A bit of a let down (Sony Ericsson K850i)

Member Name: Xayna

Product:	Sony Ericsson K850i
Date:	31/10/08 (27 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Nice feel to it, touch screen is fun, nice big screen

Disadvantages: Problems with camera flash and gets dirty very quickly

Having done some work for Sony Ericsson and previously owned a K800i, I was convinced of the quality and userability of their products. I really enjoyed my K800i, so when it came to time to get a new phone, I naturally wanted another Sony Ericsson.

I selected the K850i because I don't have a compact camera, and the camera in the phone was of a good enough quality (5.0 megapixels) that I thought it would be useful for areas I didn't want to take my personal camera to, such as the beach.

I liked the look and feel of the phone. It's about camera-sized, with a nice silver trim and doesn't feel too heavy. They've also replaced the lens cover from the K800i with a new lens-behind-plastic, which will avoid the breakages commonly found with its predecessor.

In terms of usage, I quite enjoy the touch screen, although it can be quite slow to respond and you sometimes have to touch it just slow, but it is quite fun to use. The phone still contains all the positive aspects of Sony Ericsson's functionality, but I did feel that there were two downsides to this phone.

One is that it becomes dirty quickly, with all the screen touching, you are constantly having to clean away the marks.

Secondly, I didn't think the camera was all it was cracked up to be. It could be problematic to focus and there is a real problem with the flash timing, in that a picture taken with the flash at night often comes out completely dark.

It also has very small buttons for the keys, which can take some getting used to. The touch screen also often means you end up exiting or sending messages without intending to, as you accidentally activate it during use.

Overall, it is a nice phone, but compared to the K800i, I feel slightly disappointed.

Summary: Doesn't follow in the footsteps of its predecessor

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