Sanyo SCP-5500 / VM-4500
Average Ratings
Good features, bad phone.
The Sanyo SCP 5500 (or VM 4500) has many good features. The reception was VERY good, whereas I got reception when nobody else could. I liked the video camera, although you could only record for 15 seconds. All in all, it had GREAT features.
But, all good things have their cons, in this case, they're REALLY bad. I had to have this phone replaced 4 times in less than a month! Every new one I got had the same problems as the last. It would drop calls, randomly go in and out of service and roaming, the microphone wouldn't work, the calls wouldn't go through, the battery would die early, ect.
The bottom line is, if you want a cheap phone with great features, then go for it. Who knows? Maybe you'll get lucky and get a non-defective one. As for me, I just got the Samsung A920, and never looked back. =)
Is This Really A Sanyo???
I have been a HUGE sanyo fan since I started using/selling SprintPCS, and I'm a little dissapointed in this phone. Starting with the droped calls, that is if I can connect with the call. Then there is the Ready Link, when it is on, it is great, but thats if it is on. I have read other reviews stating a problem with the 0100 or 0101 version (to check this press ##786, then OK twice. Under details, down to version, you are looking for the "H" version). On the otherhand, the picture/screen quality is a lot better then the 8100, it is a little easier to navigate through all the menues, and the best thing they did was add the SMS messaging, being a frequent user of this (about 200 messages a day), this is a lot easier and faster then "Short Mail". I am giving this phone a 1.5, though I may update that after I get the new version and see what they fixed!
Ed. note: removed link
Pure Problem
When I first got this phone I thought this was one of the bestphone Sprint PCS ever put out but this problem is cool but comes with alot of problems in general. First yeah the camera is good, the camcorder is also good. The display in the phone is pretty behind compaired to other phone's from sanyo. The battery on this phone does not last at all, it seems like as soon as I pick it up it's gone. The Signal on this phone is in a book of it's on. You will just lose and gain signals like there is no tomorrow. Where you made one phone call at you may not every be able to make one from that area again.The call drops/signal fade will drive you insane. It does it alot and when I saw alot imagine 10 -20 call drops in a matter of 30-40 minutes really, The Ready link starts out ok but soon will have like a 10 second connect delay when people call you. You drop calls on the ready link portion just like a phone call. It will oftan go down and not come back up. The phone also has alot of issues with powering down by itself for I and many friends have had this problem.
Other than that the phone is pretty good size it's a little long, but it's ok. The features are cool just wished they worked right.
The "Problem" Phone
I have had several of these phones in the last few months since they came out, and I have had problem after problem. Here is the list...
Signal fading while standing in one spot.
Picture/Video mail error when display shows full service.
Numerous Ready-Link errors.
Horrible battery life. It barely lasts 3/4 of a day.
Applications/Games terminating for no reason.
Vision (wireless web service) not available and receiving numerous error messages.
All these problems aside, the phone is a cool product with many good ideas...they just need to be refined.
Great Looking Phone but has some BAD CONS
I don't think there is a better looking phone for me this phone is perfect with the nice blue color and when you open it up the lights turn up blue which is great for the dark.
The cons of this phone well the battery life isn't so good plus the signal where I life sucks where it doesn't even have 1 bar and I would be lucky to get 2 bars. However that is where i live so if where you live sprint is good, then this is a great phone but by now there probably already makeing a better one. Another con is ONLY 15 sec what a chip the s700 from SE can probably record 512min with the right memo card and compare to this crappy 15sec well its just sad, but hey 15 sec is better them nothing. It also needs MP3 player and a expan slot which would make it a greater phone then it already is.
The best phone ever (for a while at least)
This is by far the best mobile phone I have ever had the pleasure of making contact with. It has a huge bright full color screen than can display full-screen wallpapers. A loud and very clear speaker for Ready Link and regular calls (which can all be made and received with the flip closed) and the ear-piece is the clearest of any Sprint phone. The camcorder and camera are easy to use and very fun. They come with fun frames like holiday greetings as well as a zoom function. The user interface is sleek ans stylish with Icon-driven menus and sliding dialog boxes. No more of the DOS-like menus from the older Sanyos like the 5300 and 4900. Another feature that makes this phone shine is the inclusion of on-board SMS. Sprint users have had to put up w/ the web-based short mail system for too long and now this phones delivers us from the torment that was sending txt messages. The amount of download memory is adequate at 1.5 MB for ringers wallpapers and apps w/ a separate memory (other than the 1.5MB) for the camera and camcorder as well as yet another separate memory for media transferred from a PC via USB. The web browser is faster than previous sanyos as well. I can't forget to mention all of this is packed int a small phone with great looks.
