The Zinc II's star feature should be the ability to write long emails and create and edit Microsoft documents using its full Qwerty keypad, but the pad lets it down. We'd like to say that writing long emails was great, but because of the pad's design, we actually found it fiddly.
What redeems the keypad to some extent, though, is a fast processor that enables a relatively quick user experience. A little more RAM would have been nice over the 64MB SDRAM that you get, but it's sufficient.
A better camera would have been nice too. The Zinc II's 2-megapixel snapper is fine for MMS and small prints, but it's not fantastic for large prints or viewing on a hi-res screen. The lack of flash means pics in low light don't come out well either.
Performance
Battery life lasted for over a day with
moderate to heavy use. As expected, prolonged use of GPS, HSDPA or
Wi-Fi drained the battery very quickly. If you're planning on using it as an in-car sat-nav, then it's definitely worth getting a compatible car charger.
Conclusion
The MWg Zinc II is a stylish phone that packs a
lot of features, but we think the keypad lets it down. It also
seems rather dated compared to the current cutting edge Windows Mobile
phones such as the HTC Touch Diamond.
That said, this is a small company that has only just started producing its own kit, so while the Zinc II isn't perfect, it's definitely a good place to start. But pushed to make a choice between this and the TyTN II, we'd go with the feature-packed TyTN II.
Edited by Jon SquireÂ
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