Does anyone have an LG Neon cell phone?

[Boo Mc]

Thinking about getting DS an LG Neon for his 13th birthday. I'm looking for opinions. He doesn't need anything too fancy as he'll probably just use it for calls and texts. He doesn't need a camera, email access, etc. He's not a big techie--just needs something fairly basic. This phone was recommended by the Costco clerk for price, slide out keyboard, and because we have AT&T service.

So, would this be a good choice for him?

 

[Christine]

Both my son and I (my son is 14) have the LG Xenon. I *almost* bought the Neon as it was a bit cheaper but the Xenon felt sturdier to me and that's what I wanted.

As far as I can tell, the Neon is a fine phone. It will have a camera on it as 99.999% of phones do and there is really no way around that. Most phones have e-mail access; however, if you do not pay for that service through AT&T you will either get a per-use charge if you try to access e-mail or you simply may not be able to use the mobile service--can't remember how it works. AT&T does offer a feature (for a price) where you can choose the things that you don't want your child accessing. This used to be free but now they charge for the parental controls.

 

[Boo Mc]

Thanks for the info. The Xenon looked good too but figured I'd go with the cheaper Neon since I didn't think he'd need the 3G. Just wanted to make sure it was OK though since I've seen several bad reviews which had me worried.

 

[Kitzka]

DD (11)'s friend got this phone about 3 months ago. She got it becuase it was green, and inexpensive. it's a very basic phone when it comes to texting phones and I think will be a fine choice. DD has a pantec matrix (not the pro) and it seems much sturdier than the neon. i am not sure if it (neon) will last the whole 2 year contract. it just doesn't feel very sturdy to me.

But that being said, DD's freind loves it.

lara

 

[clutter]

Both my dd and I have the LG Xenon, and we hate them. I ended up upgrading mine to an iPhone banana, and she would love the Neon. But we're not paying retail, so it's not happening. The Xenon is really cool, but neither of us liked the touch screen. Once I got the iPhone, I found out why. Such a difference in quality.

 

[Boo Mc]

I went back and looked at the Xenon today. It's not much more and it does feel sturdier. But now I have both good and bad reviews from my fellow Disers. What to do, what to do???

 

[Christine]

My son and I are both perfectly happy with the Xenon. That's not to say that the iPhone is not better, much better, when it comes to the touch screen. But we don't care. I'm fine with the touch screen, it works for me (except if I'm trying to do something I shouldn't when I'm driving---I know....). Otherwise, it is fine. If you had a choice between a Xenon and an iPhone, probably the iPhone is a much better phone. But you're not having that as an option. I think, for your son, having had nothing before, he will love both phones.

My son LOVES his phone. I'm very happy with mine but you should have seen the bare-bones phone I had before that!

If you do get the Xenon, I highly recommend buying the hardcase at the AT&T store. It fits on both pieces and helps an awful lot if the phone is dropped. Also keeps it from getting scratched up. For the screen, I bought the screen saver plastic sheet. If you buy it all at one time, the store will usually give you 30% off all that stuff.