Which 3 Series is Right For Me?

Ah, the Ultimate Driving Machine.

Beautifully designed. Powerful and sophisticated.

Wait, this isn’t Jalopnik.

Sorry to all of you auto enthusiasts out there who thought we’d be taking a break from VoIP today to talk about the iconic line of cars from BMW. The three series I’m talking about is the Polycom SounPoint IP 3XX series.

Or the Ultimate Calling Machine if you prefer.

The Polycom SoundPoint IP 3XX Series is an extremely popular lineup of desktop IP phones ideally suited for small medium business and large enterprises that have a need a middle level solution. The IP 3XX series consists of three models:

Polycom 321
Polycom 331
Polycom 335

Polycom 321

The Polycom 321 is the entry level 3 series model. It’s a SIP based IP phone that features two lines of calling.

The 321 delivers the excellent sound quality that Polycom is known for through it’s Acoustic Clarity Technology and comes with a speakerphone.

It comes with a single Ethernet port, but does support Power over Ethernet (PoE). Featuring all of the basic call control options you could need (like the call waiting, transfer, forwarding, etc), the Polycom 321 is built from the ground up to make set-up and use as easy as possible.

The 321 has a retail price of $79.99

Polycom 331

The Polycom 331 is also a SIP based IP phone that like the 321 features two lines of calling. In fact the 331 and 321 are almost identical.

Both utilize Polycom’s Acoustic Clarity Technology, sport a speakerphone and support PoE. The difference is the Polycom 331 comes with two Ethernet ports, instead of one (like the 321).

Of course the 331 also support all of the standard call functions you’d expect from a desktop IP phone and has a retail price of $109.99.

Polycom 335

The Polycom 335 is the latest addition to the IP 3XX series and offers the most advanced features.

The 335 boasts Polycom high definition calling, HD Voice, as well as their Acoustic Clarity Technology. In addition to providing you with crystal clear calling, the Polycom 335 has a high resolution backlight LCD dispaly, dual Ethernet ports (PoE) and even an XML microbrowser for web applications.

The 335 retails for $119.99.

Which Polycom 3 Series is Right For You?

When trying to figure out which Polycom IP 3XX series phone is right for you, there are a few things to consider:

Connectivity and Power – Depending on how your desktop’s are wired, you may or may not need two Ethernet ports. If you need two Ethernet ports, the Polycom 321 won’t work as it only has one, so you should take a look at the 331 or 335.
High Definition Voice – Each of the 3 series models provides an outstanding calling experience, but nothing beats HD voice. That is if your provider supports and enough folks you know are also using it in order to make it useful. So if you want HD voice, you need to go with the 335. If not both the 331 and 321 will deliver a calling experience you’ll be happy with.
Budget – There’s about a $40 difference between the 321 and 335. Like all things in this world, there’s only so much you can spend. If you can afford it, you should definitely look at the 335. It’s got everything you need and is future proof with it’s support for HD voice. But if you can’t afford it, you will be in solid hands with a 331 or 321.

Still have questions or having trouble making a decision? Drop me a line or leave a comment below and I’d be happy to assist further.

Garrett Smith

Garrett is the former VoIP Supply CMO.

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View Comments

Adam J says:

September 11, 2024 at 11:05 AM

Great analysis, this was the only place where I could find a listing of the actual differences between the 311 and 335 models. And of course after reading that the 335 has HD voice, I saw from online photos that the 335 receiver has an "HD voice" stamp whereas the 331 does not.