TracFone LG 600g Review

The TracFone LG 600g is a flip phone that features a camera, internal and external screens, (limited) internet access, and bluetooth access that can both connect to headsets and transmit data.

 TracFone models from left to right:  LG 600g, Motorola W376g, Motorola V170.  Click on the pic for a larger view.

The LG 600g is the second bluetooth enabled TracFone, coming out right on the heels of the Motorola W376g.  Since the LG and the Moto have similar features, I thought it would be good to do a review of the LG and see how it stacks up.

Click here to check the latest LG 600g price on the TracFone website.

Click here for details on how to get a $3 discount on TracFone phones such as the LG600.

While you're researching bluetooth-enabled TracFones, you might also want to check out my review of the TracFone Motorola W376g, which was released just a few weeks before the 600G.

TracFone LG 600g Features with Keith's Comments

• Flip Phone - The LG 600g has an external screen along with the standard internal screen.  The external screen shows indications for missed calls and messages and such, and will also show the time and date if you hit one of the buttons on the left side of the phone.  I really like this feature because I use my cell phone as a watch instead of wearing a watch.  Hey, I've got the phone with me all the time anyway, so a wristwatch is just extra bling I don't need!
• Screen - The internal screen looks fine when you look at it straight on, but it significantly dims if you look at it from an angle.  It's hard to get good pictures of a cell phone screen, but here's a couple that kind of show what I mean. 
•    click on the images for a larger view.  I've noticed that if you look at if from the top down, the image gets too dark, and if you look at it from the bottom up, the image gets too light.  The effect is not as pronounced if you look at the screen from the side.
• VGA Camera - The camera on the LG 600g can be activated when the phone is open by pressing the camera button on the keypad, or when the phone is closed by pressing and holding the down arrow button on the left side of the phone.  When the phone is closed, the image the camera sees is shown on the external screen, and since the external screen and the camera are on the same side of the phone, this mode is best used for taking charming self portraits.  When in phone-open mode, the up and down arrows on the keypad are used to zoom in and out (only in 320X240 resolution), while the left and right arrows are used to set the exposure compensation (make the image lighter or darker).  The camera Options menu lets you set resolution (max. of 640X480) and quality, multishot mode and self timer, along with a few other options such as white balance and color effects (color, sepia, mono, negative).  The multishot mode lets the camera take 3 pictures in a row whenever you press the button, which could come in handy at times, especially since the camera has noticeable shutter lag.    You can store the pictures on the phone and use one as your wallpaper or as a picture ID.  You can also send the pictures as a picture message to another phone, or as an attachment to an email to any email address.  My wife was rather bemused when I sent her a picture of one of my Aerogarden flowers on my desk at work.  Remember that you are charged airtime if you send the picture to another phone or to an email address.  You are charged one minute because it's an MMS message, and then another 0.5 minutes for every minute the browser spends uploading the picture.  The upload time will vary depending on the resolution of the picture and the strength of your connection, but in my case I was charged another 1.5 minutes for the data access time when sending the picture in an email.   Here's a picture of my daughter that I took with the camera at 320X240 resolution (shown here at full size): 
  
