Sony Ericsson K800i

Sony Ericsson K800i Refurbished

In a nutshell: One of the best camera phones ever released, incorporating a 3.2 megapixel Cyber-Shot™ camera with autofocus and a bright xenon flash. Also comes with a music player, 3G video calling, expandable memory and wireless Bluetooth connectivity. The K800i can be your digital camera and MP3 player as well as a mobile phone. The only downside is that it's a bit heavy and bricklike. Stocks of the K800i are rapidly running out, so buy now if you want to secure this classic camera phone.

Review: September 2006. Last updated July 2009.

The Sony Ericsson K800i is the first 3G phone in Sony Ericsson's Cyber-Shot™ range of camera phones. It's the best of the Cyber-Shot phones so far, and in our opinion, the best camera phone available in the UK at the time of release.

Whilst large and a little brick-like, the K800i is beautifully built and finished. It's clearly a solidly constructed phone that should last well. The design is traditional and a bit square, but very nicely finished. The back of the phone shares many design features with the Cyber-Shot camera range and looks more like a camera than a phone. There's a cover for the camera lens, and annoyingly this has a habit of sliding off when the phone is in a bag or pocket, causing the camera to activate by itself. The keypad is well designed and easy to use, although the keys are quite small and may not suit someone with large fingers. The screen is large (2.0 inches) and of superb quality. The phone is heavier than average at 115g, but this isn't heavy for a 3G phone, and heavy phones are better at taking pictures because there is less camera shake.

At 3.2 megapixels, the K800i's camera has the highest resolution available at the time of writing (August 2006), but its the quality of the optics that really determines the quality of a camera, and the K800i doesn't disappoint. With autofocus and a real xenon flash (most camera phones have a weaker LCD flash that leads to poor exposure and red-eye), the K800i is a real digital camera, not just a toy. Picture quality is very impressive indeed, and is a match for many dedicated digital cameras. The K800i comes with a novel feature called BestPic™. BestPic takes nine pictures at a time, enabling you to choose the best. There's also a picture stabiliser, helping to eliminate camera shake. Naturally the K800i supports direct printing on PictBridge compatible printers, so you don't need a computer in order to print your pictures.

There's also a video camera, which also makes use of the picture stabiliser, helping to avoid shaky videos. It's not the best video camera around however, which is disappointing given the outstanding quality of the still camera. A video editor is included, so that you can edit videos on the phone. A second video camera is used for 3G video calling.

The music player on the K800i is of very good quality. It's an easy-to-use player that supports playlists. There's also a stereo RDS FM radio. Sound quality by the built-in speakers is good, but doesn't match that of the Sony Ericsson W900i. Stereo output to a normal or wireless headset via Bluetooth is supported.

As well as its outstanding camera and excellent music capabilities, the K800i is a genuine all-rounder. 3G enables 2-way video calling, fast music & video downloads and business applications such as email (although there's no Office document viewer). The K800i supports genuine multitasking, enabling you to talk and access other functions at the same time. A sophisticated web browser is built into the phone, displaying web pages with images as they look on a computer. You can subscribe to RSS feeds from your phone to get news, etc, and you can blog from your phone too. The K800i can act as a broadband connection for your PC, connecting via USB cable or wirelessly by Bluetooth.

The K800i is compatible with the Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™), enabling its memory to be increased to 1 Gbyte or more ( no memory stick is supplied in the sales package). This gives plenty of space for storing music and video. A wide range of connectivity options are available - Bluetooth, USB mass storage, infrared and Fastport (for connecting a charger, portable handsfree, cable or other accessory) - everything except WiFi in fact. Battery life is excellent for a 3G phone.

The K800i is an excellent mobile. Not only was it the best camera phone around at the time of release, but it's a good all-rounder. There are a few things missing, such as wi-fi and a document viewer, but there's no doubting that this is still a great phone from Sony Ericsson. Disadvantages include the large size, fiddly keypad, and the camera cover that slides off too easily. A bigger irritation is the PC software that is supplied with the phone - this is difficult to install and needs to be addressed by Sony Ericsson in future releases. But definitely a classic and one of our all-time favorites!

