Sony Ericsson W890i

release date: February 2008
colours:
 
sparkling silver
 
mocha brown
 
espresso black
Sony Ericsson W890i

RATING

4.5 stars

Pros

  • Music player
  • Thin & light
  • Fast Internet access (HSDPA)

Cons

  • No 3.5 mm audio jack
  • No camera autofocus or flash

SUMMARY

Good quality 3G, HSDPA music phone with 3.2 MP camera. The W910i is another music phone with HSDPA, but only has a 2 MP camera.

Review

The Sony Ericsson W890i is a thin quad-band 3G HSDPA music phone - successor to Sony Ericsson W880i. Key features include the 3.2 megapixel camera, Walkman 3.0 player, FM radio, HSDPA (3.5G) and M2 memory card slot. Possibly the best Sony Ericsson Walkman phone to date.

The W890i is a better version of the March 2007 launched W880i. HSDPA, 2-inch screen, better design, better usability, FM radio, Quad-band, 3.2 MP camera and better talk-time than the W880i.

Design

A brushed metal casing helps give the W890i a solid feel. It's thin - just 10 mm deep and it's very light - 78 g.

Top: On / off button.

Left: Connector for charger, handsfree and USB cable. Also on the left side is the memory card slot (under the cover) and the Walkman key.

Right: Volume & digital zoom keys, camera key.

Front: The 3G video call camera is top-left, next to the ear speaker and screen light sensor. Beneath the 2-inch 240 x 320 pixel screen are the navigation keys and keypad. The keypad is an improvement over the W880i - the keys are wider, taller and easier to press. Top banana.

Back: 3.2 MP camera at the top, and a strap hole on the bottom.

Unlock the battery cover: On either side is a lock - unlock them to remove the battery cover. Very easy. Top marks.

Features

3.2 Megapixel Camera

Image quality is OK. There's no LED light, flash, autofocus or macro mode. Taking close up photos and/or photos in poor light is not a good idea. There's QVGA video capture (320 x 240) - again OK quality. If you want better imaging, go and grab one of the latest Sony Ericsson CyberShot range of camera. Or go and buy a dedicated sub-£100 camera - much better quality.

Walkman Player 3.0

Yep, tasty. Playlists, trackID, PlayNow, view songs by artists, albums, tracks, audio books, podcasts, genre, year, video, playlists. Equalizer - something to play with.

There's the trackID music recognition service, PlayNow music serivce and SensMe mood tool. The W890i comes with the handsfree. There's a 3.5 mm adapter - plug in your favourite head phone if you desire. The bundled earphones are pretty good. Loudspeaker is OK.

Web browsing: HSDPA baby.. 3.5G. Download files at up to 3.6 Mbps (if in an HSDPA coverage area. Not in an HSDPA coverage area? It'll try 3G, if that ain't available, EDGE, then GPRS.

Using the NetFront Web browser, pages load quickly with HSDPA. The 2-inch screen size is average compared to other mobile phones. There's also an RSS feed reader

Google Maps: You can now get your approximate location - Google Maps triangulates your position and gives you your approximate location. It's more accurate in areas with higher mobile network cell density. If you prefer, you could buy an external GPS receiver and plug it into your phone.

2 GB Memory Card is included: Very thoughtful. The W890i supports up to a 4 GB M2 Memory Stick Micro card.

Other Features

RDS FM radio (plug the handsfree in - it contains the antenna), Bluetooth, SMS, MMS, Email, and 3 Games (The Sims 2, Lumines Block Challenge and Tennis Multiplay).

Summary

The Sony Ericsson W890i is probably Sony Ericsson's best music phone so far. The W910i is another music phone with HSDPA, but only has a 2 MP camera.

Features / Specifications

* confirm features at manufacturer's Web site.

Release Date
February 2008
Size
104.0 x 47.0 x 10.0 mm
4.1 x 1.9 x 0.4 inches
Weight
78 g
2.8 oz
Colours
 
sparkling silver
 
mocha brown
 
espresso black
Screen
  • 2.0-inch TFT
  • 240x320 pixels
  • 262144 colours
Memory
  • 35 MB phone memory
  • m2 memory card (4 GB max)
Networks
  • Quad-band (GSM 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 Mhz)
  • EDGE
  • 3G (UMTS 2100 Mhz)
  • HSDPA (Max: 3.6 Mbps)
Battery Life
  • Talk time: 9.5 hours
  • Standby time: 360 hours
  • 3G talk time: 4.5 hours
  • 3G standby time: 310 hours

In The Box

Sony Ericsson W890i, charger, earphones, battery, 3.5 mm adapter, instruction manual, 2 GB M2 Memory Stick Micro, USB cable, software.

Connectivity

  • Bluetooth 2.0
  • USB 2.0
  • Video calling

Camera

  • 3.2 MP Camera

  • features: Video capture (QVGA 30 FPS) - 3.2x digital zoom. No flash, macro mode or autofocus

  • QVGA video resolution
  • 30 FPS video capture
  • 0.3 MP front camera

Messaging

  • SMS, MMS, Email

Entertainment

  • Games: The SIMS 2, Lumines Block Challenge, Tennis Multiplay

  • FM radio
  • RDS Radio
  • Music Player
  • Video Player

Internet

  • NetFront Web browser
  • RSS Reader

Installed Applications

  • PhotoDJ, VideoDJ, Media Manager, Google Maps
  • PIM: Alarm clock, calculator, calendar, flight mode, notes, phone book, stopwatch, tasks, timer
  • Voice control, voice dialling, voice recorder

Prices

Prices coming soon.