• Bluetooth Enabled - The TracFone LG 600g has bluetooth, which can be used to connect to a headset, or another hands-free headset connection like the type built in to some cars or gps units.  You can also use the bluetooth to connect to a computer or another phone to transfer files. I was able to get the phone connected to my bluetooth-enabled desktop computer and copy a cute picture of my sweet little girl to the 600g to use as the wallpaper.  When the phone and the computer established a connection, the phone simply showed up as a folder on the computer, with subfolders for images, sounds, and "other", so you can copy basically any file to the phone, and you can copy pictures from the phone to your computer.  I was able to copy a .mp3 file to the phone with no problems, but read my ringtones section below for more info on that.  Since I don't have a bluetooth headset, I didn't try to connect the phone to one, but from the instructions that come with the phone and from my experience with connecting the phone to my computer, I have no doubt that the phone could be connected to a bluetooth headset with little difficulty.
• Internet Enabled - Yes, the TracFone LG 600g has internet capablity, but you can only use it to access data services from TracFone.  You cannot, for example, use the phone to access Google or Yahoo.  When I try going to a site such as m.yahoo.com, I get an error message saying that I don't have access to that site.  TracFone has services where you can buy ringtones and graphics and a subscription to sports, entertainment, weather, and other news.  You are charged 0.5 airtime minutes for every minute that the browser is open to access any of TracFone's data services.  If you accidentally hit the browser button on the phone, you have several seconds to close the browswer before you are charged the first 0.5 minute of airtime. 
• Ringtones - I tried to buy an mp3 ringtone from TracFone, but I got an error message saying that this product is not compatible with my phone.  Interesting.  I would have thought that a phone this nice would be able to play mp3 ringtones, but I guess not.  The TracFone LG600g does, however, come with an audio record feature that allows you to record any audio you want and make it your ringtone.  The quality is decent, and it gives you unlimited ringtone possiblities.  I also tried downloading an .mp3 file to the LG600g via bluetooth connection with my desktop computer.  On my first attempt, I downloaded it the Other Files folder by mistake and found that there's was no way to assign it as my ringtone and no way to copy it over to the Audio and Ringtone folder.  On my second attempt I copied to the Sounds folder, but the file did not appear when I access the folder on the phone, even though it is there when I access the same folder on the computer.  I figure out that the Sounds folder on the computer is the same as the Audio and Ringtone folder on the phone because I could see some of the same files in each.  The phone comes with a long list of generic midi ringtones to choose from, or you can set the phone to vibrate only.  Click here to read my full report on TracFone ringtones. 
• Double Minutes For Life (DMFL) - You get one minute free for every minute you add to phone for the life of the phone.  This is a great money-saving feature, and it comes standard on the phone.  You don't have to do anything to get it, just add an airtime card and the minutes will automatically be doubled!
• Text Messaging - It costs .3 airtime minutes to send or receive a standard text message (SMS), and 1 minute for multi-media messages (MMS).  You are also charged for the browser time to download the muli-media file with the message. The Lg 600g does have T9 mode for faster entry of text messages.
• Games - The TracFone LG 600g comes with Sudoku and BattleReversi to help you through times where you are overcome by sheer boredom. 
• FM Radio - The TracFone LG 600g does not have an FM radio feature. 
• Battery Life - The package says approximately 6.5 hours talk time and approximately 4 days standby time, and these numbers seem about right based on my experience so far.   The LG 600g details page on the TracFone website says the standby time is up to 13 days.  Maybe you can get that kind of time if you leave the phone turned off, but that seems very very optimistic if you leave the phone turned on.
• Headset Port - Although the phone can connect to bluetooth headsets, there is also a port to connect to a wired headset.  The headset jack shares the same connection port as the the charger.
• USB Port - The only external port on the phone is the charger/headset port.  The LG 600g manual on the TracFone website shows the port as a Headset/Charger/Cable connector port, so maybe you can use a data cable with the phone?  I don't have a data cable with the right connector to test it.  The accessories section of the manual does not list a data cable.
• Hearing Aid Compatible - Rating:  T3/M3
• Ring Volume Buttons - These are on the left side of the phone and allow you to easily change the ring volume.  At full volume the ringer is plenty loud.  If you press and hold the down arrow button when the phone is closed, it activates the camera.
• External Call and Message Icons - The external screen shows notifications for messages, incoming calls, etc.  For incoming calls, it shows the phone number of the person calling.  The external shows a notification of a missed call, but the screen goes dark after a few seconds as a power saving feature.  Nothing blinks or anything, so you have to hit one of the arrow keys to activate the screen again to know that you have a missed call or message.
• The Manual - The TracFone LG 600g manual that comes with the phone is split into four basic sections.  The first section gives a general overview of the phone's features and talks about how to install the battery and activate the phone.  The second section is about how to add airtime to the phone, and the third sections is about how to make calls, setup voicemail, send and read text messages, setup bluetooth devices, and make international calls.  Note that the manual only mentions making bluetooth connections to headsets or hands-free car kits.  The fourth section is actually the longest, and it contains all the fine print with the terms and conditions of service and the "important saftey and legal information."   LG 600g manual on the TracFone website has more detailed information about how to use the phone's features.

  

TracFone LG 600g Additional Features

Here are some additional features that I won't comment on because they just work as advertised and expected.

• Voice Mail, Call Waiting, Caller ID, Alarm Clock, Stopwatch, Calculator, Calendar, Recent calls and messages lists, Phonebook with up to 1000 entries, hands free speaker.
• All the standard TracFone features such as the Airtime Balance and Days of Service display, minutes that never expire as long as the phone is active, etc.

