Small, cute, rounded, and light (3 ounces), with an addictively snappy hinge, the VI-125 slips easily into any pocket or purse. The tough plastic body survived several drops with no trouble, and we got pretty good talk time: 4 hours 21 minutes. It could probably even last a week on standby. There's an excellent keypad too, with somewhat rounded, separated keys that are clearly labeled and very easy to dial.

Sound quality and reception were very good; there's also a loud speakerphone (a good thing) and a standard, wired headset jack. And having an analog band (something increasingly rare these days) ensures that the VI-125 will get the best possible reception in outlying areas. When the phone receives calls, it breaks out into a 32-chord MIDI ringtone and displays the phone number on the sharp, black-and-white external screen. The tinkly ringtones won't rock anyone's world, but they're loud enough to be heard.

The only mild irritant we identified: You have to flip open the phone to kick it into vibrate mode.

Sure, the VI-125 has other features. It sends text messages using the popular T9 predictive-text system, receives text messages and links to picture messages, surfs WAP sites, plays games, and even, in theory, streams video (but please, forget about the video). You won't be able to download many games into its 1MB of memory, but the VI-125 plays an acceptable game of Tetris on its color screen. Various third-party data kits are available that let you sync contacts and ringers with your PC and use the phone as a modem.

The LG VI-125 is even cuter and easier to use than our other voice-only favorite, the Kyocera SoHo KX1. But the KX1 is for Verizon and a bunch of regional carriers, and the VI-125 is for Sprint. We think both are good phones, and we're happy to give the VI-125 an Editors' Choice for voice-only phones.

View the LG VI-125, Kyocera SoHo/KX1, LG C1300, and Siemens CF62T side by side.

Benchmark Test Results Continuous talk time: 4 hours 21 minutes Jbenchmark .1: 469