Top 10 phones for October
By Damian Koh
21/11/2008
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/mobilephones/0,39050603,62048357,00.htm
In our previous Top 10 list, we mentioned that it'd be interesting to see if the iPhone 3G moves up the rankings when operators MobileOne and StarHub start to sell the handset. Turns out we spoke too soon as changes in the distribution schedule have affected the two telcos' plans to have the device on their networks by the end of the year. SingTel, on the other hand, has confirmed that it will be the only operator in Singapore with the iPhone 3G this year. That said, the iPhone 3G moved up three notches to take the fourth spot in our Top 10 list for October, with the Nokia E71, E66 and the Samsung F480 holding onto the top three positions, respectively. New entrants saw the LG Secret and the Nokia N85 enter the fray, with the Sony Ericsson W890i Walkman and G900 falling 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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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4. |
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.
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5. |
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.
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Previous five mobile phones | Last month's rankings
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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.
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7. |
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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8. |
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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9. |
LG Secret KF750
CNET Asia rating: 6 out of 10
The good: Slim and trendy design; solid build quality; 3G with HSDPA; video-recording features; supports DivX up to VGA resolution; fun preloaded motion games.
The bad: Horrible control buttons; touch interface difficult to use; screen washes out in sunlight; glossy surfaces attract fingerprints; below-average performance for a non-smart phone.
The bottom line: It may be a stylish camera-phone with some entertainment features, but LG seriously needs to rethink the user interface of the handset, not just rely on pretty looks alone.
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10. |
Nokia N85
CNET Asia rating: 8 out of 10
The good: Excellent QVGA OLED display; full set of connectivity features; bundled with 8GB microSD card; stylish design; decent build quality.
The bad: Dual sliding mechanism not as smooth as we would like; flash is underpowered.
The bottom line: The N85 isn't a major upgrade from the previous two N95 models, at least not in terms of features. But if you are looking to replace them with a more stylish handset, the N85 is the one.
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