Final Thoughts

The TracFone LG 600g is an interesting phone that has some capabilities that left me pleasantly surprised, but also some features that left me disappointed.

On the pleasantly-surprised side of things, the fact that the bluetooth is not crippled and the audio record feature were both very handy.

On the disappointment side, the fact that the screen dims and fades when viewed from and angle and the phone's inability to play mp3 ringtones both left me wanting more.

At the current price of $79.99 (now $49.99 !), the LG 600g is currently TracFone's most expensive phone.  The DMFL feature that comes standard on the 600g sells for $49.99 on it's own, so the phone is not a bad value, it all just depends on what features you are looking for.

The goal of Fone-Review.com is to share what I know about TracFones, and I hope that this review has helped you learn more about the features and limitations of the TracFone LG 600g.  Happy Shopping!

Click here to check the latest LG 600g price on the TracFone website.

Comments

[tim reed]

Here's my story.I bought the net-10 verison from k-mart.I tried to save a picture to the phonebook id I used the phone memory to do this.Everytime i pushed the save key a message would pop up,write error and the picture would'nt save.

[Keith Tyndall]

Hmmmm. It sounds like maybe you got a phone with a bad memory card? You should be able to take it back to exchange it.

[Maggie]

so is the phone 79$ or 49$ and can u put itunes music on u phone from ur computer?

[Keith]

The TracFone LG600, which includes DMFL is currently $79. A DMFL card by itself is currently $49, but you don't have to buy one because it's already built in to the phone.

To be honest, I've never tried to play itunes music on the phone. I know that the phone won't play .mp3 files, so the format of the files may be an issue. The LG600 ringtone files are in .amr format.

Of course, a quick and dirty way of getting any audio you want on to the phone is to simply use the record feature while playing the audio over speakers. It's maybe not the best quality, but it works.

[Laura]

Hi-
Thanks for the review, it really helped a lot. I was just curious though as to how many inbox/outbox text messages the phone can hold.
Thanks

[Keith Tyndall]

Hmmm, I can't find any documentation that says how many text messages the phone can hold. I'll do some testing soon and post the results here.

[Mike]

This review does not make it clear whether pictures taken with the phone can or can't
be transfered via blutooth to a computer.

[Keith Tyndall]

I can see now how the review is not quite clear, but yes you can copy pictures from the phone to the computer via bluetooth.

[Mike H]

Is there a way to extend battery life? I thing I saw the 4 days on standby but that was with bluetooth turned on and power save on night only. I just turned off bluetooth and set power save to always to see if it helps. Any experience on this?

[Daniel]

Extremely useful review, I ran across this when I was considering buying an LG 600g from Tracfone, and found it quite informative. In case you are curious, I've decided to go ahead and buy one, mainly since it's the only decent camera phone available in my area.

[Robyn P]

I bought the LG 600G from Net10. When I tried to access the browser or send pics in a MMS message, I get a "Call restrictions-36" message. I called tech support, they had me enter in codes and said it take 24hrs. to take effect. 24hrs later, nothing. Called again, then they told me the LG wouldn't be able to do these things while roaming, even though my old Motorola V176 did. Have you been able to access the browser or send MMS while roaming??

[Keith]

To be honest, I've never tried to use the TracFone LG600 outside of my local area. It's probably worth your time to call TracFone's Executive Resolutions department just to make sure the customer service rep you talked to had his/her facts straight. I have some info on how to contact Executive Resolutions on the page at the following link:
www.fone-review.com/tracfone_support.html

[Keith]

In regards to the comment by Mike H about battery life, I THOUGHT I had bluetooth turned off on the LG600 when I did my battery life test, but now I'm wondering if I really did. So I've double checked that bluetooth is truly off and the power save is on, and I'm going to see how long the battery life holds out this time. I'll post the results back here in a few days.

[Mike Horrocks]

Has anyone found an extended battery for the LG600g? I can not even find a standard replacement battery. My wife used to have a Sanyo 200 but never regularly charged her phone and often got caught with a discharged battery. I was able to get her an extended battery and it significantly improved the time between charges in standby.

[Robyn P]

Well, got back to my "home area" and the LG 600 does, in fact, only access the web browser or send/receive pic messages when inside your calling area. Very disappointing. Love the phone, but it'll be sent back. If I can't use all the features all the time, what's the point?

