Sanyo SCP-5300
Average Ratings
I'm in love~
My friends make fun of me because I am always saying that I love this phone SO much, I want to marry it!
I have had Nokia phones, Kyocera, & a previous Sanyo phone. Nothing I have had compares to this phone.
PROS: The screen is great, very clear. My screen savers look great! I LOVE the camera! I have taken silly pictures of all my friends, & whenever they call me, their silly picture comes through! It ALWAYS makes me laugh! I was able to download MANY awesome ringtones, & I have a different ringtone set for almost everyone who calls me. I am able to identify the caller JUST by the ringtone. The camera quality is not GREAT, but it's darn good for a phone! If you are in a car accident, you could take pictures of the wreck! Not only can you take pictures, you can immediately email them to someone! Or to yourself if you want to save the pic on your harddrive. The calculator is easy to use. It has an airplane mode. You can choose the color of your sub LCD & the incoming calls, the font, & customize your greeting. YAY! It's just great!
CONS: The sound is a little quiet. I can't hear well outside. I hear that you can go to a Sprint store & upgrade the software, & that problem is taken care of. I will try that. The only thing that would make this phone PERFECT is if it had 2 way text messaging. You have to go onto the web to text someone, & sometimes, the service is down. That's extremely annoying...but that has more to do with Sprint's service than with the phone itself, I think. So if you want to use text messaging, I believe you HAVE to get the Vision plan. The phone is large, but it's really not heavy, & it's not an awkward size, so that's not really a con. The camera quality could be improved, but it's decent enough for a phone....you really shouldn't use it for important events, anyway.
What more can I say? I couldn't recommend it highly enough...and YES, the price is worth it (to me....& you can find good deals).
What The Salesman Has To Say
This phone is just plain solid proof of what technology has come to. Sanyo REALLY out did themselves this time.
PRO
- The color displays are amazingly crisp. Not even the A500 can compare.
-Camera? Primo! This is so much more convenient than having to carry a separate unit. It's also an added bonus that you don't have to replace a battery every few shoots.
-THE RF IS PHENOMENAL! I have never seen another PCS phone get the signal this one does.
-Size. Iâm listing this as a pro because of what youâre getting in the package. I carry an A460, and it is only 1/4" larger! Compare it to other camera phones that use a separate unit for pictures. Add the volumes of both together and it is are bigger. Never thought of it that way before, huh?
-Picture/Flash quality. Once again, WOW! I tested the camera in pitch black, and the flash brilliantly light up whatever I took a picture of.
-Construction. This phone is with-out-a-doubt solid as a brick. The flip has a very sound âsnapâ sound when itâs opened.
-Camera settings. Very surprising! Being able to customize your camera settings makes the quality of the photos even better!
-Sanyo FINALLY got rid of that boring menu system. Thank God!
CON
-I guess you could make this a pro or con, but the phone disconnects the RF transmitter in camera mode. Translation: when you are in camera mode, you cannot make or take calls. This could be a pro or con.
-The save time after taking a picture is a bit long. This could have been shortened dramatically. Still, I never plan on using this camera as a rapid-shoot, so I can live with it.
-For some reason, you cannot save the settings you make for picture taking. Maybe this is why it takes so long for the camera to save a picture⦠Hmmâ¦
-Price tag. $399.99 retail. Ouch. A little destructive on your wallet, but think about what you would spend on a phone and camera. The extra you pay to carry it all in your pocket is worth it.
Yet another Sales Rep.
I have had just about every phone on the market. I sell for Nextel, Sprint, AT&T and Cingular. This is by the far, price no object, the best phone I have ever used. The other reps were right on, I have not seen a single flaw yet. If anyone wants me to send a sample picture let me know. ([contact info removed]) My room mate works for Tmobile and has the V205, and there is no comparison. Both phones cost the same and have very nice TFT screens, but the 5300s picture quality is much much better. The other rep that said data is unlimited with vision if you connect it to a laptop is 100% correct. I had my demo line hooked up to the merlin card and I was supposed to get 1500 minutes, the thing is none of the time is being counted, it still says 1500 minutes remaining. I usually change phones every 2-3 months, I don't think that will happen this time. Phones I have used in the last year are: T68m (still active under AT&T gsm), Nokia 8890, Sanyo 5150, Sanyo 4900 and some others I don't remember or didn't have very long. This phone is by far the best, it is worth the money. Phones I turned down just recently to get the 5300: Motorola T720 not impressive at all, Nokia 7210 this is a color screen 6590, and the Siemens SX56 too big and costs more than the 5300. And from what I have heard the Nokia camera phone will not be worth anything either.
Oh well just my 2 cents.
Sanyo...PICTURES and ETC>
I am very happy...actually, VERY HAPPY with the the Sanyo 5300, since upgrading from a Samsung A500.
EXCEPT FOR THREE SMALL REASONS:
1: I would love, when the shell is closed, to still see the screen saver as well as the TIME stay ON, when I have it on my desk. But, it returns to "Sleep." Now that I bought this version at the price...the next version will have it.
2: I'd LOVE to find a cover that I can use all of it's features, without taking the cover off. I'm sure there is one out there that I will find, one day, before I scratch my Lens and Flash?
3: The key pad needs to be much more brighter...if nothing else, but for emergency reasons. Or, for some people...that are Too Drunk, to see.
