K550 initial review

mingkee · #1 03-02-2007, 06:56 PM

I got it Wednesday for $325
it's thinner than all other SE phones I seen
flash it to Hong Kong version in order to view more sites
it recalls me the feeling of W810i
2MP cam with AF
flashlight
it appears there're 2 different hardware, though the fw can be used on both
the version I got has the same LCD as W810 (cannot show clock when phone is idle)
buttons are small, though it's still easy to press, I still think ladies may like it, and the 5 button is not easy to feel
sound as phone is pretty loud, I dare to say it's the loudest among the recent models (both earpiece and speakerphone)
reception is like most of recent SE models, but I found the antenna is located on the bottom, which is bad for bar phone, you may lose reception when holding the phone
the screen is bright and vivid like W810, but I found there're 2 different hardware version, and the difference is on the LCD, some can show clock when the phone is idle, but mine can't
the operation is typical SonyEricsson style
though the screen is 176x220, it's more comfortable to view wap than K790 (bigger fonts)
I don't use the audio player to play local audio files, but I use streaming realaudio, and it works fine with most of stations, except BBC (sounds is mono through wired headphones, no sound through wireless headphones)
cam: I think it's not that good, worse than Z710i, prefetch focusing may be a help or hassle, but the pic is kinda grainy like W810i
battery: can't say this time since the phone is relatively new, but the battery is same as W300 and K790
conclusion: if you can live without wireless headphones, W810 may be better to play local music (it supports PSP, while K550 supports m2)
if you want good pic, get K790
but this phone supports quad-band 2G, and it's slim
I'll take some pics, which are different from another forum