[Mike Horrocks]

I tried transferring my contacts this weekend from my Sprint SCP 8400 via bluetooth to my yet to activiated LG 600g. It transferred about 20% of them and then stopped and would not accept any more. I even deleted a couple and tried to add one and still no go. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks in advance.

[james kish]

this is my second one [i own two] it dose all that i want it to do...very happy...

[bil]

I, also, tried to save a picture to my phone book as a phone ID. Same message "write error". I was able to save 1 but then got the message. I would think it would hold more?!? Nice phone, tho. Hopefully it will save me money in the long run compared to AT&T.

[Cathy]

Does the LG600G have a sim card?

[Keith Tyndall]

Cathy, yes the LG600g does have a sim card.

[Dan]

I really appreciate your review!!I currently use the V170 and my wife has the 375g. I was very disappointed with the way her new phone has a very slow response time for the buttons. The V170 is much faster when I press the keys. How does the lg600 compare?

[Mike W]

I keep getting telemarketer calls in my voicemail which wastes my minutes when I check them and there doesn't seem to be a way to delete them. Is there a way to delete the voicemail messages?

[Greta H]

Stumbled upon your Blog today and have enjoyed your excellent input! It is much appreciated, and it is a keeper! thanks for all your effort. Are you by any chance working for Tracfone? my hubby uses the 376G and for his limited use (my regular, which I use for my business,is an old SunCom/T-mobile account) the tracfone is sufficient. It works well everywhere. I also would like to know how to delete the messages about "deals" from Tracfone/Motorola so not to be wasting minutes?
Greta H

[Keith Tyndall]

Mike W,
Unfortunately, I don't really use voicemail, so I can't give first-hand experience. I don't give my number out to many people, and I can tell from the missed call notification if someone tried to call me. I would suggest googling a term like tracfone delete voicemail messages and see what comes up. Sorry I couldn't help more.

Greta H,
Thank you for the kind words! I don't work for TracFone, but this site does bring in a litte money from the ads and stuff. You can go to www.trysbi.com to learn more about how to make a little extra money by creating a website like this. If you want to stop receiving calls from TracFone, you should be able to call their customer service and have them take you off their phone list.

[Pam]

My lg600 let me save photos as picture id then about 2 wks later I would get the message - write error - when trying to save to phone numbers.Returned that phone got another,same thing with the write error.I called tracfone after an 1 hr of the customer service rep having me try everything with this phone,she tells me they will work on it and in 24 hrs it will work, if not call back.Well I had to call back, after another hour of trying the same stuff as the night before she tells me the phone does not have that option,of course I blew up,wasting 2 nights in a row. Anyhow I asked to talk to her supervisor and gave him an earful,he is sending me another phone and I will send this one back.He guarantees me this one will work, probably just to shut me up. I hope it works.Has anyone who has this problem had it solved?? If so HOW??? Thanks

[Eldon]

thanks for you efforts you may wish to check out "mobile Converter"

http://www.miksoft.net/mobileAMRconverter.htm

[Natalie]

WOW! Great review! I just got this phone for Christmas and was experimenting with ringtones too, and tried putting an mp3 file on as my ringtone...when I was unsuccessful I browsed websites seeing if others were having the same problem. I did manage to find some nice websites that offered small midi files with the same songs that can be downloaded to the phone and used. Thanks so much!

[Laura]

do you need a Bluetooth capable PC to download photos from this camera? I'm considering the LG 600g, or LG 225 or Moto W376g...read reviews, but which do you prefer and why?

[Joe]

We purchased 2 of the LG 600 models from Tracfone and although they do allow bluetooth pairing to move some files to and from the computer,and it pairs with our TomTom Go920 for no hands calling -- almost everything else is unacceptable.

They really don't have much in the way of customizing and we can no longer send text messages to email addresses - oh it will take your money but the messages get lost forever. We can't even reply to text messages sent to the phone from email addresses, or even use services such as Google for weather updates- although they do send a message back to informing you the service is not authorized with your current plan. Naturally, they charge you for everything, even when the message is sent to the bit bucket. On the one LG600, we can not ever connect with the web browser. Basic voice calls break up a lot, the T-Mobile service in our area apparently is very poor. Although these are the nicest Tracfones we have owned, they are by far the poorest performing Tracfones we have purchased so far.

