Sony Ericsson S700i

Print

Email

Bookmark

Share

Taking the S700i's design to an extreme, Sony Ericsson has managed to pack in plenty of multimedia functions into a handset that resembles a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-M1. So is this radical camera-phone a Jack of all trades and master of none? We take a snapshot.

Design
A mobile trapped in a digital camera shell, the S700i can easily pass off as a display unit on the racks of a camera shop. While its unorthodox looks will appeal to the minority, users who prefer smaller handsets will be turned off by its heft and bulky dimensions.

Like most swivelers, the keypad is concealed beneath the top half. Restricted by the form factor, its buttons aren't raised for optimal texting. Fortunately, they are adequately well-spaced and tactile so a brief practice gets you to a good messaging speed. Left-handed users will appreciate that this mobile flicks both ways. However, its swivel mechanism is less elegant than the spring-loaded Motorola V80 and you'll need to turn the screen right side up when opened. In addition, the unit's size forbids it to be operated comfortably with one hand.

On the phone front, an impressive 262K-color screen dominates the facade and its 240 x 320-pixel resolution rivals those found on dedicated handhelds. Needless to say, this TFT churns out razor-sharp images and ample contrast. No squinting is required and the display is visible outdoors.

Apart from being chunky, we aren't particularly fond of the rubber flap that conceals the charging and connector ports. With the headset attached, it gets in the way at times when swiveling the unit open to access the keypad.

Features
Almost like a stab at entry-level digital cameras, a CCD sensor is used in this mobile for imaging as opposed to the commonly found CMOS variant. While it delivers better pictures with less noise, battery life takes a toil from the higher power requirements. That said, the effort put into perfecting the camera is commendable. Just a flick of the lens cover activates the camera and turns the TFT into a sizable viewfinder. A slew of imaging options are also in hand to please photo buffs. Surprisingly, Sony Ericsson has included spot metering mode to capture subjects in difficult lighting or contrasting situations. Quality-wise, pictures turn out well-saturated with accurate white balance. From an imaging perspective, the S700i is easily the best megapixel camera-phone on the market at the moment.

Music aficionados, too, are in for a treat as the top-notch MP3 player, first seen in the K700i, makes another appearance. The versatile five-band equalizer together with the quality stereo buds deliver great acoustics that give dedicated players a run for their money. This time, Sony Ericsson empowers users with a Memory Stick Duo slot on top of the 32MB of internal memory. With the abundance of features, the 32MB card included may be insufficient for storage so it's a good idea to purchase a larger media. Be warned that prices for such flash cards are higher than the widespread Secure Digital memory. An FM tuner complements the onboard MP3 player.

Call handling of the S700i is excellent. When listening to music via the supplied headset, the phone automatically pauses the song should you receive a call and resumes after it is dropped. While the speaker is sufficiently loud for handsfree mode, activating it is cumbersome and requires at least five taps to do so.

Again, this Sony Ericsson shines in the area of connectivity and files can be exchanged with other devices over infrared and Bluetooth easily.

Battery Life, SAR And Reception
Despite an ordinary 780mAh Lithium-ion cell, the S700i's battery life was spectacular. During the review period, the unit lasted three days on moderate usage and that included MP3 playback while commuting to work. Encouraged by the findings, we put the S700i through its paces and looped music repeatedly. Incredibly, this unit delivered close to 17 hours of playback on a single charge. With most flash-based MP3 players clocking lesser mileage, this result is certainly astounding.

This model when tested for compliance had a Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) level of up to 0.73W/kg, well below the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) limit.

On the whole, we found the S700i's reception generally good and had no issues with signal strength or voice quality.

Conclusion
Available at S$988 (US$711.35) with a two-year contract and S$1,138 (US$819.35) without, the S700i may look unsightly to some people as a phone. But if you can forgive its appearance, this camera-phone delivers a plethora of features to keep budding shutterbugs and music enthusiasts contented. Add great execution to that and this Sony Ericsson gets a concurrence for our coveted Editors' Choice award.