LG Venus Cell Phone Review - Value & Comparisons
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Mark Brezinski Published on December 05, 2007 Comment on this |
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Value (3.5)
The Venus currently costs $199 for a 2-year contract, after an online discount. In many ways, it's about as good a deal as the Razr2 phones. The Venus and the Razr2 iterations all have good looks, high prices, and weak software. The Venus's interface is better looking that then any of the Razr2 phones, though the T-Mobile Razr2 V8 has better software. We can see the Venus being a good deal to someone who values aesthetics, but really only uses their phone as a phone, or someone who wants a professional-looking phone/Mp3 player combo. The only obstacle for this demographic is the phone's responsiveness. Chances are, if you're looking for a higher-end device, the unresponsive controls will harsh your gadget buzz. Overall, the Venus isn't a horrible deal, it's just a phone where you really need to examine what you want in your phone. If you're looking for a higher-end, media-oriented handset, the Venus is a good iPhone alternative. Power users, however, will find the software far too vapid, and the operating system a bit unresponsive for the cost.
Comparisons
LG Chocolate Vx8550 - The Chocolate basically offers all the same functionality of the Venus in terms of software. What it does not offer are the touchscreen controls or the professional façade. The Chocolate also costs half what the Venus does. Really, this matchup (as with a majority of the following) comes down to how much you value the aesthetic appeal and small touchscreen. Whether or not that number is equal to the $100 difference is up to you.
Apple iPhone - This is an interesting choice. On one hand, the iPhone is a better device than the Venus in virtually every category. On the other hand, the Venus is half the cost of the iPhone. Are there other, better, cheaper media-oriented handsets out there? Yes. Are they as classy as the Venus? Not especially. A lot of what the Venus's $200 investment goes towards is presentation. Therefore, if you want a phone you can flaunt, but don't want to incur too much debt, the Venus might be a good iPhone alternative.
HTC Touch - The Touch is like an iPhone with a not-so-great touchscreen and more powerful software. It currently costs $50 more than the Venus, but the investment gets you a ton of extra features. This doesn't mean either phone is a great deal, however. If you're looking to spend on great software, the Touch beats the Venus, but both would lose spectacularly to a lot of other phones. If aesthetics is your main deal, however, the Venus is cheaper
Razr2 V9m - The Razr2 V9m and the Venus have a lot in common. Both are nice-looking, music-oriented handsets. Both have small touchscreen as button replacements. Both also cost way more than we think they should. We try not to totally disregard fashion phones, as there's definitely a market for them, but we honestly don't think what you're getting with either is worth the investment. In this case, the Razr2 has slightly better software than the Venus does, but it also costs $50 more and doesn't look as professional.
Samsung Juke - The Juke is another music oriented handset that's a bit different and a bit overpriced. This matchup actually hinges, really, on one criterion: do you want your "different" aspect to be quirky or professional? The Juke is the choice for quirky, and will help you save about $100 as well. If you want a professional-looking device, the Venus wins out. Also, the Venus has much more well-rounded software and hardware than the Juke, although we're not entirely sure the cost of either phone is justified by what you're getting in the box.
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