It's ironic, the best performing Tracfones we ever owned were the old basic Nokia that are no longer available, they worked everywhere and had free incoming text messaging.

We are considering going way back to something like the refurbished Motorola flip phone V170, they at least the service worked pretty good. We did not like the Motorola C261 but even that service worked better than the service with the LG 600g.

We have been using Tracfone for many years and accumulated more minutes than we need and so far have had no problems transferring the minutes and time to newly purchased phones. overall we really do like Tracfone, just not the service with these newly purchased LG600 series Tracfones.

[Donna]

So of the 2 that you reviewed since price does not really matter which is the better phone. As best as I can tell the LG does not have a radio, but you have used it on your computer. It does have a flashlight though. And... Does anything really make it better or easier to use than the Moto ? I can't exactly tell TPhone is including some type of accessory pack, but maybe it is not the universal available seperatly. Do I need the universal still to get a wireless headset which is a biggie for me I think I would really enjoy that ?

[Donna]

O'kay I should have said I'm moving up from a 170 so I'm confused as to all of this new stuff.

[Loukia]

Just purchased the LG 600 tracfone. I, too, am having a problem saving a picture with a contact. When I create the contact, the picture seems seccurely loaded - until I try to save the contact. I keep getting the "write error". Did you (the member with similar problem) get this problem resolved?

[Larry Lazar]

Has anyone yet found out how to send our LG600G pictures to our computers? I can't find a data card that talks about pictures. My PC is not blue tooth. I read that someone figured out how to send pictures to email address. I am not lazy, but I just cn't find out this stuff. Any ideas? Larry hyi@comcast.ne

[Gary]

If you sign up for the DO NOT Call list, this will do away with a lot of telemarketing

[Pam]

Loukia about the write error I got a new phone but I havent tried it yet,try calling the Tracfone Corporate Office 1800-876-5753,I think they will be more helpful than the customer support #

[Loukia]

Pam, Thank you for the corporate number. I tried customer support..they insisted (3 different reps) that the lg600 did not have the feature to attach a picture to a contact name. Well, I'll be! If my brother didn't have the same phone, I probably would believe them, and just let it go at that! But my brother's lg600 not only had my picture attached to my name in his phonebook (not on sim card), but when I call him, he flips open his phone and sees my picture! We are older folk with outdated glasses - so you can imagine how we love this identification visual! Anyway, I finally exchanged my phone at Target - they were great - no problem with the exchange. I am pleased to tell you that I can attach pictures to phone contacts with no problem - and when that person calls me, their picture comes up on the inside screen. Although this lg600 is very "cheap", for extreme budgets like mine, I am grateful. Tracfone service is truly second rate - but their online program is well done for switching phones, etc. Good luck with your new phone.

[Pam]

Loukia, Just be sure in a few weeks it still has picture id.I had 2 different phones that would work for a few weeks then it would start the write error. Customer service tried the same with me....that it didnt have that feature,I got tired of arguing,but I wanted what I paid for. That is why if it happens again I will call the corporate number.Sooo,thanks and Good luck with your phone also!!!

[v700jd]

I went on ebay and got a few spare batteries.

What I ordered were the LGIP-CE110.

It is the same size and dimensions as the original 431-A battery.

Both are Lithium Ion 3.7 volt.

The 431A is rated at 800 mAh, the CE110 is rated at 900 mAh.

It lasts a little longer, charges the same (My charger has an IC chip to prevent overcharging).

Away from home, with a poor signal you use more of the battery than when you have a clear signal from the tower.

I have gotten a week between charges, with moderate use.

[Loukia]

Pam, I hope the picture id keeps working - yikes! I'll keep posting here if I have problems. For Larry, buy a USB bluetooth component - it costs $25-$35 and works great. You can then send pics to your PC and vice versa. Question for members in the know - my lg600 only allows me to bluetooth ONE contact at a time between the phone memory and my PC! I have sooo many contacts to migrate! I want to use the phone memory because it allows the format of: name, cell#, home#, email, group, email, pic, memo, etc. The sim memory only allows name and phone#. Is there a software/data cable that can be used to get into the LG phone memory? Can I construct a contact format for the phone - fill in my contacts (with other info) - then send it to the phone all at once? If there are any "techies" here who know this stuff, I would appreciate any info. LS, MA.