Top 10 phones for September
By Damian Koh
17/10/2008
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/mobilephones/0,39050603,62047207,00.htm
Nobody does object lust like Apple, so it didn't come as a surprise that the iPhone 3G made it to our Top 10 list shortly after its debut in late August on the island-state. Right now, other than the retail outlets, SingTel is the only telco offering the handset. It'll be interesting to see if the phone moves up the rankings when the other two carriers, MobileOne and StarHub, start to sell the handset, too. New entrants last month also included the Sony Ericsson W890i Walkman and the once popular Nokia 6300, while the Nokia E51, LG Secret and Sony Ericsson W980 apparently fell out of favor with the crowd.
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:
Next five mobile phones | Last month's rankings
Click here for a feature comparison table.
|
|
 |
1. |
Nokia E71
CNET Asia rating: 8.7 out of 10
The good: Slim and stylish design; solid build quality; full range of wireless features; works right out of the box; snappy performance; excellent battery life.
The bad: Counter-intuitive camera autofocus; media browser could do with a little upgrade; Easy Dial feature not available.
The bottom line: The Nokia E71 is easily one of the best QWERTY smart phones that combine strong features as well as a good balance between business and entertainment, at a competitive price.
Review | See full specs | Rate this |
|
|
 |
2. |
Nokia E66
CNET Asia rating: 9 out of 10
The good: Solid and attractive build; HSDPA, Wi-Fi and A-GPS; excellent productivity tools.
The bad: Smaller battery compared with the E71; accelerometer can be a nuisance.
The bottom line: While we like the E71 better, the E66 is a great smart phone with class-leading features. If you want the functionality of a business phone without the bulk of a PDA form factor, the E66 is the phone you've been looking for.
Review | See full specs | Rate this |
|
|
 |
3. |
Samsung SGH-F480
CNET Asia rating: 6.6 out of 10
The good: Compact size; solid build; cool widgets interface; HSDPA; Bluetooth stereo; microSD expansion card slot.
The bad: Vulnerable to fingerprints; software can be improved; lacks Wi-Fi.
The bottom line: The F480 is a stylish touchscreen handset with a wealth of features, but its user interface could do with a little improvement.
Review | See full specs | Rate this |
|
|
 |
4. |
Sony Ericsson C902 Cyber-shot
CNET Asia rating: 6.7 out of 10
The good: Fashionable, lean form factor; lots of camera features; flashier user interface; HSDPA.
The bad: Stiff, angled keypad; poorly located volume buttons; no Xenon flash.
The bottom line: The C902 Cyber-shot is mostly let down by some poor design implantations, but is still a decent camera-phone overall.
Review | See full specs | Rate this |
|
|
 |
5. |
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.
Review | See full specs | Rate this |
Previous five mobile phones | Last month's rankings
Click here for a feature comparison table.
|
|
 |
6. |
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.
Review | See full specs | Rate this |
|
|
 |
7. |
Apple iPhone 3G
CNET Asia rating: 8.3 out of 10
The good: Offers critical new features including support for high-speed 3G networks, third-party applications, and expanded email; improved call quality is improved; continues to deliver an excellent music and video experience.
The bad: Continues to lack some basic features that are available on even the simplest cell phone; also, we prefer the original iPhone's design.
The bottom line: The iPhone 3G delivers on its promises by adding critical features and sharper performance. The iTunes Apps Store is pretty amazing, and the 3G support is more than welcome. We still have a few gripes, but the iPhone 3G is a big improvement over the original model.
Review | See full specs | Rate this |
|
|
 |
8. |
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.
Review | See full specs | Rate this |
|
|
 |
9. |
Sony Ericsson G900
First take The Sony Ericsson G900 is part of the Japanese-Swedish company's series of Web-enabled phones and was announced at this year's Mobile World Congress. We got to spend a couple of days with this touchscreen Symbian UIQ smart phone. Here's what we think. Do note that this preview highlights the main differences between the G900 and G700.
First take | See full specs | Rate this |
|
|
 |
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.
Review | See full specs | Rate this |
|