10 Apr 2008
The Sony Ericsson W890i mobile phone is a slim 3G Walkman mobile phone handset that is largely considered to be an improved version of the W880i. The W890i is one of three Walkman handsets to come out in the first quarter of 2008, accompanied by the W960i in the premium segment, and the W380i in the quality lower-end segment. Although by no means perfect, the W890i does offer some considerable improvements on the mid market 3G Walkman handset and is a good buy for anyone who prioritises music and internet over camera and keypad.

The Sony W890i was released in Sparkling Silver and will soon be available in Mocha Brown and Espresso Black. While you imagine the accidents that made them come up with those colour names, let's have a look at the W890i's design. Weighing in at just 78g and only 10mm thick, you might assume that this was a standard 2G GSM phone, rather than a 3G phone. That said, it is slightly heavier and 0.5mm thicker than the Sony Ericsson W880i which was also 3G. But the W890i is not only a 3G phone but also HSDPA compatible, nicknamed 3.5G to be discussed later.

The number keypad on the Sony Ericsson W890i is a clear improvement on that of the W880i. The keys are much more comfortably spaced out to make texting easier. That said, like on many Sony Ericsson handsets the keys are still smaller than other manufacturers' handsets. The menu buttons above the number pad are perhaps too close together. Although the layout is attractive, we found that we pressed the select button by mistake when navigating the menu.

So on to the features. Our favourite is the internet browsing function. If you are in an area with HSDPA access you'll really appreciate the increase in speed over 3G. T-Mobile is probably the best network at the moment but the others are catching up fast. The web browser is also very easy to use. Our only fault regarding the web browsing experience is that the W890i only has a 2 inch display, perhaps a bit small considering the size of the handset. The result is that you have to scroll a bit more and images are of course smaller than on the likes of the Apple iPhone, Nokia N95 or LG Viewty.

In terms of music functions, the Sony Ericsson W890i is unsurprisingly good when it comes to music functions. The Walkman software is powerful yet easy to use and plays MP3, AAC and eAAC files. And to store all your files Sony Ericsson throw a 2GB Memory Stick Micro (M2) into the box. There is also a USB cable for transferring files from computers and a stereo handsfree set for use as headphones. If you want to use your own headphones you need to plug them in via a 3.5mm adaptor provided but you also have the option of using wireless bluetooth headphones to listen to music. Like the Sony W380i the TrackID function allows you to submit a few seconds of music to find out the song name and artist. In addition the SensMe function allows you to create mood based playlists and podcasts can be downloaded to the phone via the computer software included in the box.

We can't be quite as positive about the camera function. Although it has a 3.2 megapixel resolution compared to 2 megapixels on the W880i, the W890i's camera just isn't as good as others in its price range. There is no flash so photos don't come out well at night or even outside in the evening. There is also no autofocus and this shows in non close up photos. This is a mobile phone and the camera is still a useful extra, but if you want a better camera on a Sony Ericsson Walkman handset then the Sony W960i is a better choice.

Considering the size of the handset the W890i has an impressive battery life of 9 hours talktime or 360 hours on standby. If you use the other functions of the handset, in particular bluetooth or HSDPA web browsing then the battery will get used up faster but the good talktime numbers mean that the battery will still last for longer when you're using those power hungry features. Like all mid-range handsets the voice quality was near perfect and the 3G video calling was pretty OK.

All in all, the Sony W890i is a fantastic mobile phone handset for the music, web browsing and standard talktime features. Unless a high end camera is a priority or you prefer a more spaced out keypad, the W890i is a sensible and reasonable purchase.

Find out more about the Sony Ericsson W890i at sonyericsson.com
Read other reviews at ecoustics.com