Features of the Sony Ericsson K800i include:

• 3G video calling
• 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, xenon flash and 16x digital zoom
• Video recorder (164 x 144 pixels, 15 frames per second)
• Second camera for video calling
• Display: TFT, 262,144 colours, 240 x 320 pixels
• Music player (MP3, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+ and WMA formats)
• FM radio
• MP3 & AAC ringtones (72-voice polyphonic)
• MusicDJ™ (polyphonic ringtones composer)
• Messaging: SMS, MMS, Email
• Speakerphone
• Sound recorder
• 3D Java games
• Web browser with RSS feeds & picture blogging
• Flight mode
• Personal organiser, File Manager, Phonebook
• Memory: 64 Mbytes plus Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™) support
• Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB mass storage, Fastport, Infrared
• GPRS, 3G data transfer (up to 384 kbps download)
• Vibration alert
• Triband plus 3G
• Size: 105 x 47 x 22 mm
• Weight: 115g
• Talktime: 2.5 hours (3G) - 7 hours (2G)
• Battery standby: 350 hours

Sony Ericsson Elm

The Sony Ericsson Elm is intended to let tree huggers make guilt-free phone calls on the move. Unlike previous entries in Sony Ericsson's eco-friendly GreenHeart series, however, the Elm and its Hazel sibling don't skimp on features. The Elm is available for £15 per month on a two-year contract, or for around £120 on a pay-as-you-go deal. You can also pick it up for around £170 SIM-free.

Treat 'em green

The Elm is one of only a few phones to wave the eco-friendly flag. No, it's not made from wood or parts of dead animals, but it does use recycled plastics, eco-friendly paint and a low-power-consumption charger. It also comes in comparatively small box, while a paper manual is dispensed with, in favour of an electronic manual on the phone itself.

Unfortunately, the Elm's approach to saving the planet can take a rather irritating form. Nannying pop-up messages reminding you to unplug your charger from the mains, and the screen's tendency to turn itself off prematurely, can become annoying.

Then there are the apps. Walk Mate counts your steps throughout the day, converting this exercise into the amount of carbon dioxide that you haven't caused to be emitted into the atmosphere -- Sony Ericsson is presumably under the impression that we normally ride a scooter around the office. A tally of burnt calories would perhaps be more useful.

The proprietary port on the side of the Elm gets our goat something rotten -- it means you can't use your own headphones or easily transfer media to a PC

Eco Mate offers pedantic advice via an environmental quiz, and Green Calculator measures how evil you are to the planet. The Elm means well, but do people really buy mobile phones to be told how to help the environment?

Slim and curvy

With its arched back, the Elm may remind you of a miniature version of a typical landline phone. That's not to say it isn't attractive, though. Its slim, black and silver, candybar-shaped body sits relatively well in your hand. The small, 56mm (2.2-inch), 240x320-pixel screen doesn't really stand up to comparison with the OLED screens on the market, but it's certainly sharp and usable for the applications offered, such as the YouTube one.

Despite its green credentials, the Elm doesn't skimp on features, improving on previous GreenHeart phones, like the no-frills Naite. There's a 5-megapixel camera with an LED flash, 3G and HSDPA support (up to 7.2Mbps), GPS, an Internet browser, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Java-based games, MP3 and AAC music playback, and an FM radio.

The 5-megapixel camera comes with a bright LED photo light (also usable as a torch) and takes relatively clear shots, thanks to its autofocus, although colours can be slightly dull. The camera also offers face- and smile-detection features, and you can geotag your photos thanks to the phone's GPS support. There's only 280MB of integrated memory, but you can expand that to a more satisfactory 16GB with a microSD card.

Indeed, you're rather forced to use a microSD card, due to the fact that Sony Ericsson doesn't supply a USB cord with the Elm. "No problemo," you might think. "I have plenty of USB cords." But the Elm has a proprietary port, so you'll have to either shell out for a specific cable, or transfer photos and music via a microSD card, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Why Sony Ericsson? Why?

Sony Ericsson Cedar

With smartphones getting ever cheaper, the market for so called feature phones is rapidly dwindling. That said, if your priorities are still call quality, battery life, and ease of use, then something like the Sony Ericsson Cedar might be right up your street. Selling for around £50, it undercuts even the cheapest smartphones by a considerable margin, though currently isn't widely available on network deals.

The form factor of the Cedar is as classic as they come, with a 2.2in screen sitting above a cluster of navigation controls and a 12-button keypad. Dimensions are 111 x 49 x 15.5 mm so it's around 10mm shorter and narrower than you’re your average smartphone, though not the slimmest device going. Thankfully it's nice and lightweight at just 84g. Despite this feather-like leaning, the plastic body feels nice and solid with little discernable flex.

