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OK basic (VERY basic) phone, but with problems
Pros
Compact, Lightweight, Flip phone, Not too complicated, Cheap
Cons
Reliability, Battery life, Lack of features, Only average or below signal and audio quality
Recommended it?
No
The Bottom Line:
If it comes free with your service, it may be an acceptable basic phone, though cross your fingers and hope you don't have problems with overheating or battery life evaporating.
I got my 1010 in early 2003, as the default (free) phone with my service, which uses the Sprint PCS network. It is a very basic phone, even by the standards of two years ago, let alone today:
- Only supports PCS (CDMA), not other modulations or analog
- Only a small, basic monocrhome display
- Only a small selection of basic rings (most not particularly appealing), no actual ringtones and not downloadable
- No voice dialing
- No modem or other data/internet connectivity
- No phonebook synchronization with other devices or PCs
- No GPS for 911 caller identification
- Obviously no camera or other nifty features
But I don't need most of these features really, and I like the small, lightweight form factor, the flip lid, and the small display in the lid to see the clock or incoming call information with the lid closed.
At first it seemed ok. Network connectivity, audio quality (both from my end and the other end hearing me talk), and battery life seemed acceptable, though likely below average. My parents' Nokias (Verizon CDMA) and my brother's old Motorola (also Sprint) both seem better overall.
The phone did tend to heat up noticeably, especially during charging and while talking. Now I understand this may be a quality problem resulting from a short circuit, and could explain other problems the phone had later.
Battery life gradually dropped, until I could only talk for 5-10 minutes after fully charging the battery before it died. I replaced the battery with one that had more than double the capacity, which worked great at first, but within a few weeks the new one was dying even faster than the other. (Now it dies after just a few hours of standby.) Then the phone died entirely: it no longer recognizes the network at all. I think the short circuit and overheating finally did major damage to it.
In researching a replacement phone, I noticed its successor, the LG 1200, is one option. Reviews of that phone that I've read make it seem not any better, with frequent complaints of short battery life in particular.
- Only supports PCS (CDMA), not other modulations or analog
- Only a small, basic monocrhome display
- Only a small selection of basic rings (most not particularly appealing), no actual ringtones and not downloadable
- No voice dialing
- No modem or other data/internet connectivity
- No phonebook synchronization with other devices or PCs
- No GPS for 911 caller identification
- Obviously no camera or other nifty features
But I don't need most of these features really, and I like the small, lightweight form factor, the flip lid, and the small display in the lid to see the clock or incoming call information with the lid closed.
At first it seemed ok. Network connectivity, audio quality (both from my end and the other end hearing me talk), and battery life seemed acceptable, though likely below average. My parents' Nokias (Verizon CDMA) and my brother's old Motorola (also Sprint) both seem better overall.
The phone did tend to heat up noticeably, especially during charging and while talking. Now I understand this may be a quality problem resulting from a short circuit, and could explain other problems the phone had later.
Battery life gradually dropped, until I could only talk for 5-10 minutes after fully charging the battery before it died. I replaced the battery with one that had more than double the capacity, which worked great at first, but within a few weeks the new one was dying even faster than the other. (Now it dies after just a few hours of standby.) Then the phone died entirely: it no longer recognizes the network at all. I think the short circuit and overheating finally did major damage to it.
In researching a replacement phone, I noticed its successor, the LG 1200, is one option. Reviews of that phone that I've read make it seem not any better, with frequent complaints of short battery life in particular.
