Sanyo SCP-5500 / VM-4500
Average Ratings
Dropped Calls
After doing much research I decided to buy the sanyo 5500. Many felt it was abit to costly, but I liked all the features it has to offer. After getting home I found I was not able to get a signal from my home. I am getting dropped calls all the time. I have called sprint and was told to take my phone into the test center. They were not able to find nothing wrong and suggested I take the phone back to where I purchased it and request new one. I have a friend who also has this phone and is having the same problem. I am beginning to think this model is a lemon
Just about right!
I am a sales rep for Sprint, therefore have played with, sold, and used most any and all Sprint phones made within the last 3 years. I've had the Samsung N200, A500, A620... through sprint. Nokia 8260 through AT&T... Motorola V60i through Verizon... and the Sanyo is hands down the best of them all! I could not be more satisfied with all the features of the phone, except the speaker phone. I can hear them fine, but they can't hear me hardly at all. I know the mic is ok because I use the Ready Link all the time (which by the way is an awesome feature if you know people who have the service). Aside from that, the phone is incredible. For all those who cry about the battery life, get a pen and paper and take some notes on this... any time you transmit or receive a signal from a wireless device, it kills the battery. Features like the camcorder/camera and illuminating the screen are also high drain. I get tired of hearing complaints from uneducated people, but in all fairness, these are user reviews and not expert reviews.
Pros-
A- HUGE SCREEN
B- Several camera/camcorder zooms.
C- Clear as day mic. and speaker
D- Enough memory for pics, ringers, clips, wallpapers, etc...
E- Ready Link (INCREDIBLE ALL AROUND, kills NEXTEL and VZW PTT
F- SMS, can't go wrong there
G- Quick browser
H- Side keys actually do something useful (adjust zoom, volume, speaker, earpiece, camera, ready link, etc...)
I- Just a damn good lookin phone!
Cons-
A- MY speaker phone
B- Uhhhh, that would be about it!
If you are considering some phones from Sprint, the VM4500/SCP-5500 is a no-brainer. Phones like the Audiovox and Samsung 680 are good phones, but when compared to the VM4500 there is no question. Don't let the Toshiba fool you...the screen is beautiful, but that is the only thing it's got going for it. As for the Samsung 680, the screen size is tiny. Email me with questions on phones... aaron@cwcpcs.com
My 2nd Sanyo vm4500
This is my second vm 4500. My first one does the same thing my second did. Dropped calls, redialing calls, network busy in the middle of the night. I tried to give this phone another chance by getting the same one when my first one broke, but it failed my test. I plan on buying a rL 7300 and hope that works.
PROS:
nice screen size and color
good phone size
many features
speakerphone is loud
2 way walkie talkie
CONS:
bad reception
slow web
camcorder is not so good(sound is heard before the appropriate time)
battery doesnt last long
Best phone I' ever had
I have been working in the cellular industry for a little over 3 years selling; AT&T, Cingular, T-MObile, Nextel,Verizon, Sprint PCS, and several other pay as you go carriers. When you are a sales person these carriers will offten give their sales people new phones and special dealer plans (very cheap). So, I can honestly say that I have used every major provider on the market.
Here is a list of phones that I have owned:
Motorolla v60i AT&T (TDMA)
Nec 525 AT&T (GSM)
Motorolla i730 Nextel (GSM)
Nokia 3390 Cingular (GSM)
Sanyo 5150 Sprint Pcs (CDMA)
LG Vx6000 Verizon (CDMA)
Motorolla T66 T-Mobile (GSM)
With that in mind let me tell you why I have Sprint PCS now, and why I just purchased the Sanyo VM4500. I love to travel with my family, mostly in California and Nevada. I get the best digital coverage and the fastest internet connection. Sometimes I find myself in a situation when I need to make an emergency call but I have no digital coverage (not offten). I can still use my phone in analog mode and make that call. Roaming costs $.50 a min, but you cant put a price on emergency calls.
