Review of the Sony Ericsson W550 Walkman Phone

Sony Ericsson W550

Sony Ericsson W550

The Sony Ericsson S700 was a hit amongst mobile phone fanatics. Featuring a spinner form factor, it oozed style and fashion once thought to be exclusive to Japanese handsets. Sony Ericsson decided to launch their second Walkman branded handset, the W550, with a spinner form factor much like the S700, and throw in a 1.3 megapixel camera and a whopping 256MB of on board memory to boot. Similar to the W800, the W550 also comes in a vibrant orange, but features exchangeable faceplates. This would definitely appeal to those who love to personalize their phones.

The W550 is a tri band (900/1800/1900MHz) phone, and features GPRS connectivity. So how does the W550 perform as a Walkman handset, and more importantly, how well does it carry out its task as a phone?

Physical Aspects

While the S700 was a really stylish mobile phone, many were put off by its bulk, particularly when it was swiveled open. The W550 has managed to shed off quite a lot of the weight and bulk of its predecessor. It now features a loop antenna which is found on the lower half of the phone. This causes the antenna to face downwards when the W550 is swiveled open. I personally like the loop antenna, which gives the phone a special touch in addition to greater reception. Many of my friends thought otherwise though, some even going to the extent of saying its ugly.

The orange faceplate that our W550 came with is made of a soft touch rubber compound. This provides excellent grip, and it has a really nice feel to it. Our review unit also came with another set of faceplates – Orchid White. It is actually pearl white, which changes in color tones when viewed at different angles. Unlike the orange faceplate, the white faceplate has a smooth glossy finish to it. Changing the faceplates was a bit of a chore as they were a tight fit. The flexibility of the faceplates also gave an impression of fragility, causing me to use extra caution when removing them. However, nothing broke, and after getting the hang of it, I was able to change faceplates with relative ease. Overall, the W550 felt solid, with excellent fit and finish.

Sony Ericsson W550

Sony Ericsson W550

As a spinner handset, the W550 features a split keypad with the navigational keys placed on the screen half and the numerical keypad on the lower half. Just below the display, you will find the excellent 5-way navigational D-pad. Curves at every direction made it a joy to use, and it was very accurate. The centre selection key is a large transparent circle, and is very easy to press on. Flanking the D-pad, you will find the Right and Left soft keys, Back and Clear keys, the Web key, and a dedicated Walkman button. Above the display, you will find the recessed earpiece, covered by a very nice chrome mesh, the same mesh that is also used to cover the dual stereo speakers found on the W550. Next to the earpiece, you will also find two buttons, one on each side, which are used for gaming. These buttons are not backlit and only usable when playing games.

 

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