Top 10 phones for May
By Damian Koh
23/06/2008
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/mobilephones/0,39050603,62042988,00.htm
Like April, we had a number of ties in our monthly Top 10 chart for May. The Nokia 6500 slide and Sony Ericsson W910i could be seen still battling it out for pole position, while the Nokia E51 and N82 shared the 5th position. LG's Viewty KU990 slowly made its way up the ranks, pitting itself against the Nokia N95 (8GB) for 7th spot. New to this list were the Samsung Soul and Nokia 3120 classic.
Note: Results are based on readership as well as data collected from retail outlets (Mobile Square and WhyMobile) and the major mobile operators in Singapore including:
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1. |
Nokia 6500 slide
CNET Asia rating: 7.7 out of 10
The good: Solid build quality and one of the best sliders available; Carl Zeiss optics for the 3.2-megapixel autofocus camera; quadband GSM with dual-band UMTS; A2DP.
The bad: Autofocus doesn't work in video mode; no backlight adjustment feature; phone doesn't auto keylock after closing the slider.
The bottom line: The Nokia 6500 slide is an excellent basic camera-phone based on the S40 platform, though some tiny issues prevented it from getting a higher score.
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2. |
Sony Ericsson W910i Walkman
CNET Asia rating: 7 out of 10
The good: Slim design; built-in motion sensor; large 2.4-inch LCD; HSDPA connectivity.
The bad: Walkman button too small; poor location of connector port; no onboard 3.5mm audio jack; sub-par camera.
The bottom line: The W910i is great for those looking to purchase a trendy music phone with a little bit of fun, but which doesn't lack in features, although it's a little pricey.
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3. |
Samsung Soul
CNET Asia rating: 8 out of 10
The good: Classy design with solid build quality; excellent keypad; decent set of camera features; 3G with HSDPA; Bluetooth with A2DP; FM radio; microSD expansion card slot.
The bad: Uses LED instead of Xenon flash; screen legibility suffers under direct sunlight; character limit in subject field when creating calendar appointments; below average battery life; sluggish picture browsing on the phone.
The bottom line: The Samsung Soul doesn't do everything; there's no Wi-Fi or GPS for starters. But for everything else, there's plenty enough to enjoy.
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4. |
Sony Ericsson W890i Walkman
CNET Asia rating: 8 out of 10
The good: Chic and slim design; brushed metal finish; improved usability; bundled with 2GB Memory Stick Micro M2; 3.5mm adapter accessory; HSDPA; Bluetooth stereo.
The bad: Proprietary connector port on the left edge; M2 card slot behind battery cover; mediocre camera features.
The bottom line: Design is clearly the focus on the W890i and it's where this Walkman truly shines. At the same time, we can't deny that the W890i is also a solid handset. If you can live with its mediocre camera, this Walkman phone is a keeper.
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5. |
Nokia E51
CNET Asia rating: 8 out of 10
The good: Slim, solid design; stainless steel construction; multiple dedicated buttons and shortcut keys; excellent tactility; HSDPA, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth stereo A2DP; generous 130MB of onboard memory; snappy performance.
The bad: Rose Steel version attracts fingerprints easily; preinstalled Quickoffice is read-only version; no front-facing camera for video calls; average image quality.
The bottom line: Simple is good, and that's what the E51 is. It may not have a fancy design, but the E51 excels in nearly all other aspects with a truckload of connectivity features, good performance and attractive price point for an enterprise phone.
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6. |
Nokia N82
CNET Asia rating: 7.7 out of 10
The good: Quadband GSM with HSDPA; Xenon flash with 5-megapixel camera; built-in GPS; A2DP; 3.5mm audio jack; microSD card slot.
The bad: Tiny keys; smaller 2.4-inch display compared with the two N95; microUSB port.
The bottom line: The N82 is an excellent all-round phone with an impressive list of specifications despite some niggles that could have been avoided.
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7. |
LG Viewty KU990
CNET Asia rating: 8.2 out of 10
The good: Touchscreen interface; 5-megapixel camera; HSDPA (3.5G); ability to upload videos straight to YouTube.
The bad: Lack of cover for the camera; lack of Wi-Fi; camera mode switch is a little tough to move.
The bottom line: This is one of LG's best phones yet. If you're looking for a good camera-phone, the LG Viewty is definitely worth checking out. From the vibrating touchscreen interface to the YouTube video capabilities and photo-editing app, we liked what it has to offer and think you will, too.
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8. |
Nokia N95 (8GB)
CNET Asia rating: 8.2 out of 10
The good: Sleeker shade of black; better build quality; 128MB of RAM which is twice the amount compared with the earlier N95; 8GB built-in memory; larger capacity battery.
The bad: No expansion card slot; no lens cover on camera.
The bottom line: The N95 (8GB) is a great successor to the original N95 with most of the earlier issues addressed, making it one of the best and feature-packed smart phones available now.
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9. |
Nokia 3120 classic
| Phone type | Quadband | | Networks | GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900 | | Connectivity options | 3G, Bluetooth, USB | | Weight w/battery | 85 g | | Max. talktime (in hours) | 3.3 hours | | Max. standby time (in hours) | 300 hours |
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10. |
Nokia 6300
CNET Asia rating: 8.3 out of 10
The good: Slim design; sharp color screen; easy-to-use keypad; slick-looking user interface that keeps it simple.
The bad: No auto-focus or flash on the camera; lack of 3G connectivity.
The bottom line: While this isn't the most advanced handset out there, it has a strong casing, a decent all-round feature set and an elegant, straightforward design. This is Nokia at its best.
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