Sony Ericsson K850i: 5MP Camera Phone Review
K850i is the first phone from Sony Ericsson to feature a 5MP camera. K850i is packed with features including a 16x digital zoom. K850i is a bit bigger that its previous models as its more thicker. The glossy finish of the phone definitely looks good, but can be a place for finger prints as well.
1. Camera: The much anticipated 5MP camera works really well. It actually works as a standalone digital camera with its features and separate on/off button. A slider switches the between camera and video mode.
A function called BestPic, which has the ability to take 9 photos at the same time when the camera is clicked, is included. This function allows you to chose between the best shots. The quality of photos taken is really impressive with the auto focus and digital zoom. Photos taken in low light conditions are also worth mentioning. The quality of photos is even better than Nokia’s best model-N95, which was the first phone to feature a 5MP camera.
2. Phone: The user interface is pretty familiar and looks like other SE phone interface. The 4 way navigational pad, which is touch sensitive is placed in a unique position. The response of the navigational pads is good. The keypad also has a different design and sometimes it can be frustrating using it, unless you get used to it. The call voice quality is also good.
The media interface is similar to Playstation and a function called Accelerometer auto rotates the phone between landscape and portrait mode. One thing which is sadly missing is the 3.5mm headphone jack.
K850i also features Playnow, a music download service from where you can download your favorite songs.
Other basic features included are;
- SMS, MMS and E-mail
- FM Radio, Voice Recorder
- Java games
- Bluetooth with A2DP and USB support.
- 40MB internal memory, 512MB card included.
- Good battery life
- 3G network
K850i is priced around 20500 INR and at this price and features its definitely worth buying if you have the budget.
Rating: 9/10
NB: 1 USD= 39INR
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Jan 8th, 2008 at 10:48 am
How about its battery?how good it is? how does it compare to N95?
Jan 8th, 2008 at 10:55 am
@Rajesh,
Battery life is much better than N95. N95 may have lot of other application which may not be there in this model. Considering the price, features and battery life this model is the best bet for that price tag.
Jan 8th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
This sounds a good deal for 20k.. N95 costs more and I dont find it that reliable.. The 16x zoom tops it all though!
Jan 8th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Nirmal, I have a SE 810i and I am just drooling over the features in the K850i.
Verrrry nice!
Jan 9th, 2008 at 3:57 am
For a phone with a 5MP camera, the price is ok.
Jan 9th, 2008 at 10:52 am
@Vijay,
I agree with you, N95 costs a lot and I dont prefer getting a mobile phone for 29k or 30k.
@K-IntheHouse,
There are tons of features in this new version.
@Madhur,
I too feel the price is very much competitive for a 5MP cam.
Jan 9th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
I wanted to buy a K850i, but it wasn’t available in Sri Lankan market at the initial launch. So I had to settle for the older version K810i. This is my first Sony Erricson. I’ve used Motorolla, Nokia and Samsung. And I will rate SE above all the other models I’ve used. I’m extremely happy about the user friendliness of the phone, and the battery life. Hope K850i is even better than 810i
Jan 9th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
The features seems pretty similar to nokia N82 along with the price. And being a nokia fan, i will definitely prefer nokia. I have tried using the demo piece and believe me the keypad is just very very bad. N82’s xenon is the powerful amongst all current phones even sony’s.
I am also planning to write a detailed review of my nokia N95 8gb.
.
I hope my comment appear
Jan 9th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Wow this looks real nice. The features are great too!
Jan 9th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
I have this phone, but using the HTC Touch for now.
The camera is awesome, you can shake the camera as much as u like while taking a pic and the clarity would still be perfect.
Jan 10th, 2008 at 9:53 am
@Kanak,
The Keypad of N82 is also not that good. Being a Nokia fan you might go for N82, but I wouldnt go for N82 just for the fact that its a N-Series. All N-Series phones are damn slow for a few exceptions like N73. I still remember using N70, it took ages to open a application.
N82 xenon flash might be powerful (although I’m yet to check it), but whats the use of that if the camera is not that good. To be frank, Sony rules in Camera, everyone accepts it.
Jan 10th, 2008 at 10:05 am
@Kanak,
Few more things- N82 talk time is just below 4.5 hours, whereas K850i is 9 hours again a point which I would give top priority.
N82 is 2000 rs higher K850i.
Jan 11th, 2008 at 1:49 am
Let N82 be 2000 rupees higher, you get GPS ,WIFI , 3.5mmm connector, VGA recording @ 30fps ,Larger screen with 16M colors , 30 days call log ( Which has been so useful for me, as I can recollect the number dialled 15 days before and forgot to save ). Gone are the days when nokia’s camera were not good. Dont believe me, Check out the 5 MP face off at gsm arena. Talk time of 9 hours seems pretty good in K850i, but n82 battery is bit more powerful and it should last easily more than one day.
Jan 11th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
@Kanak,
You didnt say any review on my basic point- NSeries phones are really slow. This is the only reason I wont select a N-Series phone. Only one exception to this is N73 which I liked very much.
Jan 11th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
@Kanak,
Check Phonearenas review- They have mentioned -ve point as less powerful battery.
Jan 11th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Latest N series phone are really fast. they have implemented high speed processor. So speed is not an issue at all. This about latest N series phones N81 , n95 , n82 etc .. checkin the review ..
Jan 11th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
@Kanak,
If you say N95 and N81 have high speed processors, then what will you say for Sony Ericsson processors?
Jan 13th, 2008 at 12:08 am
This SE vs Nokia is never ending issue
.. anyways I checked phones arena review + tech2.com ’s review also. They have praised the phone all the way. Less powerful battery is the point but its never mentioned as poor battery … quoting a line from phonearena
“Having in mind this is a smart phone, in case the application doesn’t satisfy your needs, there are others easy to install” (power of symbian)
I am not a fan of nokia , I am a fan of the technology advancement along with symbian OS and reliability
Jan 15th, 2008 at 5:24 am
Well i am going to buy this tomorrow. This will be my 10th mobile in last 4 and half years.
As far as N series are concerned that is damn slow. N73 is lil faster. After some time it also tends to be slow.
Can any one tell me how fast it can capture the photo. I am using K750i. It is little slow in taking photo.
PS: i was hard core nokia fan and SE hater. Well NSeries along with 6680 series changed Nokia fan. And K750i UI and price made me SE fan
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