Sony Ericsson C903

Sony Ericsson C903 Refurbished

In a nutshell: Sony Ericsson's C903 is an entry-level 3G slide phone. It's a Cyber-Shot phone with a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash and autofocus, and also comes with an MP3 player and an FM radio with RDS. Connectivity is via Bluetooth or USB cable. Memory is generous at 130MB, plus support for memory card up to 16GB. Bonus features include GPS and a Walk Mate fitness tool. However, the reliability of the C903 is very poor and we don't recommend it.

Review: June 2009. Last updated October 2009.

The entry level class of 3G phones is already flooded with Sony Ericssons, and here comes yet another one! Sony Ericsson are very hit and miss with their phones at the moment, so we almost dread reviewing the C903.

This looks like standard slider fayre from Sony Ericsson. It's very glossy and is an obvious fingerprint magnet, and the build quality doesn't feel up to the job. At least the keypad is better than your average Sony Ericsson. The display is exactly the same kind that SE have been churning out for years now, although this one does benefit from an auto-rotate feature.

As a Cyber-Shot phone, we are anticipating a good camera, although experience tells us that these cheap Cyber-Shots rarely meet expectations. Although this one is rated at 5 megapixels and has autofocus, face detection and an image stabiliser, we can't help feeling that the Sony Ericsson K800i from 2006 was at least as good. The video camera isn't really up to much, with a maximum resolution of 240 x 320 pixels and 30 frames per second.

The other features include an MP3 player, FM radio with RDS, Java games with motion gaming, web browser, etc. There are two features that set the C903 apart from the many other Sony Ericssons in this price range: assisted GPS and the Walk Mate. The a-GPS comes with Google Maps and a 3-month trial version of the Wayfinder Navigator software. This is very much a budget GPS system, and you'll struggle with the small screen, but it's one of the few phones in this price band to offer GPS, so it's a nice bonus. Another nice bonus is the Walk Mate, which acts as a smart step counter, and is a nice feature for the health conscious among us.

The memory of 130 MB is certainly better than average, and the C903 supports memory cards up to 16GB. Connectivity is average, with Bluetooth and USB. Why do Sony Ericsson find it so hard to include a 3.5mm audio jack in their phones? HSDPA is available for fast internet access, although to be honest this isn't the kind of phone that will need a lot of fast downloads.

When we first reviewed the phone in June 2009 we wrote that it felt flimsy and we doubted that it would prove to very durable. A few months on and our user reviews confirm that indeed the C903 is about as durable as a cube of sugar in a hot cup of tea. Frankly, we're fed up with Sony Ericsson at the moment. They keep churning out run of the mill handsets, or handsets that look great on paper and then self-destruct as soon as you take them out of the box. The C903 has turned out to be one of the self-destructing kinds. As well as this, the user guide is rubbish and the battery life poor, and we think that you deserve something better than this. Thumbs down for the C903!

Features of the Sony Ericsson C903 include:

• 5 mega pixel camera with LED flash, autofocus, face detection, BestPic, image stabiliser, 16x digital zoom and Geo-tagging
• Video camera with video stabilizer
• Display: TFT, 262,144-colour, 240 x 320 pixels with auto rotation
• Media player with Mega Bass
• FM radio with RDS
• MP3/AAC ringtones
• Speaker phone
• Voice recorder
• Messaging: SMS, MMS, Email with Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync
• 3D Java games with motion gaming
• a-GPS with Google Maps & Wayfinder Navigator (trial)
• Walk Mate step counter
• Animated wallpaper
• Personal organiser functions
• Flight mode
• Vibration alert
• Internet: Web browser, RSS feeds, blogging, HSDPA (3.6 Mbps)
• Memory: 130 Mbytes plus support for Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™) (up to 16GB)
• Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB mass storage, modem
• Quad band (GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900) plus 3G (UMTS 2100)
• Size: 97 x 49 x 16 mm
• Weight: 96g
• Talk time: 4 - 10 hours
• Battery standby: 350 - 400 hours