First things first: The color. Upon catching your first eyeful of the 3G-capable K770i, you will either be taken aback or smitten by the color. Certainly, we've had a good mix of pained grunts and excited squeals over the funky Ultra Violet that our review unit came in. It's a surprising hue to complement its muddy Truffle Brown twin, and a shade that's unfortunately not for everyone. We've yet to see the Sandy Beige, though.
For texters, that's much to thank over the more sensible choice of conventional keys, abandoning those ridiculously unfriendly chips that served as keys on the W880i. While some might feel the metallic strips a mite plasticky, they're more than serviceable.
Another design feature you'd like is the slider lock which holds down the back plate of the K770i. Unlike other attempts we've seen, this one is painlessly easy to unlock.
Sony Ericsson has notably been tweaking its lens cover with each Cyber-shot iteration, and it may have gotten this one almost right. The cover is now a slick metal slider flush with the back. You slide it horizontally instead of up/down to unveil the lens and activate the camera. A thin light strip across the back flashes blue whenever you slide open the cover. That said, a few of us found the slider too smooth for any traction. As a result, we lost a few candid shots while struggling frantically to get the lens slider open. Failing that, you can console yourself with self-portraits using the micro mirror.
Now for things we didn't like at all. First up on the list is the strange position of the port. Sitting it on the lower left edge makes pocketing the phone, while the headset is attached, very awkward. That is unless you happen to have very baggy pockets.
The speaker will also prove to be deficient. To keep everything streamlined, it has been cut into the casing at the rear of the phone. As a result, music playback through the speaker tends to be muffled when the unit is flat on its back. Several times during voice calls, we had to ensure that the speaker was facing up to hear the other party speak.
Navigation-wise, the K770i uses a flat four-way rocker with a central button. A second VGA sensor sits on the top right for 3G video calls, and all the shortcuts, power, volume and shutter buttons are in the usual places. The LCD screen is classic Cyber-shot in sharpness and rich hues.
Design
Now that's out of the way, there's much to praise about the design. Here's what we like a lot. With the K770i, the Cyber-shot series of phones have slimmed down by some more (14mm, 95g). We also favor the gently curved back of the unit which sits very snugly in the cradle of our palm, unlike some of the more hard-edged skinny sets. The satiny matt finish also makes it a true joy to handle the phone.For texters, that's much to thank over the more sensible choice of conventional keys, abandoning those ridiculously unfriendly chips that served as keys on the W880i. While some might feel the metallic strips a mite plasticky, they're more than serviceable.
Another design feature you'd like is the slider lock which holds down the back plate of the K770i. Unlike other attempts we've seen, this one is painlessly easy to unlock.
Sony Ericsson has notably been tweaking its lens cover with each Cyber-shot iteration, and it may have gotten this one almost right. The cover is now a slick metal slider flush with the back. You slide it horizontally instead of up/down to unveil the lens and activate the camera. A thin light strip across the back flashes blue whenever you slide open the cover. That said, a few of us found the slider too smooth for any traction. As a result, we lost a few candid shots while struggling frantically to get the lens slider open. Failing that, you can console yourself with self-portraits using the micro mirror.
Now for things we didn't like at all. First up on the list is the strange position of the port. Sitting it on the lower left edge makes pocketing the phone, while the headset is attached, very awkward. That is unless you happen to have very baggy pockets.
The speaker will also prove to be deficient. To keep everything streamlined, it has been cut into the casing at the rear of the phone. As a result, music playback through the speaker tends to be muffled when the unit is flat on its back. Several times during voice calls, we had to ensure that the speaker was facing up to hear the other party speak.
Navigation-wise, the K770i uses a flat four-way rocker with a central button. A second VGA sensor sits on the top right for 3G video calls, and all the shortcuts, power, volume and shutter buttons are in the usual places. The LCD screen is classic Cyber-shot in sharpness and rich hues.
User Discussion
stephenoh:
I dunno, frankly i have not need the flash on my N73ME for so long and i hardly think ...
jhei:
Are you serious about this Ericsson? People might as well purchase the k850 instead...
damiankoh:
not having xenon in the screen? i suppose you meant the camera module on the k770i isn't accompanied by ...
Spree:
there was tis con of not having xenon in the screen, does it really play a big part? meaning ...
