Sony Ericsson W550i (Sony Ericsson W550i)

Member Name: wjj86

Product:	Sony Ericsson W550i
Date:	09/12/08 (23 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good budget walkman phone

Disadvantages: limited memory and poor screen

The Sony Ericsson W550i is part of the first range of Sony Ericsson walkman phones to be released. The phone came in the usual walkman range colours of white and orange and was available on a number of networks.

The first thing to notice about this phone when you have it in hand is how it opens. The keypad is accessed through a swivel mechanism which is both novel and provides a unique aspect to the phone. Size wise the phone is quite small all except the thickness which is quick considerable. This unfortunately is the most notable dimension when in your pocket and thus is a definite down point.

The phone features all of the usual functions we come to expect from a Sony Ericsson all set out in the standard menu system. The camera is 1.3mp which isn't much these days and only provides very grainy shots. The walkman function is the obvious draw to this phone and is very good. The sound quality is very good and the usability of the player with all features such as play lists available. The player is only hampered by the memory with the phone only having 256mb of inbuilt and no expansion slots for a memory card. This is a big downside as you are severely limited to how many songs you can keep on the phone.

The layout of this phone is extremely useable and well laid out. There is a big keypad which swivels out with positive buttons giving good feed back. The user can also use all the functions on the phone easily from the front buttons without swivelling out the phone which is also very useful. There is also a handle on the top with two dedicated gaming buttons. This is a novel feature, one which will bypass most users and is ultimately and un-necessary feature.

The battery life on this phone is very good with light use providing days without needing to charge. The battery does not fair so well when users the walkman feature only able to provide a few hours use. The battery is also helped by a relatively small screen which looks washed out when compared with phones released more recently.

The Sony Ericsson W550i was very good when first released providing a cheaper step onto Sony's Walkman range. The phone now seems very limited compared with newer phones notable problems being very limited memory and a poor screen. The swivel mechanism can also come loose after awhile, although this does come under the 18month warranty.

This phone was a very good entry level walkman phone in its day but is easily out beaten by newer competition.

Summary: worthy member of Sony Ericsson Walkman family

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