Styling is never likely to be a strong suite at this price but as these things

go, the Cedar looks very nice. You can get a few different coloured backs – though they seem pretty rare – but we have the silver version here. The gentle swoop it creates along the phone's side along with the overall curve of the back looks elegant and simple. Also, both front and back have a matt finish, which gives the overall look a muted feel and should help keep the phone looking good for longer than glossy rivals, as scratches won't show up as badly.

There are no immediately obvious causes for concern when it comes to connectivity either, with a headphone jack up top, microUSB on the left edge, and if you prize the back off you'll find there's a microSD card slot as well. You don't get a card in the box but it'll support up to 16GB ones. It's also worth noting that there is a volume control on the right edge, as these can sometimes be omitted on cheaper phones. Sadly, it's a little fiddly so is difficult to operate blindly. On the back is a camera but at only 2-megapixels and without autofocus or flash, it's next to useless in anything less than bright sunshine. This is what we'd expect for such a budget phone though.

The phone's screen is a 2.2in colour LCD with a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels. This actually means it packs in the same number of pixels as a number of budget smartphones, but thanks to its size it looks considerably sharper. Inevitably it's only so much use for watching video or browsing the web but otherwise it holds up well with punchy colours and decent viewing angles. The tough and perfectly flat plastic finish means it should resist scratches well and doesn't pick up reflections as much as more flexible, wobbly examples.

Sony Ericsson C905

The Sony Ericsson C905 is a beautiful 3G camera phone which comes with high quality imaging & communication features. The C905 is a member of the Sony Ericsson C range which includes other camera focused handsets such as the Sony Ericsson C702i & the Sony Ericsson C902i. The C905 is a slide opening handset complete with a large colour screen which works as a perfect viewfinder when using the camera feature & the user can slide open the handset to reveal the neat keypad which is well spaced out for easy text & numeric enter. The handset has a sturdy feel as it weighs 136 grams & measures 1.8cm deep by 4.9cm wide by 10.4cm tall. The coloured screen is a TFT QVGA type screen which is 2.4 inches in size & takes up the front of this handset when in its slide closed position.

The user can access the navigation key & shortcut keys when the handset is in its slide closed position. The user has a choice of three casing colour options which include a sleek midnight black coloured casing, a subtle ice silver coloured casing or a sophisticated copper gold coloured casing. The C905 comes with 160 megabytes of internal memory plus it comes with a memory card slot for further memory expansion in the form of a Micro™ M2™ type memory card. The user can add the relivant sized memory card to suit their storage needs.

The main feature on the Sony Ericsson C905 is its amazing 8.1 megapixel camera feature, yes 8.1, that is not a typing error. The camera comes with many user friendly camera features to ensure the perfect picture is capture when using this amazing 3G camera phone. The camera is a Sony Ericsson cyber shot™ camera complete with a xenon flash for brightening up those dark surrounding. The user can use the 16 x digital zoom to get up close to their subject. The C905 comes with an auto focus feature complete with a face detection feature which will automatically focus on the subjects face when a shot is taken.

The 8.1 megapixel camera comes with an anti red eye feature & has a built in image stabiliser which avoids the user producing a wobbly image. The user can use the BestPic™ function when taking a photo which will allows the user to take up to nine shots when only pressing the capture key once then the user can chose the best picture out of the nine to keep or to add to their blog site. The Sony Ericsson cyber shot™ 8.1 megapixel camera supports video capture as well as still images. The built in image stabiliser allows the user to record a smooth video clip complete with a video light to brighten up the recording.

The C905 works on a GSM network which covers four GSM network bands as well as UMTS 2100. The battery can provide up to nine hours of GSM talk time or up to four hours 3G talk time from a fully charged battery. The battery standby time is between three hundred & sixty & three hundred & eighty hours from a full charge. The Sony Ericsson C905 comes with EDGE technology which provides fast date transfer rates for the user to enjoy when transferring files between their 3G phone & other devices.

The built in 3G HSDPA technology allows the user to experience high speed internet connectivity as well as enjoying a 3G video call feature. The video call allows the user to see their contact on the large screen & enjoy a face to face conversation with compatible contacts. The user can transfer files & data via the USB cable connection or using a wireless connection via Bluetooth® technology. The Sony Ericsson C905 comes with an Access NetFront™ Internet browser which provides the user with mobile Internet access on their handset.

The C905 comes with an A GPS navigation system which supports Google maps & allows the user to get directions & the best possible routes when making a journey. The use r can chat to other that are online using the built in instant messaging service which works just like the user's PC instant messaging service but this service is mobile. The user can create, send, store & receive emails, text messages & multimedia picture messages on their C905 3G camera phone. The messaging services are easy to use complete with easy to manage folders such as inbox, sent messages & much more. The Sony Ericsson C905 supports a variety of ringtones which include MP3, Polyphonic & AAC ringtones. The user can download new ringtones quickly using the PlayNow™ download feature which allows the user to download new tones in seconds. The user can tune into their favourite radio station using the FM radio feature for a fun listening experience.