I actually liked the coverage of my old AT&T TDMA phone but unfortunately AT&T switched all gears to GSM only (very bad coverage, slow data transfer, and sim card glitches, the same with T-Mobile and Cingular). My new phone, the sanyo VM4500 is awsome! I have the Area Wide Plan/Calif. and Nev. $45 as a regular customer, by the way. I also was fairly satisfied with my Verizon phone but, data transfer just wasnt as fast as my Sprint service. Its like having a Ferrari and having to trade it in for a Mustang.
Since my new phone is a 3G phone, data transfer is much faster. The speaker phone is cool but, needs some tweeking on. ReadyLink is great but, the two coolest features on this phone are the VGA Camera and the Video recorder. I snap tones of pics of my son, the race track (underground), all my friends and our cars. I am very happy with my phone and service.
Problem on the latest batch made
Being a Sanyo enthusiast, I've heard about some problems with the Sanyo 5500 but I'd like to clarify something to these people who give it a bad review. If you have a Sanyo 5500 that is dropping all of the calls you make, you have the latest in a series of bad 5500's made in the past month or so. If you purchased a Sanyo in either March or April of 2004, you will need to have it either A) Warrantied at a Sprint PCS Corporate Store, OR B) Return it the the original retailer under their return/exchange period (varies by retailer).
I've had my Sanyo since December, when it came out. I've had no problems with it yet. If you are experiencing an abnormal amount of dropped calls, problems with Ready Link or Web Issues and your phone has no signs of abuse, the transmitter in your phone is most likely bad and the phone needs to be warrantied. ALL PCS PHONES HAVE A 1 YEAR Warranty from the date of Activation. As long as you purchased it from an Authorized Sprint PCS Retailer, you can have a replacement 5500 ordered in exchange for your bad one through Sprint Corporate Warranty. If you can't wait for the replacement to be ordered, visit your local Sprint Store and see how they're dealing with the issue.
If you have ANY questions, please e-mail me at jimmy45481@yahoo.com and I'll direct you, accordingly.
Once again, the Sanyo 5500 is a GREAT phone, they just had some bad luck with the last batch made. The newest hardware revision for the phone should be out by early to mid May 2004. Anytime after that, you can have your 5500 warrantied.
Thank you.
Using features I didn't think I would - great phone!
I like the look, feel and sound quality of the phone as well as the more universal features since my last phone purchase. Once I figured out the camera, video and messaging, I found myself using those features more than I'd ever imagined.
The only issue I have had to address is that the additional car lighter power adapter from the Sprint store was just a millimeter shy of fitting correctly and I had to use the slightly older (relatively) version that works great. Not an issue of the phone; just Sprint splitting the difference with their OEM provider.
Great phone, works well, reception is excellent side by side with other on the same carrier and it is actually fun. Esp. when I send an image (shutter is very slow so you must hold very still).
Definitely looking at getting another for the family and the walkie talkie feature. I also found a company that makes a custom fitted earpiece for my headset. I love it!!
finally !!!!
its about time sprint through out something better than nextel ! this phone is the best thing out right now i love the fact that i can make videos and email them or share them with my friends .T he two way is great and clear this phone out did itself and even if the price is a Lil high believe me its worth every penny . the only thing is that the battery life isnt the greatest but it will get you through the day! i have had every phone through sprint and verizon since i used to work for them there isnt a feature i dont know about these phone feel free to email me any questions im glad to help!!!!!!!
BEST PHONE OUT THERE
awsome, very awsome. i got this phone today and this is the best phone i have ever bought. i currently owed the vx6000 and samsung a610, and the sanyo makes them look like they were analog phones. reception is great. the camera and video are great.
pros:
great reception sprint.
good video and camera.
light and small.
easy to use.
battery time is good.
blue color is great.
cons.
nothing at all
the price is definitely worth it.
