Sony Ericsson W910i

The recently concluded World Mobile Congress elected it as the Mobile of the Year. Tech2.0 previewed a prototype late last year and it did fairly well. So does the W910i deserve all the hype? We got to review it properly this time, so perhaps we can shed some light...

Form Factor
The W910 is one of the sleekest sliders I’ve reviewed till date. The slider is really smooth. The 2.4 inch display is large enough to watch a video without straining your eyes. It seems the W910 and the N81 have a something in common: they both have buttons above the display that can be used for gaming. The dedicated camera key is definitely a boon to have (as with most phones that do).

What's decidedly annoying is Sony’s insistence on its proprietary plugs for charging, USB connectivity and headphones!

I'd mentioned earlier that the keypad is a bit quirky. They keys are flat and could easily have been spaced out better or made a bit larger. But you can get by. I’ve always liked Sony’s shortcut key and, together with the nav-pad, it’s easy to maneuver through the menus.

There’s a 2 megapixel camera (sadly no flash) located at the back and a secondary VGA camera in the front. The Walkman ‘Shake It’ key is located on the top. On the whole the design is neat.


Features and Performance
Connectivity-wise, the W910i is a well-equipped 3G-enabled handset, so it also has high-speed net support in the form of HSDPA. Since 3G in this country still seems to be a topic discussed in whispers, the W910 is thankfully equipped to handle GPRS/EDGE.

Of course, there's also USB and Bluetooth with A2DP. Opera Mini is preinstalled (not that its own browser is not adequate) along with Google Maps. The New Plus application (similar to Nokia catalogs) provides content for your device.

From the media perspective the W910 is more than just decent. Its large 2.4 inch display is perfect for viewing images and videos. For some odd reason, Sony’s bundled software would allow me to install the media manager application only if I downgraded my QuickTime player! Like the K850i, the W910 has an auto-rotate feature for the gallery. Pity it doesn’t work with other sections.

The FM radio with RDS had decent reception while commuting, so that’s definitely a plus point. It’s also very quick while searching for channels. The auto scanning and saving feature take nothing more than a couple of seconds to save the presets.

The W910 is loaded with fun features like 3D games and applications such as VideoDJ for editing videos and PhotoDj for images. There’s also the MusicDJ application that comes with most SE handsets. A MusicMate application allows you to make music using the phone's inbuilt motion sensor. Simply hold down the Walkman key on the top and shake the phone in the direction you want the music to change.

The music player is loud and clear, and with EQ presets and manual options it’s really good. It has options for creating Playlists, viewing album art or visualizations, and best of all it has a converter for 3.5mm earphones. I found the bundled in-ear earphones a bit uncomfortable. Sony’s TrackID feature is also available in the phone, as well as the 'Play Now' application (which isn’t active yet).


The W910i is equipped with a 2 megapixel camera that has limited features. White Balance can be adjusted and other options include Burst Mode, color options, night mode, and some funny frames that are hopefully good for a few laughs.

The camera is just adequate. On close inspection pictures may appear a bit smudgy, but they’re quite decent otherwise. Colors appear a bit saturated, but not too bad on the whole.

My main gripe is with the battery. According to the specs sheet, the phone is supposed to give at least 9 hours of talktime. Ha – some hope! The maximum I was able to get was not more than 4.5 hours. On a real-time basis, I got a day and half, with a little music, camera, video, calls and messages.

The Bottomline
So did the W910i deserve this year’s GSMA award of Best Mobile of the Year? In my opinion – no. It’s an adequate mobile, with decent enough features. It looks good, has a smooth slider, an okay camera, and a passable music player. The battery, as I observed, is disappointing. But why does it sport such a high price tag? I have no idea.

The red handset costs Rs 15,500 and the gray/black version costs Rs 16,400. There are other handsets with similar features (or more) that cost a lot less. To sum up, while this phone did have potential, I feel it didn’t live up to expectations.



SpecsSony Ericsson W910i
Network GSM 850/900/1800/1900, EDGE, HSDPA
Physical 99 x 50 x 12.5 mm, 86g
Display 240 x 320, 256k colors, TFT, 2.4 inch
Memory 40MB internal, M2 for external
Media MP3, AAC, Stereo FM with RDS, 3GP, Voice Recording
Camera 2 megapixels, secondary video call camera
Connectivity USB v2.0, Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP
Battery 400 hrs standby, 4.5 hrs talktime
Street Price Rs 15,500 (red); Rs 16,400 (gray/black)