Sanyo PRO-200 Review

Performance:

As a PTT phone the 200 was great.  Call setup and latency was as lightning fast as we were used to on the iDEN network.  We were able to walkie-talkie both iDEN and QChat customers with no difference between the two.  However, as we noted in our PRO-700 review, there were times when the NDC service was not available while in Rev. A coverage.  We tested these units at the same time- pre-national launch- so we’ll give Sprint the benefit of the doubt but hope the issue is addressed.

The PRO-200 displayed the common Sanyo strengths and weaknesses.  The reception was top notch and the speakerphone was great.  Callers said we sounded “good, but not great,” nothing that we sounded a bit thin or distant.  While plenty loud, we had the same result on our end and have seen this from Sanyos for years.  Sanyo does very well in important areas like reception and volume, it’s time for them to focus on sound quality.  The speakerphone was on par with Motorola iDEN speakerphones, which in our opinion are the best in the business.

Bluetooth performance was surprisingly good.  Users on the other end actually couldn’t tell that we were using a headset, which is rare.  On our end callers actually sounded better because there was some depth to their voice, which makes us think Sanyo’s earpiece is the cause for thin audio.  Audio routed through Bluetooth for DC calls as well, but the NDC button still needs to be used to talk to the caller.

Battery life is rated at 5 hours of talk time, though we fell short by about 45 minutes.  Still, 4.2 hours of talk time is on the high end for CDMA devices.  It should be noted that once the phone is provisioned for PTT the standby time drops significantly, down to about 75 hours.  Despite a solid talk time, this will probably be a phone you’ll need to charge at least every other night, if not daily.


Conclusion:

Like the PRO-700, the 200 does what it sets out to.  It does not have any bells and whistles, advanced features or anything that will wow you.  It is a basic, clear-cut PTT phone that offers simple to use features geared to the everyday customer.  Like the features, the design is simple and straightforward.  Perched at the bottom of the QChat lineup, the PRO-200 will find its way into many hands due to its price for users who don’t want cameras or need Mil Spec ruggedness.  If you’re in the market for a basic PTT phone the PRO-200 is our recommendation.