Features
For a phone that came out last year, the Z500 still feels very up to date. Its best feature is its 3G support that lets you make video calls and download multimedia. We tested the video-calling feature out and found it worked well, although the audio was sometimes out of sync with the image and movements weren't smooth due to the low refresh rate. In contrast, the WAP browser was very fast and loaded pages quickly, which is great if you need to check something out in a rush.
Another bonus feature on this phone is the 50MB of internal memory and TransFlash expandable memory slot. This means that you can store around 350MP3s or 3000 photos on the Z500 if you buy a 1GB TransFlash card, which is great if you like listening to music or snapping lots of photos. The built-in media player will play MP3, AAC, ACC+, Real One, H.263 and MPEG4 files.
We also like is the option to use Bluetooth or infrared. This means that aside from being able to send files to a greater number of devices, you can also can use the Z500 as a modem via a USB, Bluetooth and infrared connection.
Unfortunately the 1-megapixel camera with 2x digital zoom does show the Z500's age -- for a phone with so many great features, the entry-level camera is a disappointment. With phones such as the Samsung D600 toting 2-megapixel cameras and models with 3.2-megapixel cameras entering the market, the Z500's camera just doesn't cut the mustard. We liked the fact that there was a dedicated shutter button and that you could adjust ISO levels and white balance levels, but we weren't overly impressed with the images, which were dim and pixelated.
The Z500 also has SMS and MMS messaging, a voice recorder, calendar, calculator, world clock, polyphonic ringtones and Java games.
PerformanceThe audio on calls was clear and loud, as was the sound quality on the media player, and the proprietary headphones were actually comfortable enough to use as an MP3 player. The camera was easy to operate using the dedicated shutter button, but the poor quality images let it down -- although they were good enough to view on the camera, they weren't good enough to print out.
The battery life was good and lasted for around 250 hours on standby and 3 hours' talk time. That was without using 3G though, which cut the standby time to 200 hours and talk time to around 2 hours.
Edited by Mary Lojkine
Additional editing by Kate Macefield
Android App 
RSS Feeds 
iPhone App 
Newsletters