Polycom VVX 500 Vs 600 – Which Business Phone Will You Spring For?

No doubt the Polycom VVX models are amongst the best business media phones in the market. But, are some models better than others?

The touch screen is one of the most amazingmobile telephony revolutions. So ingrained is it that many people would be lost trying to navigate a mobile phone only having a key pad. The Polycom VVX 500 and 600 business media phone series have some desktop versions that have embraced the touch screen novelty. These series generally boast of web-enabled devices wrapped with great features. We hope that by carefully analyzing these models we will help you come up with a clear winner!

What are the Differences BetweenPolycom VVX 500 and600?

 
VVX 500
VVX 600 (Winner)
Display
Large color 3.5” TFT (320X240) Touchscreen
Large color 4.3” TFT (480X272) Touch screen
SIP Accounts
12 line registration

 

16 line registration

 

Ethernet Ports
2 X Gigabit ports
2 X Gigabit ports
USB Ports
2
2
Integration
Microsoft Exchange Calendar, Skype for Business, Office 365 Cloud
Microsoft Exchange Calendar, Skype for Business, Office 365 Cloud
Standard Call Handling Features
 Call transfer, mute, hold, 3-way call conferencing, redial, speed dial, multilingual user interface.
 Call transfer, mute, hold, 3-way call conferencing, redial, speed dial, multilingual user interface.
Security
Media encryption via SRTP
Media encryption via SRTP
Other Features

 

HTML 5 browser, compatibility with Polycom VVX Camera for video conferencing, HD voice, PoE, Streaming media video playback
HTML 5 browser, compatibility with Polycom VVX Camera for video conferencing, HD voice, PoE, Streaming media video playback, Bluetooth, API toolkit

Polycom VVX 500 Vs 600 – How Do They Compare?

The VVX 500 is said to offer life-like meeting and one-touch video experiences. It targets business executives who need more from a phone. The VVX 600 on the other hand is geared towards heavy phone users. How do these two phones compare and contrast?

User Interface Features

The Polycom VVX 500 is sophisticated and good looking with a glossy black plastic. It is relatively small in size so does not take up much desk space. The phone boasts of a 3.5” touchscreen (TFT 320X240 LCD).  The VVX 600 has a larger screen – 4.3” TFT (480X272) touchscreen. This improves navigation.

Both phones under review have a highly responsive touchscreen, in comparison to other models. The touchscreen is both gesture-based and capable of multi-touch. This simplifies tasks like scrolling through a web page using a finger or quickly typing in SIP addresses using the on-screen virtual keyboard.

Audio Features

Like all Polycom phones, the VVX 500 and VVX 600 have exceptional high voice quality, thanks to the Polycom’s HD Voice. It combines Polycom’s acoustic clarity technology, wideband technology (Polycom’s Siren codec, G.722 and G.722.1) and sound quality boosting software and hardware, to deliver exceptional sounding calls.

Video Conferencing

While both phones under review support video calling and conferencing, the function is not achieved right out the box.  A Polycom-branded USB camera accessory has to be purchased separately to enable video.

Basic Features

Both phones under review have 12 lines and can register up to 12 accounts. In other words, users can register up to 12 lines, translating into 12 different SIP accounts registered on one phone. Each line in addition gets multiple line appearances which enables jumping on multiple calls (up to a maximum of 24) using the same SIP account. These translate to the phone holding so many calls. The situation is even more magnified in the VVX 600 phone which has 16 lines.

Both phones’ standard set of hard keys comprise a num-pad that has large and easy to use round buttons. These buttons activate the headset, mute or speaker, control volume and enable users access the main ‘home’ screen on the touchscreen’s display.

Advanced Features

The greatest advanced feature for the VVX 500 is the web integration and syncing with applications like Microsoft Exchange Calendar, Skype for Business and Office 365 Cloud. The phone also supports JavaScript, CSS, HTML5 and SSL security.Finally, the streaming media video playback and the video conferencing through an external USB, add a nice touch to the phone’s advanced features.

The VVX 600 has all these advanced features, plus integrated Bluetooth support and the API toolkit. The toolkit is valuable in customer development. It gives developers a chance to build relevant apps for the phone.

Connectivity

Both phones under review have Gigabit Ethernet ports which can achieve theoretical gigabit speeds. Both phones also come with a Power over Internet (PoE) adapter which powers the data transmission. The phones do not therefore rely on availability of power to function. All the same, some versions of the phones under review also come with an AC power adapter. Having the AC adapter has the flexibility of choosing to use power or the PoE. These versions cost more. Nevertheless, for those versions without the AC adapter, one can always buy the adapter separately.

In addition, both phones have 2 USB ports for storage, multimedia and certain USB headphones. The phones also have an electronic hook switch which allows users to pick up or hang up calls using wireless headsets control.

Polycom VVX 500 Vs 600  – A Comparison Review?

The Polycom VVX 500

Polycom VVX 500 12-line Business Media Phone POE, Power Supply Not Included
  • 3.5'' (9-cm) TFT Touchscreen Display (320 x 240) Supports USB Cam For Video Conferencing
  • Up to 12 line appearances, Streaming media video playback, Supports RJ9 USB Headsets

The Polycom VVX 500 is designed for executives needing more advanced phone functionality. It has the standard call handling features common to other phones like call mute, hold, transfer, Do not disturb, caller ID, and many others. It also has some advanced features like streaming media video playback, integration with other applications and video conferencing through an external USB.

The phone’s key feature is the color touchscreen, which confers smartphone attributes to it. The phone also supports JavaScript, CSS, HTML5 and SSL security.

Pros

  • Responsive Touch Screen display
  • Superb Audio quality
  • Easy to set up
  • Intuitive interface
  • Expandable applications

Cons

  • Easy to fat-finger buttons on touch-screen
  • Small display
  • Not easy to transfer call to existing call
  • No longer supported by Polycom

View Price on Amazon

The Polycom VVX 600

Polycom VVX 600 IP Phone PoE New (2200-44600-025) (Power Supply Not Included)
  • 16 lines (registrations)
  • Flexible line appearance (one or more line keys can be assigned for each line extension)

The Polycom VVX 600 delivers premium business media phone functionality to heavy phone users.

Being an upgrade of the VVX 500, the VVX 600 has all the features of the 500, plus a few more. For example, it has a larger screen which eliminates fat-finger erroneous typing. The phone also supports Bluetooth –a nice addition to those preferring the use of a wireless headset to make calls. The VVX 600 has 16 lines, 4 more than the VVX 500.

Pros

  • Simplified, fast provisioning process
  • Excellent voice quality
  • Large screen

Cons

  • Highly priced
  • No longer supported by Polycom

View Price on Amazon

Conclusion

It is clear that each phone is better suited for particular circumstances. If you need a phone for your executives in a company with moderate call volumes then the VVX 500 would suffice. If however the company has high call volumes, then you are better off paying extra to get the VVX 600.

Verdict: Which is Better – The Polycom VVX 500 or 600?

Even though both support for both phones has been discontinued, they are still very good phones. The Polycom VVX 600 has a larger screen, and more lines. It can pass the test of a very busy office. We therefore find it to be the better of the two

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Polycom VVX 500 have Bluetooth?

No, Polycom VVX 500 doesn’t support Bluetooth

How do I access my Polycom web interface?

Once you have confirmed the phone and your PC are on the network, input your phone’s IP address in the browser. (You display your phone’s IP address by selecting status from the menu, selecting network then TCP/IP parameters). Input Polycom as Username and 456 as your password.

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