ericshmerick
02-05-2004, 10:13 PM
Here goes:
Build: It feels cheap in comparison to the Sanyo. Seriously, it feels plasticy. The Sanyo feels like a TANK compared to this thing. Just a gripe, when you press your finger against the center of the battery cover, there is a 1mm or so give...it flexes and feels plasticy and cheap. Overall there is not a "quality" feel to it.
Speakerphone: This is a major deal for me. Ever since I've owned the SCP-4500, a speakerphone has become a necessity. The speakerphone performance on the 4050 is sub-par. It doesn't really get loud, and when you turn it all the way up, it crackles and such. The Sanyo is 100% guilty of this too...it's like the Sanyo speaker is about to blow when you turn it up. I will say the caller on the other end of the 4050 could hear me better than when I used the Sanyo. The fact that you can't conduct a speakerphone call with the flip closed might cause me to return this phone...and the lack of an exterior speakerphone button is disappointing.
Earpiece: Crystal clear, but not very loud. It doesn't have the "muffled" sound like the 5500 does. If it was loud enough to use in a very noisy environment, it would be perfect. Right now, it just needs more juice....
Screen: Obviously the marquee feature of this phone. It really is beautiful; makes Vision a whole new experience. The fonts are kind of small, though. Small gripe...there is a 1 second delay between the time you open the flip, and the time the display illuminates. No big deal, it's just annoying.
Flip: Very hard to open with one hand. The flip itself feels solid compared to the rest of the phone, and has a nice "snap" when closed.
Menu: Very intuitive, but once you get past the 9-block format, it is very similar to the Sanyo's menus.
Battery: Still on the first charge, but it should be on par, if not better than the Sanyo.
Camera: Of the images I've compared to my 5500 ones, it really looks the same.
Camcorder: Sorry guys, but the Sanyo's camcorder is much better. I don't really care, as I rarely use the video function. It does not factor into my opinion of either phone, but better quality is always better.
Outside display: It really sucks. Seriously. It's as if the engineers completed the phone, only to discover they forgot an exterior screen, and they then scrambled to add one. It almost looks like a hologram or something. I'm disappointed because the main display is breathtaking.
Things I like about the 4050:
* The day and date displays while using a screensaver
* The clarity of calls is amazing
* That display...oh mama
* Cool ringers
* Quality camera images
* I like that the main display turns off during a call (the Sanyo stays on)
I'm not going to go into the things I dislike about this phone, as I feel I've provided a good indication of my "gripes" in this review. Trying to keep it "fair and balanced" as Bill O'Reilly would say.
The bottom line:
I think the speakerphone issues, volume issues, and overall sub-par build quality are enough for me to revert to my workhorse 5500. And who knows, I may need readylink in the future, so I might as well be prepared.....but I am eager to see Toshiba's 2nd swing at a Sprint phone. That one may be the winner, but right now I'm liking Sanyo over Toshiba (despite not being 100% pleased with the Sanyo either).
Build: It feels cheap in comparison to the Sanyo. Seriously, it feels plasticy. The Sanyo feels like a TANK compared to this thing. Just a gripe, when you press your finger against the center of the battery cover, there is a 1mm or so give...it flexes and feels plasticy and cheap. Overall there is not a "quality" feel to it.
Speakerphone: This is a major deal for me. Ever since I've owned the SCP-4500, a speakerphone has become a necessity. The speakerphone performance on the 4050 is sub-par. It doesn't really get loud, and when you turn it all the way up, it crackles and such. The Sanyo is 100% guilty of this too...it's like the Sanyo speaker is about to blow when you turn it up. I will say the caller on the other end of the 4050 could hear me better than when I used the Sanyo. The fact that you can't conduct a speakerphone call with the flip closed might cause me to return this phone...and the lack of an exterior speakerphone button is disappointing.
Earpiece: Crystal clear, but not very loud. It doesn't have the "muffled" sound like the 5500 does. If it was loud enough to use in a very noisy environment, it would be perfect. Right now, it just needs more juice....
Screen: Obviously the marquee feature of this phone. It really is beautiful; makes Vision a whole new experience. The fonts are kind of small, though. Small gripe...there is a 1 second delay between the time you open the flip, and the time the display illuminates. No big deal, it's just annoying.
Flip: Very hard to open with one hand. The flip itself feels solid compared to the rest of the phone, and has a nice "snap" when closed.
Menu: Very intuitive, but once you get past the 9-block format, it is very similar to the Sanyo's menus.
Battery: Still on the first charge, but it should be on par, if not better than the Sanyo.
Camera: Of the images I've compared to my 5500 ones, it really looks the same.
Camcorder: Sorry guys, but the Sanyo's camcorder is much better. I don't really care, as I rarely use the video function. It does not factor into my opinion of either phone, but better quality is always better.
Outside display: It really sucks. Seriously. It's as if the engineers completed the phone, only to discover they forgot an exterior screen, and they then scrambled to add one. It almost looks like a hologram or something. I'm disappointed because the main display is breathtaking.
Things I like about the 4050:
* The day and date displays while using a screensaver
* The clarity of calls is amazing
* That display...oh mama
* Cool ringers
* Quality camera images
* I like that the main display turns off during a call (the Sanyo stays on)
I'm not going to go into the things I dislike about this phone, as I feel I've provided a good indication of my "gripes" in this review. Trying to keep it "fair and balanced" as Bill O'Reilly would say.
The bottom line:
I think the speakerphone issues, volume issues, and overall sub-par build quality are enough for me to revert to my workhorse 5500. And who knows, I may need readylink in the future, so I might as well be prepared.....but I am eager to see Toshiba's 2nd swing at a Sprint phone. That one may be the winner, but right now I'm liking Sanyo over Toshiba (despite not being 100% pleased with the Sanyo either).