Sony Ericsson Z610i

In today’s day and age, phones are becoming so much more complicated. Gone are the days when one could easily pick a phone and be satisfied with it. There are so many things to consider nowadays, 3G, Java, Symbian….. Few phones actually manage to find a balance between simplicity and functionality, but the Sony Ericsson Z610i seems to have come very close to doing so.

The appearance of the phone is definitely the thing that is most striking about this phone. The front of the clamshell phone is a glossy, reflective surface, which reflects everything nearby very nicely. It’s a really nice and unique touch that is also present on certain Sony mp3 players. Hidden underneath this is an “invisible” screen that only lights up when the volume button is pressed with the phone closed. It looks really unique, as apparently it has a hidden mirror somewhere inside that produces this stunning effect. It just shows basic information like time, signal strength, silent mode, new message, missed calls, etc.

However, there is one problem with a cover like that, is that it is fingerprint-friendly. This phone is definitely not for anyone who can’t stand fingerprints, because they’re usually all over the front of it. However, it’s no problem for me, because just a few rubs against my shirt or pants does the trick, though I seldom bother to do so in the first place.

Once open, the keypad is very solid, though there’s not much tactile feedback, and the keys are spaced out quite a bit. Once again, this isn’t exactly a problem, but I gotta get used to it, because the keys of K750i are all scrunched up together. However, it didn’t take me long to get used to it, and I’m typing at almost the same speed as compared with my K750i.

The screen is slightly bigger than the K750i, but unfortunately the resolution is still the same. However, text appears to be much bigger and crisp, making it much easier to read, which is of course a big plus. The user interface is what you would expect in a SE phone, not much changes here except a few different menu options (video call, music player etc.). And the file manager is slightly more polished now, seperating the files stored on the Memstick and the Phone memory, though it seldom comes in handy.

As for functions, this phone clearly outdoes my old K750i. It’s a 3G phone with an extra camera above the screen for video calls (not like I’ll be using that function much though), has an rss reader now, and a lot of other small little functions that I’m too lazy to list out here. Though they’re not immediately apparent, they do come in quite useful at times, such as having the ability to set multiple alarms.

The new music player is much more useful now. With the K750i, the music button on the side of the phone could not work at all unless the headphones were plugged in, which is really quite stupid. Thankfully, SE changed that in this phone, and it’s possible to start playing music with just a single push of the music button on the side. When the phone is closed, the music continues playing, and the song title scrolls on the LED screen. The volume buttons on the side also work, and the volume indicator is also shown on the screen. The speaker is also fairly good, with a decent maximum volume. The 64mb memstick that came with the phone can really only store so many songs, so I bought a 2gb card a few hours after getting the phone itself. Now I can really store a decent amount of songs, at least 350+ at that. Finally, I can more or less substitue my iPod Video and Creative mini-speakers for just my handphone, when I need to play some music while doing my work. In short, I’m really happy with the new music capabilities of the phone. Though this is by no means a walkman phone, it more than satisfies my needs. I just wish they had included a set of headphones with the phone. But then again, that’s what my iPod Shuffle is for huh?

Oh and have I mentioned battery life? This phone can last for a LONG time. I haven’t managed to test it out myself, but according to the SE website, this phone can last for 7 hours talk time, and 400 hours standby time, which is quite impressive. So far, the long battery life is showing, I’ve been playing with the phone all day long, transfering files, playing music, games, etc. And the battery is still quite strong. This will really save me the trouble of having to charge my phone every few days, as it was with my K750i.

I wish I could sing praises about the in-built 2 megapixel camera as well, unfortunately I can’t. Even though it is a 2 MP camera, it has no autofocus, which means images come out blurrer as compared to the K750i. Neither does it have a macrofocus, which means I can forget about capturing text, as anything that’s less than 80cm away from the lens comes out blur. It can’t even zoom in 2MP or 1MP mode. Only when it’s switched to VGA mode is there a 2.5x digital zoom. Considering the fact that I’ll never use VGA to take pictures, that means I can’t zoom AT ALL. Which is a really big letdown.

On the whole, I’m definitely glad with this phone. Especially since it has a d-pad instead of a freaking joystick that spoils so easily. It’s much more easier to use compared to the K750i with its funky joystick that refuses to work at times. However, there is ONE thing I’ll regret about giving up the K750i (and let me stress this is the ONLY reason why I’ll regret giving it up), which is the awsome in-built camera. Compared to the K750i, the in-built camera of the Z610i SUCKS. Big time. However, I think that I’m willing to give up a good camera for a phone that’s easier to use, has more functions, and looks a lot better. So on the whole, I’m really happy with my new phone this time around.

Pros: Looks great, easy to use keypad, more functions, good music player, long battery life

Cons: mediocre lousy camera, fingerprint friendly

Overall rating: 8.5/10