Samsung A500 V.S. Sanyo SCP 4900 Definitive Review Please Read!

[ristonax]

Samsung A500 V.S. Sanyo SCP 4900 Definitive Review Please Read!

Here is my definitive review of these two cell phones. Before anyone starts bashing my comments or questions my validity. I can honesty say that Iâ??ve been a cell phone user for the last ten years. Iâ??ve been with pretty much all carriers, but AT&T and have gone through as many as 3 cell phones in the duration of a one-year contract. Iâ??ve been on the internet for past two weeks now and have read all the posts regarding these two phones on this forum, other forums, and various reviews. The following conclusions are based on having used both phones and with past experience with Samsung and Sanyo wireless phones. Enjoy the read!

Samsung A500 Highlights:

Awesome display
Small, sexy, compact flip phone.
Good menu scheme
Lightweight
Nice button feel (the click when you depress a button)
Somewhat hard to open phone quickly
Samsung A500 Downsides:

Cheesy toy like ringers
No call screening (the ability to hear a voicemail being left without answering the phone).
Terrible battery life
Mediocre reception
Ringer not loud enough
Cheap plug-in charger can easily fall out when on the car charger

Sanyo SCP 4900 Hightlights:

Loud ringer
Built-in speaker phone
Call screening (the ability to hear a voicemail being left without answering the phone).
Long-lasting battery.
Hands down the best reception of ANY cell phone Iâ??ve used, not just with Sprint.
Large color display.
Durable, very well made.

Sanyo SCP 4900 Downside:

Larger than the simple flip-phone.
Color screen is not a TFT display like the Samsung.
Menu is somewhat awkward to use.
Buttons could be better lit.
Earpiece should be louder.
Cool voice memo recording at the touch of a side button.
Available USB data cable to upload your OWN pictures and ringers (approximately $30).


Hereâ??s my story on why I bought both phones and which one I kept.

