After going through the threads, I see that Sanyo makes the Sprint phones with the best reception. I live in a partial coverage area for Sprint and I would like to get a stronger receiving phone. Out of these three, the 4900, 5150, and 6200, which gets the best reception? Or is the difference negligible?
reception is about the same, and if there is a difference, It is negligible. Only sanyo's where you might see a slightly weaker signal is the 3000/4000/4500/4700. Choosing the right phone, makes a HUGE difference in customer satisfaction if they live in a partial coverage area. Cant stress that enuff.
I do live in a fringe area in San Diego. With your current phones as well as those due to release by the end of the year, which ones would you recommend. I really have no need for Vision, although it might be "fun". My main concern is getting a good, inexpensive phone with the best reception. From what I have come up with, the Sanyo 6200 and Sanyo 4900 are my best bets. I'd go for the Sanyo 5150 if the price comes down when the 5300 is released. I need to purchase 2 phones and it seems like the 5000 and 6000 series have compatible accessories. What do you think???
Ive used the 6200 before. It is an awesome phone. My only problem with it was it heated up a bit faster than most phones do. But that is to be expected considering its size and thin design. If you decide to go with this phone, buy it from radio shack or something. They charge $100 as opposed to sprint charging $199. I currently use the 5150. And I could not be happier. It is great, even in my apartment located in fringe area. My roommate who also has sprint uses a samsung phone and constantly has to use my phone in order to hold a conversation. If you decide to go with this model, then buy it elsewhere as well. I believe best buy is selling it for $250 (last i checked) as to sprint selling it for $300. If you are looking for inexpensive. The 4900 is your best bet. Great value for such quality. The 5300 will be $400 so you might want to hold off on that one.
I have demoed the 6200 and really liked it. It did heat up, but not too bad. I love the specs of the 4900, but it is just too big for me. The 5150 is great, but too expensive. I hope it drops in price when the 5300 comes out.
Sprint Tech-- Do you know anything about the Hitachi P300? I've heard from some places that it compares closely to the Sanyo 4900... Also, do you know exactly WHY Sanyo phones work so well? Thanks.
I've been trying to find info on the Hitachi as well. The only review I could find was at Phonescoop at Hitachi P300 at Phonescoop.com It looks like the Sanyo 4900 would be a better bet, and a cheaper one at that.
I have actually heard nothing about the hitachi phones. I quit sprint last week, so not sure if there is any new updates about the p300 since then. I worked in an affilliate market, so we sometimes get new things a little later than some other places. As for why the sanyo phones work so well. My guess is because its made in Japan. Same principle as to why people rave about the dependability of Honda's and Toyota's Vs Fords and Hyundai's (no offense to people who drive these cars). I notice that most people would agree that sanyos and audiovox phones tend to get better reception and battery life on sprints network. And both these models are manufacturered in Japan. Coincidence? Probably not. The phones people complain about like samsungs, are made in korea. So the question is, would you rather drive a honda or a hyundai? Not a tough choice. Japan has really tight quality control. They only allow very few defective parts per unit manufactured. This is only one of the reasons i could think of. The other obviously being , better technology.
I just got through to Sanyo and the rep told me the following: The new 4000 series will be out in Jan or February The new 5300 is due out sometime in November The new 6400 is delayed and due out early November The best reception comes from the 4000 series. She did not know how much difference there was though. I'd love to get the 4900, I just can't get over the size. It has all the features I want and more. I wish they put the 4900 features and reception in the 6200.
There's going to be an upgrade to the 4900? What will it have??? What will it not have? What will it be called? So the 5300 won't get as good reception as the 4900?
Keep in mind, that even though you spoke to a rep at sanyo, those reps that answer calls arent the actual engineers that built and tested the phones. So what they say may have a lot of truth to it, but it also has personal oppinions mixed in. Kinda like different sprint reps telling you something a little different each time. The 4900 definitely has incredible reception. No doubt about it. But im pretty sure the 4500/4700 arent as strong. Dont get me wrong. They are still awesome phones that will outperform the other sprint non-sanyo phones anyday. In my oppinion, all phones with the exception of the 3000/4000/4500/4700 have almost identical reception with negligible differences. Im sure, based on sanyos quality, the 5300 will be just as good. If it isnt, then I will be very dissappointed.
I don't know anything about the upgrade to the 4900, just that it is due to be released early next year. I agree with you SprintTechRep. You get different answers each time. the rep did say her info was from the engineers though, and after reading posts, it looks like the 4900 is tops with the 5150 and 6200 trailing just behind in reception. I am actually going to try out the 4900 and compare to the demoed 6200 I have used. I'll let you know. I am sure the 5300 will be as good as the 5150 if not better at reception.
I have read posts on another forum that Sprint is due to slash prices on their phones come November 1. Does anyone have info on this??
I got a 5150 demo phone yesterday. The reception is not as good as the 6200. Also, the 6200 had a much louder earpiece. I am a little disappointed in the 5150, especially since I wanted a flip, and now for reception I have no choices with Sprint left. Looks like AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon may be getting my business.
You must have got a bad 5150 because mine has performed without a problem. I have a friend that has the 6200 and he has gone through 2 of them because the mic won't pick up his voice. He also complains about the earpiece being to low. You should check and see if you got a refurbished phone.
you should try another 5150. Ive had both 5150 and 6200, and they both work exactly the same for reception. The 5150 does have a lower earpiece volume though. Nothing you can do about that, just part of the design.
I just think Sprint may be out the door. I have been with them for 6 years, only staying out of convenience. Now that both my wife and I are freed from contracts, I want to get good phones with good if not great reception. However, I don't want to pay premium. The problem I have found with Sprint is that its focus has been on wireless web, not on voice. Wireless web does not entice me or my wife. So, I am off to try out AT&T.
I had the pleasure today of playing with the Hitachi P300 and I failed to get excited by this phone. Everything about it is too damn small and the joystick; well, lets just say, if you have long fingernails, such as myself, you will be pissed off! The one good thing I can say about this phone is that it appears to be faster than the Sanyo 4900. As for web access, the phone in the store I was in, for some reason they couldn't keep the charger in the phone long enough for the connection to be made and the battery kept dying out; I finally threw my hands in the air and said "it cant be worth all this trouble!" Would have been really nice to see its full capacities, especially with the $300.00 price tag it's toting! IMHO......because they are made in Japan
Here in NYC it doesn't matter all that much whether you're with Sprint, Verizon, AT&T, etc., since there's pretty much blanket coverage throughout the city and its environs. I stay with Sprint because they usually have the best phone selection, the best minute plans (made even better lately), and most of all they will never change your plan unless you request it (or stop paying your bill). All "promotions" survive your service agreement and are permanent. When I was with AT&T their promotions would end without notice and I would find myself with a big surprise bill. And no matter how long I was with them I was always treated like I just walked in the door. So be careful.