NOW THE BIG ONE:
**4: I here and read about how "some" all of the 5300 users are taking wonderful and sharp pictures, without adjusting the camera first. My pictures are not worth sending yet keeping. Is it me? I don't think so...since this is my 2nd 5300 (thinking it was the camera) and, I feel that I take my time and concentrate when taking a picture. Sprint as well as the Sprint stores, say that it may be the way the camera was shipped. Again, I don't think so. How much time and expense should Myself/Sprint/Sanyo have to go through before I get the "right" camera. But, again, maybe the next "shipment" will be even better.
Besides the above, I will keep this phone because of it's incredible quality and the "feel" against my ear, compared to the A500. The difference in price...is well worth the near future of the Cellular Phone industry. Congradulatons...SANYO. Keep up the good work!
Love It
I've had this phone since it's release. At first the earpiece volume was low, but my friends at the Sprint store fixed that for me. The other problem I had at first was paying too much for ringers/screen savers. Then a co-worker informed me there are sites where you can get free ringers and screen savers. Not only normal polytone ringers, but "dead ringer" that makes your ring sound like a song on the radio. At some sites these are under the voice category. To find these sites go to a search engine and type in "free ringers". Some good ones are Matrixm.com and 3gupload.com. Anyways, after I got past those obstacles my only remaining complaint is no speaker phone. The screen color quality is incredible. The camera is not going to be as good as a separate digital camera, but for being a phone camera it is the best currently on the market. Overall great phone. I would definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a new cell phone in that price range.
great phone
this is a great phone except for the earpeice volume and the lighting of the keypad. both of these problems can be fixed. go to sprint pcs store to fix the earpeice volume and go to www.phonehacks.com to fix the keypad problem. oh yea if you cant soldier dont try the keypad thing. it takes time and skill, but looks AWESOME!!
WoW!
i saw this phone from a relative. The color screen is great and also the camera. It's one the best phones i had ever saw.
The good: camera with flash and polyphonic ringtones and color screen.
The bad: no speakerphone or bluethooth!
Overall, I would get this phone, but it's from sprint and sprint's plans are kind of pricey. I would rather get the Panasonic GU87 or the Samsung V205. To check what phones are coming soon, go to www.cnet.com or www.phonescoop.com
awesome phone, very satisfied
i got this phone after having tried the sanyo scp-4900 and the samsung a500 and consider this the best of the three.
PROs:
1. great display: 65000 colors tops the market right now in the US. also has the largest display of all the sprint phones.
2. great reception: although the scp-4900 had a little bit better reception (approximately 20% better i'd say) i mostly get about 4 or 5 bars everywhere i go. i live in colorado springs but frequently travel. in the LA/orange county area it was great (4 to 5 bars). birmingham and montgomery, alabama i got the same reception. driving through mississippi going to new orleans i got 5 bars, and in new orleans i got 5 bars as well, and in atlanta i got 4 to 5 bars.
3. comes with the extended battery.
4. camera built in! some people ask why i would need a camera built into a phone...but then years ago when i didn't have a cell phone i would ask people, "why would ANYONE ever need a cell phone?" but now i use mine constantly (about 8000 min/month) and couldn't possibly live without it!
5. cool factor: do you know how many people ask to look at my phone? it is the absolute coolest phone out there!
CONs:
1. price!!!!!!
2. out of the box it comes with software version 1.038sp...i had to upgrade this at the sprint store to 1.039sp to increase the volume on the ear peace. it is now a good volume, however.
3. no speaker phone: this is what i miss about the 4900, speaker phones are GREAT!
4. extra battery but no ability to charge one while using the other on the phone! what the hell? (unless you get the desk charger for $90 or however much it is)
BOTTOM LINE:
great phone, not too keen on the price, but if you can afford it, it is well worth it
Sprint Sales Rep's Thoughts
I will have to agree with Shack Man, Sanyo has really out done themselves! This phone kicks the A500's butt from every angle. The TFT screen on the A500 is not as clear, crisp and not as bright....and the signal, excellent!
The phone has been nothing short of amazing! The 5300 camera takes much higher quality pictures than the Samsung attachable camera.
My phone had already been updated with SW version 1.035SP and yes...it cures the earpiece volume problem...you will actually have to turn down the volume to at least Medium High so that the Voice Command prompt (if you have that feature in your plan) doesn't blow out your eardrum when he says, "Ready." well I wasn't "ready" it was more like "READY!!!!!".
The signal is the best I have ever seen...and I have tested it. My house is in a "fringe" service area part of town, the road to my house will cause you to loose service everytime without fail...even with my old Sanyo 5000. With my 5300 I was able to drive ALL the way down this road talking and not even drop the call...let alone loose signal! When I got home, I knew that my $400 had been well spent.
Now about the data kit. Since I work in a Sprint Store I can tell you with confidence that you are going to have a very, very difficult time trying to find these little jewels since Sprint has recalled ALL...yes...ALL 3G data kits for ALL...yes...ALL 3G phones due to the fact that you can plug up your laptop and surf for hours with unlimited vision. This may change or it may just be my stores particular market that we are in...but I doubt it. But wait!...All hope is not lost!! Here is the web address for a supplier that deals with connectivety kits for just about any phone you can think of including our beloved Sanyo 5300:
http://www.futuredial.com/futuredial/futuredial.htm
To finally sum up, if you want to take digital pictures and were comparing the A500 to the 5300...spend the extra money and get the best we have to offer!