The phone has a music player which supports most popular music playback formats & comes complete with album art display which allows the user to view album covers on their screen. The C905 phone comes with the popular TrackID™ music recognition feature which allows the user to record a few seconds of a song they like the sound of & the TrackID™ music recognition feature will provide the user with the name of the song, the artist & the album within a few seconds. The Sony Ericsson C905 is a desirable 3G phone complete with high quality camera & entertainment features to keeps it user busy.

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

Sony Ericsson C902

Sony Ericsson C902 Refurbished

Do more than just talk with the multi-functional C902 Cyber-shot® camera phone. Packed with features, this device has a 5.0 megapixel camera with Auto Focus, Face Detection and a built-in xenon flash with red-eye correction. It's also easy to share your photos with friends using picture messaging6 or posting them to a blog.9 In addition, this phone is a full-functioning music player with a built in FM tuner. Also available in Luscious Red.

5 Megapixel camera

Stylish and slim with an innovative design, C902 gives you a true Cyber-shot® camera experience with a 5 megapixel camera. 16x digital zoom with auto focus, an image and video stabilizer, Photo flash, BestPic™ technology with light, Auto rotate, Face Detection technology and Photo fix are a few of the great features included. All these come together for high quality pictures. Photo flash will turn on automatically for pictures and you can now use light with BestPic™ technology and when recording videos. A picture can be easily shared with friends and family via picture messaging6, email9 or blog9. Pictures can also be transferred to another phone or computer using any available transfer method, such as Bluetooth® technology3 or USB cable. The camera is protected by a lens cover and the horizontal user interface allows for easier camera handling.

8 Camera touch keys

If you need to adjust the camera settings, onscreen touch keys appear above and below the camera viewfinder. They act as shortcuts to commonly used camera features such as shoot modes, scenes, time and more.

Face Detection technology

The camera brings an off-center face into focus if there are people in the picture. The camera will find and focus on a face and make it look sharp. No more blurred faces on your pictures!

Auto rotate

Capturing a portrait photo with a horizontal camera usually results in a picture that must be rotated when viewed. Auto rotate registers picture orientation when the picture is taken, whether in portrait or landscape mode, and saves this information with the picture. When viewed, the picture appears as the orientation with which it was taken.

Photo tags

Navigate through your captured photos and thousands of downsized photos transferred from your computer. View captured photos and video clips in an intuitive timeline view. Play animated slide shows with music and different moods. Tag your photos to find them faster. The built-in sensor in the camera ensures that all photos are rotated correctly.

BestPic™ technology with light

A unique function for Sony Ericsson camera imaging. Taking a single picture or even a burst of pictures does not always catch the moment, which may have been just before or just after the camera key was pressed. BestPic™ technology is designed to solve this problem. Press the camera key half way down and the camera starts capturing pictures. Press the key fully down, and nine pictures appear automatically. The pictures range from left (just before pressing the camera key fully down) to center (camera key fully down) to right (just after pressing the camera key fully down). The center picture is the default picture, but not necessarily the best one. Browse the picture series and save the best pictures. BestPic™ technology has been updated and can now be used together with light.

Motion Control Gaming

Play games on your phone in a new way with Motion Control Gaming technology. You can move your C902 to control gaming functions in a similar way as a game controller. Tilt the phone forwards, backwards, left or right to accelerate, decelerate, turn left or turn right. Additionally, with Java™, users can download9 new games and skill levels to further enhance their entertainment experience.

Sony Ericsson Mobile

Sony Ericsson Mobile Phones

Whether you are looking to browse or buy a Sony Ericsson mobile phone, then this is the best place to start. We offer the cheapest Sony Ericsson phone deals available in the UK. Choose a Sony Ericsson phone either on a contract with O2, Orange, Vodafone, Virgin & T-Mobile or purchase the handset outright via the 'sim free' option and simply pop in your existing sim card into your new Sony Ericsson phone.

With more than half of the UK population owning a mobile phone, it's not surprising to learn that a large proportion are Sony Ericsson owners.

The complete range of current Sony Ericsson mobiles are shown on this page along with those that are coming very soon. Obviously those not yet released cannot be bought but they do give you an idea of what Sony Ericsson are going to release in the near future!