It sounds like the last writer had a bad experience with his phone. My wife owns the older vx6000 and we just purhcased the new a670. The a670 is an all around better phone. It should be, it's newer. For the price, the Samsung a670 is the better way to go. As far as the external
LCD on the a670, it is not faint. I use it for a caller ID. It can either display the name and number of the person calling or, if you have a picture assigned to the number, a picture of the person calling. It is a nice little feature. Also, the self portrait mode is great if you compare it against some of the alternatives, no self portrait mode at all, one with a tiny mirror, or a swivel camera head. Don't get me wrong, I like the vx6000. But after a full year or more with it, it begins to show its age more in design and features. I thought the external screen was pretty cool when we first got the vx6000, now it just looks primative. Both are good phones, but the a670 has the slight
edge and would win my vote. This is coming from someone with both phones in use at the same time. Good luck with your final decision.