Sony Ericsson K850i review

Sony Ericsson K850i Review

Reviewed by: Andrew Lim

Reviewed on: 22 October 2007

Performance
Audio quality during calls was loud and clear without any noticeable distortions or muffling. The loudspeaker also sounded very clear. Notably, there are two plastic ridges on the back of the handset that push the loudspeaker off a table, making it sound much better than if it was flat against surface.

The K850i's camera is one of the best cameras we have ever seen on a phone

Picture quality from the 5-megapixel camera was good in daylight and fantastic in low light due to the very powerful xenon flash. Be warned that your fingers may obstruct the flash at the back and cause pictures in low light to not come out as well, so try and hold it around the edges.

There were tell-tale signs of JPEG compression but overall we were very impressed with the colour depth and clarity of all the shots we took. If you're looking for a stand-alone camera replacement then this is defnitely worth checking out but keep in mind the optics aren't as good as a high-end 5-megapixel camera, such as a the Canon PowerShot S2 IS.

Compared to other 5-megapixel camera phones though, the K850i really exceeds in the low-light department, as it has the best lighting solution we've seen on any camera phone so far.

Battery life is quoted at nine hours talk time and 400 hours standby time on GSM, and three hours 30 minutes talk time and 350 hours standby time using 3G. We found it lasted for over two days when we used it moderately but under a day if we used the Web browser over HSDPA and the camera often.

Conclusion
The Sony Ericsson K850i's camera is very close to being the best camera we have ever seen on a phone and is worthy of adulation. Unfortunately, the fiddly navigation system and keypad takes away from an all round enjoyable experience and while we'd like to give this phone top marks, we sadly can't.

An alternative 5-megapixel camera phone with an easier-to-use keypad and GPS is the Nokia N95 but it doesn't take as good shots in low light. If it's more video features you're after then the LG KU990 Viewty is worth a peek and if it's a slightly thinner camera phone you're after, then the G600 might do the job.

Edited by Jason Jenkins
Additional editing by Shannon Doubleday