Sony Ericsson's Z520 is Rock Solid

Sony Ericsson Z520

Sony Ericsson Z520

Sony Ericsson Z520

Sony Ericsson Z520

While the Z520's name would suggest that it is the direct descendent of the Z500 that was first shown in March of last year, to me the Z520 is much more the latest and greatest version of the Z600, one of my favorite handsets of all time. Both handsets offer a great balance of features, size, and usability. The Z520 just does it with a bit more oompf, and in a smaller and lighter package.

Physical Aspects

The Z520 is a fairly compact and light clamshell handset. It weighs about 96g (3.4oz) with a SIM card, and measures 94mm x 45mm x 24mm (3.7" x 1.8" x .9") in size. This makes it quite easily pocketable and convenient to carry around. The top half of the clamshell is where you will find the external display and the VGA camera. On the left side the camera button, volume controls, and IR port are found, leaving nothing left for the right side of the device. The back of the Z520 is plain except for the large speaker port. The Fast Port connector for data and headsets is located on the bottom, and the somewhat controversial loop antenna is found up top. While I like the look of the antenna, just as I did on the Siemens CF62, a lot of people that I showed the Z520 to did not like it at all.

Each Z520 ships with two Style Up cover sets. Ours came with a smooth dark blue set and a stone-like finished gray set. Other colors will be available for purchase as accessories. This is the same way that the Z600 was packaged, and was something that I always appreciated. I'm not sure that I would buy new covers, but I did always enjoy the "new" feeling I got when I switched between the included covers.

Once you open up the Z520, you'll find the internal display and a very nice keypad. All of the keys on the keypad are relatively large, save for the power and web access buttons. The blue backlit keypad offers a very nice feel, and the domed keys make it easy to press the buttons accurately. The 5-way d-pad is also very nice. In short, I have no complaints at all about the keypad.

 

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