VVX 500 vs VVX 501 — difference?

Internal CPU refresh and current firmware track. Same chassis, same touch screen, same line layout. The 501 is the direct successor.

VVX 501 vs VVX 601 — what's the upgrade?

The 601 has a larger 4.3-inch touchscreen, gigabit Ethernet on both ports, two USB ports (vs one), and a slightly higher-end audio path. About $80–100 more. The right pick for executive desks; the 501 is the sales-floor touch option.

Is the VVX 501 worth the upgrade over the VVX 450?

Only if you specifically want touch. The 450 has a larger 4.3-inch color screen (non-touch), gigabit Ethernet, and two USB ports — functionally a more capable phone for less money. Touch is the only reason to pick the 501.

Does the VVX 501 support an expansion module?

Yes — up to three VVX EXP 50 modules per phone, 28 multi-color keys per module across three pages.

Poly · VVX series · touch · color · refreshed

Poly VVX 501A touch · color · refreshed that just keeps working.

The VVX 501 is the refreshed VVX 500 — same touch-capable color form factor, faster processor, current UCS firmware track. Twelve SIP lines, a 3.5-inch touchscreen, one USB port, and expansion module support. The volume touch pick when you don't want the executive-sized VVX 601.

Display

3.5″ color · 320×240

SIP accounts

12 lines

Ethernet

Dual 10/100

USB ports

1× USB

Bluetooth / Wi-Fi

—

Expansion

VVX EXP 50

$269 one-time

or rent for $17.99/mo — month-to-month, return anytime

Ships pre-configured · free next-business-day for orders $200+

Order a VVX 501 Rent for $17.99/mo Datasheet (PDF) ↓

✓ Auto-provisioned out of the box ✓ Warranty replacement included with rental ✓ Free shipping on orders $200+

Poly VVX 501 VoIP desk phone — front view with handset and dialpad — Poly VVX 501

Why the VVX 501 is on the catalog.

The VVX 501 is what the VVX 500 should have been when it launched: same hardware shape, faster silicon, current firmware support. Touchscreen, twelve lines, color, one USB port — the entry-level touch VVX.

Compared to the VVX 601 (the executive touch model), the 501 is smaller, has only one USB port instead of two, and stays at 100 Mbps Ethernet. The trade-off is about $80 saved per desk. For sales managers and senior contributors who want the optics of a touch phone without the executive price tag, the 501 is the sweet spot.

Where it isn't the right phone: if you specifically want gigabit Ethernet on the touch chassis, you need to go to the VVX 601 — the 501 stayed at 10/100. If you don't actually need touch, the VVX 450 (non-touch, gigabit, dual USB, 4.3-inch color screen) is a stronger phone overall for about $30 less.

Full technical specifications.

Display & user interface
Display	3.5-inch 320×240 color LCD
Line keys	12 programmable line keys
Soft keys	4 context-sensitive soft keys under the display
Physical keys	Dialpad, hold, mute, transfer, headset, message, redial, volume, navigation
Languages	Multiple on-screen languages (English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, etc.)
VoIP & SIP
SIP accounts	Up to 12
SIP protocols	SIP v2 (RFC 3261), TLS / SRTP, NAT traversal, BLF / BLA, shared call appearance
Codecs	Opus, G.722, G.722.1, G.711a/μ, G.729AB, iLBC, Siren 14 / 22
DTMF	In-band, RFC 2833, SIP INFO
QoS	802.1p/Q VLAN tagging, DiffServ ToS, LLDP-MED
Audio
Speaker	Full-duplex with Polycom Acoustic Clarity (AEC, dynamic noise reduction)
HD voice	Polycom HD Voice on handset and speakerphone
Headset support	RJ9 headset jack, USB headset, EHS via APP-51 adapter (sold separately)
Connectivity
Ethernet	Dual 10/100 Mbps
PoE	IEEE 802.3af Class 2
USB	1 USB 2.0 host port
Bluetooth	Not supported
Wi-Fi	Not supported (USB dongle not officially supported)
Power & expansion
Power source	PoE 802.3af Class 2 (preferred) or Poly 5V/0.6A power adapter (sold separately)
Expansion module	VVX EXP 50
Physical
Weight	1.16 kg
Dimensions	262 × 178 × 165 mm
Wall-mountable	Yes
Operating temperature	0 to 40 °C (32 to 104 °F)
In the box (from voip.army)
Included	Handset, base unit, curl cord, ethernet cable, stand, quick-start card, voip.army provisioning card with extension & SIP credentials pre-loaded
Not included	Power adapter (PoE preferred), EHS adapter for wireless headsets, expansion module

How it works on voip.army.

Plug the VVX 501 into PoE and ethernet. About a minute later it has registered to your extension. Same auto-provisioning flow as every other supported phone — no SIP credentials to type, no firmware to chase.

60s

Time from plug-in to first call

Boot, fetch config from our provisioning server, register, ready. About one minute on a normal internet connection.

SIP accounts on one phone

Run up to 12 simultaneous SIP registrations. Each line key has a dual-color LED for status.

Per-device onboarding fees

Bringing your own? Send us the MAC, factory-reset, plug in. No charge to add it to the fleet.

100M

Ethernet to the workstation

10/100 Mbps pass-through is fine for voice but caps a daisy-chained workstation at 100 Mbps.

USB headset ports

USB host port for any standard headset (Jabra, Plantronics) — plug and play.

802.3af

PoE class

Class 2 on most VVX. Any standard 802.3af switch powers it; no separate adapter needed.

Need VVX 501s for every desk?

Tell us how many you need and what extensions to map. We ship pre-configured next business day; you plug them in and they work.

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✓ Free shipping on orders $200+ ✓ 30-day hardware return ✓ Pre-configured before shipping