LG VX 8300 vs Samsung SCH-a930

I have been researching this as well. I don't know about the LG VX8300's speakerphone but on the VX8100 the speakerphone is lousy to the person on the other end. Most of the time I can hardly make out what the person is ever saying. Also, you can't use the speakerphone with the phone closed like you can with the Samsung. You are right about the bluetooth being lousy on the LG as I know a few people with the 8100 which is pretty much the same phone as the 8300. If it were me, I would go for the Samsung as it has mostly positive reviews. I got to check one out a couple of times and I like the loud earpiece and the loud ring volume. As for call quality I thought it sound really clear on my end and the phone also felt pretty solid and looks sleek as well.

 

I am a first time samsung owner. I previously owned a LG 4400 then a Audiovox 9900. I have had no reception issues whatsoever with the a930. Nor have I heard any with the 8300. I had reception/retention problems with the 4400, which gave me pause with LG.

Reception/call retention: A so far.
Call quality A
Vibrate: B
Loud ring: A+
Vibrate: B-
Speaker: A very loud

The 8300 has a better battery life than the a930. I have the extended batter which lasts me about 5 days of moderate use. I have found the a930 vibrate to be a bit weak compared to the 9900. I'm not sure how it compares to the 8300.

The keys on the a930 are great. raised just enough and spaced well for a mans hand. The phone size is good - the internal antenna takes 1/2" off the length. The phone is weighted nearly 50 / 50 with the standard battery. The extended batter (which is not that big) weights the phone better.

The look - you will either love it or hate it. I thought the phone looked nice. I like the black - Fingerprinting isn't that bad, but it happens. The external screen is interesting. Not a negative. shows up well. In the sun, press the speaker button and hold - the display lights up great.

The a930 has a terrific alarm feature (includes snooze) as well as Flight mode (standalone).

I could go on I really like the phone. Should be noted I don't use it as an mp3 player, though I have downloaded ring tones (wave file) works great. If you have a specific question about the a930, you can e-mail me: oppie_198032@yahoo.com

Good luck with your decision.

 

Wirelessly posted (Q's Mobile Device: Nokia6010/1.0 (8.62) Profile/MIDP-1.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.0)

I've had the 930 for 3 months and I'm pleased with it. I'm irked by the speakerphone... When closed, the other person can't hear me... Maybe it's me as i'm a newbie with speakerphones. The phone is plenty loud... The ringer woke me from deep sleep many a time. I have no problems hearing the other party. Reception is decent but my previous phone, the LG 3300, had slightly better reception. I'm not discouraged by it though. I had some bluetooth issues at first but i'm convinced that it was the headset i used and not the phone... That issue is resolved. I use the phone as a phone and it works great as such. The only beef I have is the fact that i can't add to the T9 dictionary, but i can live with that. I love the look of the phone and i hope that no one else gets the 930 lol

 

I also went from the a670 to the VX8300. Here's what I've learned about the VX8300:

Battery Life: Great! Lasts several days without recharging.
Ring Volume: If you use the presupplied tones, then it's plenty loud. Add your own--not as loud.
Clarity of calls: Wonderful! No complaints.
Volume of calls: Great...too loud sometimes! LOL
Speakerphone: Good. Clear. Need to keep the phone open in order to use it.
Bluetooth: Sucks...but that's already been covered.

Hopefully, this will give you some insight.

 

Quint101, microphone may be blocked when closed. Just a guess.

Jodi, if you have the ringtones re encoded at a higher volume...some of mine are really loud, some aren't. But I wasn't the one who encoded them.

And for some reason, they are louder when previewing them then in actual use