mophile
09-18-2005, 11:57 AM
Figured I would compare and contrast the phones I have used on the Sprint for those who are trying to decide what phone suits them best. These are MY opinions, so yours may (and probably will vary). My cell background: I have been a VERY heavy user (3000+ mins, 3500+texts, 200+ pix/month) since 1986. I have used every carrier in my (Portland, Or) area at one time. Onward now!
Sanyo 8200
This was the phone I got when I signed up.
Pros:
Solid feeling hinge
Decent screen for the money
Lightweight
Decent camera
Locks in T9 when you select it
Forces ANALOG roam, not just any roaming. Had several instances where I tried to force roam, got digital and could not place a call until I found analog signal (see VI660)
Cons:
WORST EARPIECE EVER!!! I returned the first and second one (I was trying to like it and the customer disservice reps at my local store were saying they had never heard of a problem...apparently they cannot read.)
Recessed keypad
No BT
Sanyo 7400
Replaced the 8200. Still have it. Still love it.
Pros:
Great screen
Menus laid out in exactly the way I would do them. Intuitive.
Locks in T9 when you select it
Sturdy
Forces analog roam
Great keypad
Best camera in a cell phone I have used ever!
Cons:
Crappy earpiece sound. It is bearable, but still unpardonable on a $350 phone.
No BT
Treo 650
Pros:
Palm OS (awesome)
HAS BLUETOOTH!!!! FINALLY A SPRINT "phone" WITH BT!! It was like a cool breeze on a hot day!!
Awesome email/Vision
Did I mention it had BT?? That was really the only reason I got it.
Cons:
HUGE!!! HEAVY!!!
No analog roaming. I guess maybe nobody else ever leaves their city limits, but I got Sprint SPECIFIALLY beacause they had analog roaming. No analog = big problem. Yes I know they are not required to keep it after 2008. I am worried.
Average screen (on a $600 phone ??!??!)
Crappy BT sound quality. I am used to a Moto V620/HS820 combo on T-Mobile as the way BT can sound....this ain't it.
Samsung VI660
Pros:
Tiny
AWESOME earpiece sound!!!! This was the first time I realized that CDMA *can* sound almost as good as GSM. Again, awesome!!!
Cons:
No camera (I knew that going in, though)
WILL NOT LET YOU SET T9 AS A DEFAULT!!! In my opinion this is criminally negligent and I was unaware any phone makers were still in the dark ages on this. At this point I figured this oversight was just because this was an entry level phone. Not so, apparently. Reference the number of texts I send to see why this is critical to me.
Will force "Roam Only", not "Analog Roam". I was at Hells Canyon Overlook last week and had 2 bars digital roam. Could not place a call (tried many times). Finally it went to analog and made several calls. Then it went back to digital...no more calls.
Samsung A740
Well, remembering the excellent sound of the VI660, I thought to try another Samsung product a bit up the food chain to see if they corrected the T9 and roaming issues. Many people have good things to say about Samsung, so they must be on the ball, right? (Note: I have despised Samsung GSM phones for years, but GSM is not CDMAand I try to keep an open mind). Alas,
Pros:
Still got great earpiece sound!!!!
Damn small
I like the blue face
That's it.
Cons:
Just copy and paste the VI660 cons here. Same damn thing, just with a crappy camera. Still CAN NOT LOCK IN T9 AS THE DEFAULT!!!! Why do people buy these things??? In my opinion, it is because the average user is still typing in their calls xxx-xxx-xxxx every time they call Grandma and never utilize the few features these phones have and certainly never consider demanding more features. I miss GSM phones and SIM cards (but love Sprint coverage and service, don't get me wrong :-)). Moving on...
LG PM325
Stop laughing at me....I told you I missed BT. Apparently, I missed it badly enough to temporarily go insane and buy this misconcieved piece of roadkill. It goes back today...
Pros:
Good voice quality
Has BT (which again sounds like poo. I miss my V620)
Is small
Can be returned
Cons:
CAN NOT LOCK IN T9 AS THE DEFAULT!!! Why, why, why??? Is typing 52 keypushes to make a word superior and I just do not realize it??? This was 30 seconds into using the phone and I had already decided to return it.
Flimsy feel
Slider design. I prefer flips and can tolerate candy bars. Very awkward to hold while texting.
Summary:
Remember, these are MY OPINIONS and you may (and will) disagree. After probably 100+ phones on 5+ networks, a phone is a COMMUNICATION tool to me, not just a voice device. My friends and I are not 16, so we all have very busy lives and cannot just pick up a phone and talk for an hour whenever it rings. Therefore, text messaging is the primary method of communication we use. Next up is picture messaging. When we ARE able to talk, we are doing something else as well: driving, working in the garage, putting together a computer, whatever. WIRELESS HEADSETS with OBEX CAPABLE PHONES are what we are used to, coming from GSM providers. GET ON THE BALL, SPRINT. ETF is only $150....
