Sony Ericsson C902

release date: June 2008
colours:
 
swift black
 
luscious red
Sony Ericsson C902

RATING

4.5 stars

Pros

  • Thin - 10.5 mm
  • 5 MP camera
  • Touch-sensitive camera controls
  • Stylish
  • Accelerometer

Cons

  • No Xenon flash
  • No GPS
  • No Wi-Fi
  • Small screen
  • M2 slot beneath battery cover

SUMMARY

Thin and stylish quad-band 3G HSDPA Cyber-Shot 5 MP camera phone with touch-sensitive camera buttons and Google maps installed (no GPS).

Review

Thin stylish 5 MP camera phone - the latest in the Cyber-Shot range. Top-end Sony Ericsson Cyber-Shot phones used to start with the letter K. They now start with the letter C (C for Cyber-Shot). Makes more sense.

The C902 highlight is the 5 MP camera with LED flash (no Xenon flash). All the latest Cyber-Shot features - TrackID, BestPic, X-Pixt Story, PhotoFix, auto-focus, macro mode, but no optical zoom. The camera is hidden from view - slide up the top part of the phone to reveal the 5 MP camera, mirror and LED on the rear.

Cyber-Shot C702 vs C902

Also available is the Sony Ericsson C702. The C702 has GPS (C902 doesn't), Wayfinder Navigator, is dust and splash resistant and only has a 3.2 MP camera. The C702 is also 5 mm thicker, cheaper, and has better battery life.

Sony Ericsson C905 - 8 MP Camera

Sony Ericsson will be launching the Sony Ericsson C905 8 MP phone later in 2008 - in time for Christmas (Oct - Dec). 2.4-inch screen, slider phone, 136 g (a little heavy), Xenon flash, GPS, Wi-Fi - a top-end camera phone. See best camera phones for all the latest.

James Bond - Titanium Silver Limited Edition

There's a C902 Titanium silver edition, available for a limited period - a partnership with MGM surrounding the new James Bond film - Quantum of Solace. The phone comes with a memory card full of James Bond 007 content and a spy-style game - 1st level only. Content includes: full colour trailer of the film, behind-the-scenes interviews, wallpapers and screen savers.

The Sony Ericsson C902 is used throughout the QUANTUM OF SOLACE bond film

Design

Plastic front. Keypad keys are a decent size. D-pad and other navigation keys are easy to press.

Front: 2-inch screen (240 x 320 pixels TFT), ear speaker, video call camera, navigation keys.

Left: Connectors for charger, handsfree and USB cable.

Right: Camera key, volume/digital zoom keys.

Back: Strap holder. Slide top up to reveal: flash/light, camera lens, self-portrait mirror.

M2 memory card slot: The Memory Stick Micro (M2) memory card slot is beneath the battery cover. Hot-swappable. Supports up to 8 GB cards. 160 MB phone memory.

Features

5 MP Camera

Slide the top open to reveal the camera lens, mirror and LED flash. Good quality images for a phone, similar in quality to the other 5 MP camera phones. There's no Xenon flash, just a "photo flash" which isn't as good as a Xenon flash for taking low-light photos. There's BestPic (9 shots in quick succession), face detection, X-Pict Story (add music and transitions to a gallery of photos), PhotoFix, macro mode and the whole range of other settings found on high-end Sony CyberShot phones.

C902

Geotagging

Location information is automatically assigned to your photos. It uses triangulation (not GPS), so accuracy is typically within 1000 metres. View the position on Google Maps. Works fine, and within the stated accuracy.

The C902 doesn't have GPS, although you can GPS-enable the C902 by buying a GPS-Enabler HGE-100 accessory.

Touch-sensitive Camera Controls

Either side (left and right) of the screen are 4 touch-sensitive camera shortcut keys. These light up blue when you activate the camera (slide the top up). Camera, video, view mode, focus, shoot mode/video length, scenes/night mode, self-timer, flash/light. The keys are responsive.

Accelerometer

The phone recognises phone orientation when in media modes.

Surf the Web

It's a 2-inch screen. Need we say more? 3G and HSDPA (up to 3.6 Mbps) can offer fast download speeds. The browser is OK - we prefer Nokia, Opera and Safari mobile browsers. There's no Wi-Fi.

Google Maps

Type in place names and know where you are going. Data charges apply.

Google Maps For Mobile

Summary

Thin, stylish and a good 5 MP camera. Buy the C902 for under £230 on PAYG (at launch) or get it for free on a pay-monthly contract.

Features / Specifications

* confirm features at manufacturer's Web site.

Release Date
June 2008
Size
108.0 x 49.0 x 10.5 mm
4.3 x 1.9 x 0.4 inches
Weight
107 g
3.8 oz
Colours
 
swift black
 
luscious red
Screen
  • 2.0-inch TFT
  • 240x320 pixels
  • 262144 colours
  • Auto rotate
Memory
  • 160 MB phone memory
  • m2 memory card (8 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 hours
  • Standby time: 380 hours
  • 3G talk time: 4 hours
  • 3G standby time: 360 hours

In The Box

Sony Ericsson C902, battery, charger, USB cable, stereo handsfree, PC Suite software, Media Manager, user guide.

Connectivity

  • Bluetooth 2.0
  • USB 2.0
  • Video calling

Camera

  • 5.0 MP Camera

  • features: Auto-focus, BestPic, PhotoFix, Gallery, X-Pixt Story, 16x digital zoom, image stabilizer, picture blogging, video light, video stabilizer, touch-sensitive controls, macro mode, geotag, mirror, LED photo light. No optical zoom.

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

Messaging

  • SMS, MMS, Email

Entertainment

  • Games: Need for Speed Pro Street, DChoc Cafe Solitaire, FotoQuestFishing

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

Internet

  • NetFront Web browser
  • RSS Reader

Installed Applications

  • TrackID, PlayNow, MusicDJ, PhotoDJ, Google Maps
  • PIM: Alarm clock, calculator, calendar, contacts, flight mode, notes, phone book, stopwatch, tasks, timer
  • Voice dialling, voice recorder

Prices

Prices coming soon.