Sony Ericsson W800i

Performance And Battery Life
Having tested the K750i not too long ago, we had a clear idea of what to expect for the W800i which has almost identical features. While the camera suffered from some shutter lag which is common among camera-phones, outdoor images captured were generally sharp with good color reproduction and exposure. Video recordings were also of decent quality though fast action footage turned out slightly pixelated. The strong flash light, however, did not do much to improve night pictures. Nonetheless, we found it useful as a torchlight.

Sound quality, as expected from a Walkman device, was excellent with good MegaBass support and good-quality earphones. Our only gripe was with the MegaBass function which works effectively only when listening to music via the earphones. For ringtones, the onboard speaker, which is hidden neatly under the lens, also lacked the volume range to be audible in outdoor environments at times.

The Walkman phone comes with an option to turn on the music player only. (click for a larger image)

On a full charge, the W800i can last for more than three days of usage (click for a larger image)

We liked that the W800i has an option to turn on the music player without powering on the phone. This is great for those who do not want to be constantly interrupted while listening to music and allows the handset to be used just like a dedicated music player.

A bigger LCD display would have been nice on the W800i, particularly for video playback, but that would probably have compromised on the battery life. On the whole, the screen was sharp and bright enough when viewed in most environments. In its brightest mode, the display was viewable even under direct sunlight.

On a full charge, the phone dropped to its last battery bar only after more than three days of usage, which is quite impressive considering its multiple onboard functions. While testing the phone, we did not encounter any issues with calls or reception. The highest SAR value for this device is 0.67W/kg which meets international guidelines for exposure to radio waves.