Not all cell phones are created equally.  When shopping for cell phones, particulary Sprint PCS phones, you will always notice the glitz and glamour look of some Samsung and LG phones.  Then there's the conservative looking phones with multiple colors and EXTERNAL antennas.  Those are the sanyo phones, made to have in any flavor you like.  Their phones have won the JD Power & Associates cell phone consumer satisfaction award 3 years in a row, and they are exclusively sold for the Sprint network in the US.  A pretty bold statement.

These phones will always excel in reception, battery life, and durability compared to other manufacturers of phones for the Sprint network, though the designs may be boring to some.  The thing to remember is that Sanyo focuses on function over form.  It's not always necessarily about how the phone looks, it's about how the phone works.  Consumers have more complaints about cell phones more than credit cards even, but do they ever think it could just be the phone?

If you want to PTT (push-to-talk) on the sprint network, sanyo is the only way to go.  Every phone since 2003 has come with the cability for ReadyLink, Sprint's walkie-talkie system.  Every sanyo phone includes a robust speakerphone for your PTT or voice calls even.  They also have some of the loudest ringtones available.

Going back to the different flavors of sanyo phones, they come in distinct product lines, almost like cars.

3-Digit Phones:  Very basic phones.  Only model made so far is the Sanyo 200.  Available in Pink, Silver, and Blue.  These phones only have the capability for text messaging and voice calls.

2000 series:  Basic flip phones with small color screens, external greyscale caller ID screen.  2300 comes in six colors to suit your personality.  No cameras but Vision access.

3000 series:  Basic flip phones with decent color screens and larger greyscale caller ID screen.  3100 comes in 4 colors.  Includes a camera and vision access.

4000 series:  Candybar phones known amongst experienced sprint users as the best for reception and battery life.  These phones don't have cameras but do include vision access.  The 4920 and 4930 are known for their 5.5 hour talk time batteries and 120 minute voice recorders built in.

5000 series:  High-end flip phones.  Sanyo 5000 was the first phone in the US to have an external LCD to see who's calling without opening.  Sanyo 5150 was the first color screen mobile phone in the US.  Sanyo 5300 was the first camera phone in the US.  Sanyo 5500 was the first "walkie-talkie" phone to include not just a camera, but a video camera.  See a trend here?  The Sanyo 5600 was their first truly "multi-media" mobile in the US which included a QVGA resolution main display and a mini-SD card slot for playing music and movies.  Also had a 1.3 megapixel camera.

6000 series:  Sanyo was the first to introduce the 'slim phone' with their 6000 series, many years before the popularity of the RAZR and Samsung's A900.  There were 3 iterations of their slim candybar phones, the 6000, 6200, and 6400; the 6400 being the only black and white screened vision device ever launched.  A new slim phone, the 6600, made to compete with today's slim phones, is being introduced shortly.  This is a flip phone and will be Sanyo's first US phone with Bluetooth technology.

7000 series:  Rugged phones similar to Nextel's 500 series phones.  These phones are built with rubber edging on the housing for added durability and grip.  The first phones were basic phones, the 7200 bar phone and the 7300 flip phone, but the 7000 series has become more high end with the last two offerings, the 7400 and 7500.  The 7400 was Sanyo's first "MM" (for Multimedia) designated phone for sprint, offering many enhanced features.  This year's 7500 is an EV-DO phone which gives you access to sprint's power-vision network and has a built-in music player.

8000 series:  Affordable phones packed with features.  The Sanyo 8100 was the first cam phone under $100 (with service agreement).  The follwing 8200 and 8300 have added features from other lines, such as camera flash with the 8200, to video cam and multimedia with the 8300.  These phones offer the best bang for your buck on Sprint.

9000 series:  New high-end phone line, introduced this past October with the MM-9000.  This phone is loaded with EV-DO (power vision), mini-SD, great camera, mp3 player, and so many other features.  It is the ultimate Sanyo phone and is a very limited edition device.  It's users have developed a "cult-like" following to this phone, with it's bulky design in an age of slim phones.

As you can see, there's a Sanyo phone for everybody.  When you buy any Sanyo, you will be getting legendary reception and battery life, and ease of use.  It's up to you which phone line suits your needs best.  Thanks for reading.