Polycom VVX 300 Vs 400 – Which IP Phone Will Do For You?

Being an upgrade of the Polycom VVX 300, the Polycom 400 series inherited all the good features of the 300 series, plus a few new hacks, right? It would be interesting to find out!

So you want to make that leap to the Polycom VVX series of business media phones, and you can’t help asking, Polycom VVX 300 Vs 400 – which one will it be? Polycom VVX series are quite popular in the market today. This is because they havefeatures that make the phone reliable. In addition, Polycom’s HD voice quality is excellent.Supposing we carried out an in-depth comparison, would these sentiments hold true for both the VVX 300 and VVX 400? And, which between them would emerge the better option?

What are the Differences BetweenPolycom VVX 300 and400?

Polycom VVX 300 Vs 400 – How Do They Compare?

These 2 brands make up Polycom’s standard desk phones. The company’s popular entry-level phone is theVVX 300. The VVX 400 is the next in line. We are now going to evaluate where the VVX 400 is an improvement of the VVX 300

Display

The Polycom VVX 300 has a 208X104 resolution grayscale backlit display. It has a 12-key dial pad with call handling buttons. It is possible to make up to 3 levels of the viewing/height angle of the phone. The phone also gets notifications on the display’s upper right portion. These are usually accompanied by an LED light in that portion of the phone. The user interface is multilingual.

The Polycom VVX 400 comes with a 3.5” color LED screen (320X240 resolution), in a layout that streamlines call management. Its color and size gives it an elegant look that doesn’t take too much space on the desk. Its height can be adjusted to 3 levels. The phone is further anchored by the color LED screen, which also accords it enough space for monitoring users and lines. This phone also has a 12-key dial pad and hard keys for other call functions. Notifications indicating voicemail or missed calls appear on the LCD screen’s top right corner. An LED indicator also appears on the phone itself.

SIP Lines/Accounts

The Polycom VVX 300 has a maximum of 6 lines useful for call transfer, account registration, speed dial and busy lamp field (BLF).The VVX 400 has 12 lines and can register up to 12 accounts. The lines help register accounts or monitor availability of the phone by other users (BLF function).

The BLF is a feature common to phones with many users (e.g. office environment) which is used to monitor calls on one or more extensions. This helps the user know when the extension is available to receive a call. Though a softswitch (PBX) detects and notifies on events at the monitored extension, a feature key can be assigned to the BLF function. One BLF key only monitors one extension.

Ethernet Ports and IP Version

Both phones have two 100mbps Ethernet ports – one for a computer with PoE and the other for network.These Ethernet ports can only achieve theoretical maximum speeds of 100mbps, which is not as high as a Gigabit port would achieve. In addition, they both offer the user the flexibility to choose either or even both IPv4 and IPv6 IP versions.

Some versions of these models come with an AC power adapter, othersdon’t. Having the AC adapter offers the flexibility of choosing to use electric power or the PoE. However, versions with both AC adapters and PoE cost more. And, even for versions without the AC adapter, one can always buy the said adapter separately.

Voice Quality

The VVX 300’s voice quality is superb. The handset and speakerphone are made amazingly clear by the HD voice of up to 7KHz on every path. This is quite an achievement for a phone in this range. Polycom’s voice quality is actually amongst the best in the industry. It is clear that this quality has been conferred to even the most basic of its phones.

The VVX 400 also has top-rate voice quality. Its Polycom HD voice technology ensures life-like voice delivery to each audio path handset, optional headset and the hands-free speaker phone. Even though it is classified as mid-range phone, its voice quality competes with some of the best models. The speakerphone is hardly affected by the distance. The sound quality also remains of HD quality throughout calls.

Polycom VVX 300 Vs 400 – A Comparison Review?

Polycom VVX 300 Overview

Polycom VVX 300 IP Business PoE Telephone (Power Supply Included)

• Polycom 300 Ip Phone - Cable - Desktop - 6 X Total Line - Voip - Speakerphone - 2 X Network (rj-45) - Poe...

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The Polycom VVX 300 is a solid entry-level phone able to handle any business communication’s basic call requirements like call conferencing, call transfer, hold, mute, BLF amongst many other functions. The phone is best suited for businesses with low to moderate call handling needs.

The phone has a four-way navigation key that allows for navigation through the menu. Unfortunately, the cursor is hard to see when browsing the call list or the settings menu. The phone’s web based configuration tool and zero touch provision makes it easy to set up, use, manage and upgrade. What’s more, it easily integrates with third-party applications, and can be deployed on an existing phone network without having to upgrade the call control features on the desktop.

Pros

• 6 lines
• Easy to set up and manage
• Excellent audio system
• Power over Ethernet
• Busy lamp field (BLF

Cons

• Main cursor on the interface hard to see
• Low speed Ethernet ports

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Polycom VVX 400 Overview

Polycom VVX 400 - 12 Line PoE Desktop Phone (Power Supply Not Included)

• 12 lines (programmable line keys), Backlit 3.5 in color LCD (320 x 240) resolution
• Polycom HD Voice technology delivers lifelike voice quality for each audio path handset, the hands-free...

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This mid-range phone is a step up from the VVX 300 series, thus is slightly more advanced.All the same, it has the same phone handling features as the VVX 300, its 6 extra SIP accounts effectively doubles the VVX 300 capacity. In addition, the line keys can also double up as BLF indicators, to alert you when colleagues are on call.

To add on to all the amazing features on the VVX 300 series, the phone has a USB port, color screen and is ADA volume control compliant. The LED screen is a great improvement, the speakerphone supports many codec options, including opus. This sets the phone miles apart from other similar brands. The USB port further expands the phone’s functions, including USB recording, for example.

Pros

• Excellent Audio quality
• Easy to use
• Up to 12 lines
• Power over Ethernet
• 5” LCD screen, BLF

Cons

• Low speed Ethernet ports

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Conclusion

Both the VVX 300 and the VVX 400 phones are amazing and ably meet different business needs. Even though it is an entry-level phone, the VVX 300 has competitive features, wonderful audio quality, six lines and clear speakerphones. It perfectly serves small offices with low call volumes. If you are looking for an entry-level phone then this should top your list.The VVX 400, at a higher cost, offers double capacity with its 12 lines and better screen. It voice quality is also top of the range. It would therefore serve a well a business needing high co-worker connectivity and several SIP accounts.

Verdict: Which is better – the Polycom VVX 300 or 400?

To add onto all the good features of the VVX 300, the Polycom VVX 400 offers double call handling capacity with its 12 lines.  This, in addition to a few other features like the excellent audio quality, enable it handle the demands of a mid-range office with higher telephone volumes. It is therefore the better option.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I reset my Polycom VVX 300?

Reboot the phone by simultaneously long pressing the 0, 1 and 3 keys until there is the confirmation tone. Restore the factory settings by simultaneously long pressing the 1,3 and 5 keys during the updater process, till the pass prompt comes.

Can I use a Polycom phone at home?

The phone is ideally a business phone and using it at home underutilizes its amazing features.