Now the cons, it's EXPENSIVE! at $380+tax and it comes only with the home charger, phone and 1 battery. All of the features can't be fully utilized yet since only a handful of people have this phone, some features like video mail and ready link can only be used with compatible phones. Also, SMS hasn't officially launched for Sprint as of the date of this review.
Overall, this phone is definitely worth the $$$ if you're looking for "the total package" w/o having to lug around a brick-sized PDA.
AWSOME
This phone has been well worth the wait. I made my purchase just a couple of days ago, but I can't put it down. I seem to find something new everytime I pick it up. I really don't know if I have found a con yet for this phone. The Sanyo 5500 has many pros just a few are:
Pros:
1 The color screen is the best I have ever seen.
2 the pictures are amazing in the highes mode
3 this phone even has Sprints PTT
4 the outer screen is just as clear as the one inside.
5 I like the rainbow led believe it or not
6 Sound quality is exceptional
7 Range unbelievable I can go where no other sprint phone of mine has gone before
I would have to say my only con is the price, I like most others look at 379 for existing customers as wow. When I first checked out this phone over the weekend I knew then that this was going to be my new phone. Whach out all other carriers with this phone and the other changes in service Sprint is making good luck in keeping your customers.
Great phone, Sanyo did not think about long contact names!
Overall I have given the phone a 4.5 because I used the contact's name a lot even as a reference to spell their last names or names. It seems like Sanyo thought that 15 characters including spaces was more than enough for the contact names. Another key area that I noticed is a bit under the average is the battery talk time. I typically talk on the phone for about an hour a day and it seems like by the end of the day I have to recharge the battery for my next day or I will run out of charge for my next day hour of talking. It doesn't sound like it is yielding the 2.8 hours Sanyo promises but if you calculate the standby and other uses of the phone it kind of balance with what Sanyo says is the average. Other than that, I love this phone.
Pros:
- Speakerphone is a 10 in my book
- Screen colors and size is very good
- Camera is not "outstanding", but it does a good job.
- The video clips are also "ok". But again, this is supposed to be a cell phone and not a video camera. It is just a nice thing to have just to play and be able to send your significant other a quick clip of the city when you are traveling.
- Size wise is not bad when you take in consideration all the things that have been incorporated into the phone.
- Access to the web is a bit slow, but I guess when you have a network with thousands or probably millions of people trying to log in, what else can you expect?
- Signal strenght is excellent. I know some people think Sanyo over states the signal with the software, but I do believe that the signal is better than other phones I have seen. At least my personal perception.
- Phone "blue" color makes the phone look elegant and not like a plastic toy as other shiny silver phones.
- Menu options are an 8 out of 10. It is a bit more labor intensive to get into the calendar as I have experienced with other phones. May be I need to find a short cut...
Cons:
- Contact name lenght
- Battery live
A bit on the $ side.
Doesn't Get Any Better
This phone is exceptional. Crystal clear calling, great features, user friendly, and great reception. If you go to a store that sells it and play around with it, you will end up buying it. I have to pay the full price of 379.99 because I previously had the Sanyo 8100 that just bought in May. This phone is much better. I feel that the price is still worth it because I can't see why I would want another phone anytime soon. The only kind of phone that could come out that I would consider buying is one that you could watch television in real time or a phone that you could talk on and see the person that you are talking to on the LCD screen.
Best Phone Ever
I have owned a lot of phones the past 4 years and this is the best phone ever. I even like this phone better than the Treo 600. The Sanyo 5500/VM4500 has the loudest speakerphone that I have ever heard (including Nextel phones), the camera is an extremely good quality and the video camera is just as good. The web browser is a lot faster than previous phones and the download time for applications, games, ringtones, etc. is amazing. The menu is extremely easy to navigate and very easy to pick up on. I have the phone for a week and this is the first time I've put it down long enough to write this review.
Even for this price of $379.99, this phone is still the best out there and looks to be ahead of the pack for a long time to come.
