Note: The VVX phones in this review have since been discontinued.
Polycom is known in the business phone industry for having superior HD voice and design features, so VVX phones are likely at the top of your purchasing list. The Polycom VVX business media phones portfolio includes the basic VVX 300 series, the mid-range VVX 400 series, the performance VVX 500 series, and the executive VVX 600 series.
If you're buying business VoIP phones for the first time, or trying to determine if it's time for an upgrade, you might come across the fact that there are multiple phones within each Polycom VVX series. For example, the VVX 500 and 501 are both part of the same series, but what distinguishes one from the other?
In this post, we'll explain the key differences between the phone models within a Polycom VVX series.
The Polycom VVX 300 series phones offer basic call functionality for a business setting. They're suitable for most office workers with moderate call volume.
At a glance, the VVX 300, 301, 310, and 311 are virtually identical in design and features. The layout, the buttons, the color, and the overall design of the phones are all the same, so you can't necessarily distinguish them with the naked eye.
All of the phones support up to 6 SIP lines, have Power over Ethernet (PoE), and programmable presence inducators. Other shared features include:
If you're looking at Polycom VVX 400, 500, or 600 phones, you can find our comprehensive reviews below for an overview of the shared features across each series:
The difference between phone models within each Polycom VVX series are the Ethernet ports they use to connect to the Internet, and their CPU/memory layouts. Earlier models typically offer slower connections, while later models are faster and have better CPU/memory allotment.
Price: $111.32
The Polycom VVX 300 comes with a dual-port 10/100 Mbps Ethernet switch. This is a standard Ethernet switch for a VoIP phone. The phone does not come with a Gigabit connection, or enhanced CPU/memory allocation.
Price: $121.06
The VVX 301, like the VVX 300, comes with a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet switch. However, the VVX 301 has a superior CPU/memory module. This increases the processing speed of the phone, leading to better call quality.
Price: $144.22
The VVX 310 has a dual-port Gigabit Ethernet switch (10/100/1000 Mbps), meaning its maximum connection is faster than both the VVX 300 and the VVX 301. However, as an older model, the VVX 310 does not have the newer CPU/memory module found in the VVX 301.
Price: $144.22
The Polycom VVX 311 has the Gigabit Ethernet switch (10/100/1000 Mbps) found on the VVX 310. The VVX 311 also has the newer CPU/memory enhancements of the VVX 301.
The differences between the Polycom VVX 400, 401, 410, and 411 are the same as those found in the Polycom VVX 300 series.
The Polycom VVX 500 and VVX 600 have Gigabit Ethernet switches, 10/100/1000 Ethernet switches, and older CPU/memory modules. The VVX 501 and VVX 601 have Gigabit Ethernet switches, a 10/100/1000 Ethernet switches, and a new CPU/memory module with more power and faster processing speeds, along with HTML5 browsers.
The Polycom VVX 300, VVX 310, VVX 400, VVX 410, VVX 500, and VVX 600 are older models, and Polycom will discontinue support for them sooner than for the other phones. This is a critical distinction, because once Polycom stops updating the firmware, fixing bugs, and performing other maintenance, you might have no way of getting your phones back online should a problem arise.
The VVX 301, VVX 311, VVX 401, VVX 411, VVX 501, and VVX 601 all have the newer CPU/memory allotment. The real decision is choosing between the phones that have Gigabit or 1000 Mbps ports, and those that do not.
For example, if you have a standard Internet connection around 100 Mbps, then the Polycom VVX 301 can take full advantage of the available bandwidth. The VVX 401 has a 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet switch, which will allow you to exhaust connections up to 1000 Mbps.
However, if your office has a Gigabit connection, the Polycom VVX 311, VXX 411, VVX 501, and VVX 601 will allow your phone to achieve even faster speeds. The faster the speed, the better the call quality.
When it comes down to comparing Polycom VVX phones within the same series, there isn't a whole lot that's different. If you're looking to buy new phones, we would recommend investing in the newer models, as the older ones could be subject to discontinuation and have less CPU/memory allotments. Either way, you're making a smart choice by endowing your phone users with solid and reliable devices.