The 7400 is one of the 3 best handsets I have ever used on any provider, even with the muffled earpiece sound. Naturally, it has been discontinued and replaced with more sub-$200 Samsung and LG basic phones. *sigh*
Sanyo 8200
This was the phone I got when I signed up.
Pros:
Solid feeling hinge
Decent screen for the money
Lightweight
Decent camera
Locks in T9 when you select it
Forces ANALOG roam, not just any roaming. Had several instances where I tried to force roam, got digital and could not place a call until I found analog signal (see VI660)
Cons:
WORST EARPIECE EVER!!! I returned the first and second one (I was trying to like it and the customer disservice reps at my local store were saying they had never heard of a problem...apparently they cannot read.)
Recessed keypad
No BT
Sanyo 7400
Replaced the 8200. Still have it. Still love it.
Pros:
Great screen
Menus laid out in exactly the way I would do them. Intuitive.
Locks in T9 when you select it
Sturdy
Forces analog roam
Great keypad
Best camera in a cell phone I have used ever!
Cons:
Crappy earpiece sound. It is bearable, but still unpardonable on a $350 phone.
No BT
Treo 650
Pros:
Palm OS (awesome)
HAS BLUETOOTH!!!! FINALLY A SPRINT "phone" WITH BT!! It was like a cool breeze on a hot day!!
Awesome email/Vision
Did I mention it had BT?? That was really the only reason I got it.
Cons:
HUGE!!! HEAVY!!!
No analog roaming. I guess maybe nobody else ever leaves their city limits, but I got Sprint SPECIFIALLY beacause they had analog roaming. No analog = big problem. Yes I know they are not required to keep it after 2008. I am worried.
Average screen (on a $600 phone ??!??!)
Crappy BT sound quality. I am used to a Moto V620/HS820 combo on T-Mobile as the way BT can sound....this ain't it.
Samsung VI660
Pros:
Tiny
AWESOME earpiece sound!!!! This was the first time I realized that CDMA *can* sound almost as good as GSM. Again, awesome!!!
Cons:
No camera (I knew that going in, though)
WILL NOT LET YOU SET T9 AS A DEFAULT!!! In my opinion this is criminally negligent and I was unaware any phone makers were still in the dark ages on this. At this point I figured this oversight was just because this was an entry level phone. Not so, apparently. Reference the number of texts I send to see why this is critical to me.
Will force "Roam Only", not "Analog Roam". I was at Hells Canyon Overlook last week and had 2 bars digital roam. Could not place a call (tried many times). Finally it went to analog and made several calls. Then it went back to digital...no more calls.
Samsung A740
Well, remembering the excellent sound of the VI660, I thought to try another Samsung product a bit up the food chain to see if they corrected the T9 and roaming issues. Many people have good things to say about Samsung, so they must be on the ball, right? (Note: I have despised Samsung GSM phones for years, but GSM is not CDMAand I try to keep an open mind). Alas,
Pros:
Still got great earpiece sound!!!!
Damn small
I like the blue face
That's it.
Cons:
Just copy and paste the VI660 cons here. Same damn thing, just with a crappy camera. Still CAN NOT LOCK IN T9 AS THE DEFAULT!!!! Why do people buy these things??? In my opinion, it is because the average user is still typing in their calls xxx-xxx-xxxx every time they call Grandma and never utilize the few features these phones have and certainly never consider demanding more features. I miss GSM phones and SIM cards (but love Sprint coverage and service, don't get me wrong :-)). Moving on...
LG PM325
Stop laughing at me....I told you I missed BT. Apparently, I missed it badly enough to temporarily go insane and buy this misconcieved piece of roadkill. It goes back today...
Pros:
Good voice quality
Has BT (which again sounds like poo. I miss my V620)
Is small
Can be returned
Cons:
CAN NOT LOCK IN T9 AS THE DEFAULT!!! Why, why, why??? Is typing 52 keypushes to make a word superior and I just do not realize it??? This was 30 seconds into using the phone and I had already decided to return it.
Flimsy feel
Slider design. I prefer flips and can tolerate candy bars. Very awkward to hold while texting.
Summary:
Remember, these are MY OPINIONS and you may (and will) disagree. After probably 100+ phones on 5+ networks, a phone is a COMMUNICATION tool to me, not just a voice device. My friends and I are not 16, so we all have very busy lives and cannot just pick up a phone and talk for an hour whenever it rings. Therefore, text messaging is the primary method of communication we use. Next up is picture messaging. When we ARE able to talk, we are doing something else as well: driving, working in the garage, putting together a computer, whatever. WIRELESS HEADSETS with OBEX CAPABLE PHONES are what we are used to, coming from GSM providers. GET ON THE BALL, SPRINT. ETF is only $150....
The 7400 is one of the 3 best handsets I have ever used on any provider, even with the muffled earpiece sound. Naturally, it has been discontinued and replaced with more sub-$200 Samsung and LG basic phones. *sigh*