the right side of the phone we find camera and voice command buttons and a covered port for MicroSD memory cards.

The back portion of the phone is blank save for logos and stickers.  A latch at the very top of the back panel releases the battery, which takes up roughly half of the rear panel.

I have to reiterate how much I like the look and feel of this phone.  The VX-8600 is one of the first phones in awhile to make me want it purely for the way it looks and feels in hand, and seems to disappear in my pocket.  Generally speaking I'm a sucker for spec sheets and customizability; this LG had be before I even turned it on to see what it could do.

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