Background:  Immunophenotyping has become a necessity in the diagnosis and classification of hematological neoplasms. It is a reliable, time saving and accurate method for not only the diagnosis but also for detection of minimal residual disease.  There are ongoing developments in the field of flow cytometry in which more advanced flow cytometers have been developed allowing multicolor immunophenotyping. The question is; are they practically applicable or are they just for research purposes. Methods: This study was conducted on 71 newly diagnosed acute leukemia patients. Samples were analyzed by using the 4 color FACS Calibur and 8 color FACS Canto II.    Results: There was significant difference between the sample volume required, monoclonal antibodies, number of tubes used and the turnaround time for each sample on comparing the 8 color flow cytometer to the 4 color flow cytometer.
Conclusion:  It has been concluded that 8 multicolor flow cytometer definitely has the upper hand in time saving and reagents saving without the need to repeat the use of mono clonal antibodies. It also includes the leukemia associated phenotypes and aberrancies that would be missed when using the 4 color panel. However, there are certain drawbacks including technical difficulties and the requirement of high level of capability.