Previously up until about 3 weeks ago I was using a Sanyo SCP-4700 the predecessor to the current Sanyo SCP-4900. I saw the Sprint was advertising these cool color displaying phone with PCS Vision capability, Vision is a totally different subject which Iâ??ll cover later. My fathers birthday was coming up so I decided to buy him a cell phone and a plan. He wanted a small cell phone so a flip phone was naturally the choice. I ended up buying the Samsung SCH-A460 which was a big mistake. But, while I was at Circuit City I ended up upgrading my phone to the sexy Samsung A500 being the tech-head that I am. I took both phones home after activation. I soon discovered that the A460 has terrible reception. It couldnâ??t even capture a signal in the downstairs family room. The Samsung A500 was in and out of the signal; this was no surprise as to cell phones donâ??t work well in our house.
Thatâ??s when I jumped on-line and searched frantically to find out how the phones I just bought perform in the real world. I soon discover after some short research that although the A500 is sexy itâ??s not the best phone as far as battery-life and reception goes. The first thing you notice is the awesome TFT display, hands down this phone has the best display on the market. It comes at a price of battery consumption. I charged the phone fully on one occasion and left out of town to do some shopping. By the time I returned about 8 hours later the batter was already showing only ¾. even though I had only made a few calls. I left it on standby overnight and went to work the following day. Keep in mind that I had only made about 5 calls the longest one being only 15 minutes. By the end of the workday at 5 p.m. I was driving home and made one call about 10 minutes; by the time I got home the phone was beeping, because the battery was dead. I donâ??t know about you but I donâ??t have the time to leave the phone on the charger all the time. I know there is a free extended battery if you buy the phone right now, which takes about 4 weeks to arrive, you can call a toll free number or do it on-line. But, I hardly doubt that make a huge difference.
However I can attest that the A500 is very well made, if you want to have the coolest phone on the block this is it! The menu is slick and the text is very legible, one of the biggest gripes I had was there isnâ??t a single normal ringer built into the phone and the oneâ??s you can download from Sprint are all stupid unless you are a kid. The screen saver is pretty cool but after about a weeks use it seems cheesy and you start to wonder what functions you can disable to make the battery last a little longer. I donâ??t like the fact the ringer is built into the earpiece. It great for conversation because itâ??s loud, but if you think about it, the flip phone is closed and itâ??s literally ringing into itself and the sound is coming directly out like normal phone which can make the ringer seem not as loud. Also I found the body to be a little slippery so I can definitely see dropping this thing sooner or later. The whole case is curved and sexy like a flattened egg, which is easy to hold, but hard to open especially if you have large hands.
The phone is currently priced at $299.00 at retailers, but at Circuit City is currently offering a $100 cash rebate with activation. And Sprint is offering a $50.00 rebate to new customers. So itâ??s $299.00 - $150.00 (Rebates) = $149.00 which is still expensive since cell companies virtually give phones away.
But back to the review, after having used the A500 for a week extensively I began to wonder if this is the latest technology, why does this phone signal reception marginal and the battery life terrible. I realize this is a small flip phones, but I remember my Star Tacsâ?? getting pretty good reception and great battery life. I donâ??t know if I donâ??t get it, but should new technology be better? Especially if you paying 3 times as much. Thatâ??s when I started to find the reads on people say the A500 is eye candy and that the Sanyo 4900 is the phone to get if you want lots of features, the best reception bar-none, and great battery life. So I headed off to various Sprint stores and retailer to see what the hype was about.
I went to Sprint sales store and asked to see the working Sanyo 4900 demo phone. The first thing I noticed was that it big compared to the A500 since the A500 is a flip phone, but by in large I would say itâ??s like the typical brick/bar style nokia series phones, but a little wider. It does feel good in your hand though. It feels substantial and you donâ??t feel like you going to break a hinge off when you press it hard to your ear like a flip phone. But I wasnâ??t there to check the build I was there to see if the Sanyo 4900 really did receive better?
Even though I wanted to borrow the 4900 to take home for 10 minutes to see if it worked in the family room the people at Sprint wouldnâ??t let me. So was forced to test on the spot. I whipped out my shiny new A500 and held it up to the 4900, I looked at the signal bar to see the 4900 pegged full signal; never fading, but always full. I looked at my A500, which was a 2 out 4 shifting back to 4 then 3 then 2 and back again. The whole time the 4900â??s signal never moved. I then began to wonder if the post that I had read were really true? I visited Best Buy and lastly Circuit City all with same results. I really began to wonder if I had made a good choice on buying the A500???? After two days of deliberation and more use, I realized that the A500 is not all that itâ??s cracked up to be. For me that is. The signal reception was marginal and the battery consumption is terrible.
I asked myself the hard question is this phone really worth it and will it do the job??? I came to the conclusion no! Thatâ??s when I decided to take both the my Samsung A500 back and also my father Samsung A460 to pickup TWO new Sanyo SCP-4900â??s at Circuit City where I originally purchased my phones. The first thing when I got to the store the salesman thought I was crazy for bringing back the A500 since it was so HOT and out of stock everywhere. I got mine right of the truck, I had to wait 20 minutes for it to unload, it was only one of two that Circuit City received that week.
I then proceeded to tell the sales man about my findings and he was perplexed and contemplating buying the 4900 also since he had been waiting for the A500 for a while. He whipped out his demo 4900 out of his pocket and looked! Sure enough the signal meter was pegged full without budging. He then proceeded to tell me that his manger said the A500 has awesome reception. So we called his manager â??Daveâ?? who was out. We dialed his manager on speakerphone on the 4900. It rang, but no answer, so we dialed again, this time we were connected but dropped the call because his manager bad signal. The third time we were able to talk. The salesman kept say that his manager used the 4900. He asked his manager what phone he was using and he said The Samsung A500. We looked at each and smiled. We then asked his manager which phones have the best reception. And he replied in a statically sent voice the Sanyoâ??s generally have better reception. Dam right I told the salesman. By the time we got off the phone the guy who sold me the two phones came over to see what the fuss was about. We explained and by the end of the conversation he too was thinking of passing up the A500 in favor of the 4900. So I said take these Samsungs back, and give me TWO 4900â??s man. I got both phones up and going at the store and drove home. All I can say is there was a big grin on my face because almost everywhere I went the signal was pegged full! This was something Iâ??m not used to with any phone Iâ??ve used. I was very eager to try it in the family room. When I got home I ran down stairs and low and behold I got a clear signal. In a place that I could never make phone calls before. I then ran upstairs into a bedroom where I usually got one bar, no bar or no signal. Again I had a signal almost four constant I was amazed and started to wonder maybe itâ??s not Sprint itâ??s the manufacturer of the phone????
I left the phone on charger and play with the setting for a couple of hours still in amazement at how well this phone receives. I made about 15 calls that night without a single dropped call anywhere in the house. I soon realized what I had been missing? I putting up with dropped calls for the past two years, not so much because of service, but because of shady phone reception.

Wrap up: Conclusion

By now you probably wonder dam this guy writes long, but I wanted to give my detailed account so all of you who had the same questions could make a good solid decision. I would have to say that unless you are dirt-poor cost should be last determining factor in purchasing a phone. Add the cost up; itâ??s the services that cost the most in a given 1-year contract. The $100 or $200 or more spent on a phone is a drop in the bucket. Itâ??s like video game counsels, they cost $200 but the games cost $50 to $60 or more. By the time you buy a few games you bought the game counsel over a few times. If you still donâ??t agree and youâ??re too poor to shell out a few extra bucks for a better phone then you have no business having a cell phone. Because we all say we donâ??t have money, but we go out but 4 DVDâ??s and a couple of music CDâ??s without thinking about it.
It boils down to what you really want? If you want eye candy and want to impress all your friends go with the Samsung A500, but you will be faced with dropped calls and short battery life. I got a chance to use the Vision program over the course of the week. I would say right now Sprint hasnâ??t worked out the bugs and itâ??s worthless right now unless you want to download Britney Spears ringers or Nâ??sync ringer if thatâ??s your thing. The awesome color screen saver becomes a novelty after a week. A phone is meant to be talked into not looked at. If you want graphics get a PDA phone or some similar device. But, if you want a solid phone which maybe a little bulkier, but had the best reception around the Sanyo 4900 is definitely it! The 4900 will work it place that your buddyâ??s phones wouldnâ??t even get a signal. I travel a lot and I need my phone to work when I need it to. Cell service is expensive and when I drop a call it usually accounts for 3 minutes. 1. me calling back, 2. getting a voicemail because the other party is trying to call you back. 3. calling back again to finally reach them.
The Samsung A500 is a good phone not exceptional, I would say it outshines in only appearances. If you could make the A500 with a really long life battery, Kick butt reception, and a louder ringer now you are talking. But, just like computer thereâ??s a new model cell phones coming out all the time. My cell phone is my primary phone and sometimes Iâ??m in those fringe areas that if I donâ??t have good signal my calls get dropped. Only go with the Samsung A500 if the area you live in has great reception all over and you donâ??t make that many calls so you donâ??t have to charge your phone daily. Both phones work great in well signals areas. But if you get in a shady area. The 4900 will destroy the performance of any cell phone. Ever notice how you battery gets drained when it keep searching for a signal at a department store or office building? You wonâ??t get that with the Sanyo 4900J What ever you decide, it ultimately is your money! But, my moneys on the Sanyo SCP-4900! Hope the review helped sorry for the typos and grammar, I never did say I was a writerâ?¦.

Some good Samsung A500 links:

http://www1.sprintpcs.com/explore/Ph...=1031678969400

http://www.factorydirectcellular.com...500-portal.htm

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...966924-1799034

http://electronics.cnet.com/wireless...3.html?tag=txt


Some good Sanyo SCP-4900 links:

http://www.novetica.com/otherstuff/sanyoscp4900/

http://www.3gtoday.com/devices/devices/device1376.html

http://www.epinions.com/elec-Comm-Mo...ware-All-Sanyo

http://electronics.cnet.com/wireless...3.html?tag=txt

[larry]

Thanks for the write up but why do I have to scroll so far to the right to read every line when using netscape? very annoying.

[ComicalMoodyDan]

You need to dump that Netscape Larry. I have no problems with IE 6 and thats what everybody uses now a days anyway [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]

[larry]

But some of us prefer Netscape. I'm using Netscape 4.7 which is only two years old. I have all of my personal e-mails on Netscape and am more comfortable using it. I also have IE 5.0 and that works good but my computer doesn't have the requirements for running the newer browsers. I just don't understand why some web sites don't try to stay compatible with all browsers. My own web site is compatible with everything.

[IdiOTeQnoLogY]

i view wireless advisor with IE6 and netscape6.

i have no problems with either.

[ComicalMoodyDan]

It takes extra money to comply to all standards. 90% of internet users use IE now so of course thats going to be the one that most companies are concerend about. I think Netscape is outlived its usefullness myself I havent used it in years and with each new release its gotten worse. IE on the other hand has gotter better and more stable with every release.

IE beats Netscape hands down any day [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

[Jack]

Good review between the two phones. Thanks for taking the time to write it

Jack

[larry]

Originally posted by: IdiOTeQnoLogY i view wireless advisor with IE6 and netscape6. i have no problems with either.

I can't use Netscape 6 on my older computer.

[cryogenic]

I actually use Netscape 7 quite extensively and find it to actually be faster and every bit as stable as IE6.... anyway, on the subject of the phones, I'm trying to talk my friend into getting a 4900... he currently has a 4500, which he absolutely loves, so I'm sure he'd love the 4900 even more.

[larry]

Make sure he gets one with the new software version ending in .47. I made the mistake of buying one of the early ones with the version ending in .45, which is very hard to get updated as some of the stores here in CA refuse to do it because many have fried in the process.

I've been deliberating over the same issue now for three weeks. Reading all I can about different phones, different providers and their various plans.
I've had Sprint for over three years and generally am satisfied.
So I guess I will finalize this by saying it's going to be the Sanyo 4900......

[cryogenic]

When you get it post back with your experiences. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] We all know you're gonna love it, but we'd still like to hear your opinion of the phone.

if you want a really good browser go to www.opera.com and download the free trial. You can control so much with this browser, no pop ups, faster load speeds... it just rocks