Design and Looks
Although the W810i takes on after the W800i, its exterior has been completely overhauled and by the looks of it (pun intended) the W810i will appeal to more people than the W800i. However, this improvement in looks does not mean a sacrifice in the ergonomics; on the contrary, the W810i is far more comfortable to operate than the W800i. For one, the joystick is replaced by a four directional D-pad that also doubles as the dedicated set of music keys.
The keypad too is vastly improved over the one seen in the W800i. It features individual keys that are raised well above the phone's surface as opposed to the nearly flat, undivided (row-wise) keys on the W800i. This is a giant leap for SE as they are notorious for making less-than-comfortable keypads. The Sony Ericsson W810i puts itself in the league of text-friendly Nokia phones.
Although the front looks somewhat plain, the appearance of the back is definitely worth a mention. The most visible feature here is of course the 2MP camera and the twin LEDs surrounding it. To the right of the camera-lens we have the self-portrait mirror which is coloured orange and below the self portrait mirror are the loud-speaker grills. Notice that the grills themselves are recessed into the phone's back; this ensures that sounds do not get muffled when you place the phone on its back; an intelligent choice of design indeed.
And it's not just the physical appearance of the phone that has changed; the appearance of the menu too got a make-over. As always the UI response is quick and running multiple applications is not a problem. The Walkman mediaplayer on this phone is the same as those seen on most other models and performs superbly allowing users to select a variety of equalizer presets.
The pair of Sony earplugs that ship with the phone is one of the best in its range, offering unparalleled bass reflex, though some might complain that higher frequencies might not sound so pleasant, in either case you couldn't ask for more given that it is a phone first and a music player second.
Having said that, telephony is simply awesome, rest assured you will not miss any calls no matter how loud the surroundings are thanks to the super-loud loudspeaker. Voice clarity here is really impressive too and you won't have to worry about whether the person at the other end can hear you or not.
What really blows about this phone is that the battery life is very poor. Even the W800i could run for longer on a single charge. At first, even moderate usage of the phone will have you charging it every other day; imagine what extensive usage could do to your battery in the long run?
In the end, deciding between whether to buy the W810i or W800i is a choice between a phone with better connectivity, looks and ergonomics over a phone with better battery life. If music is your blood and you don't mind charging your phone everyday then please do purchase the W810i, it's the best phone-cum-music player that can be bought for its price.
Features
- Walkman music player with good quality sound
- Hot swap functionality
- Great earphones
- Fast user interface
- 2MP camera with autofocus, dual LED flash and 4x digital zoom
- Good, sturdy design and comfortable operability
- USB charging
- EDGE connectivity
- Excellent business features: multi-party calling, comprehensive contacts book, Bluetooth hands free
Accessories
- Bluetooth Watch MBW-200 Sparkling Allure/Evening Classic/Contemporary Elegance
- Bluetooth Watch MBW-150 Music Edition/Executive Edition/Classic Edition
- Portable Speakers MPS-60
- Music Desk Stand MDS-60
- Home Audio System MDS-70
- Car Holder HCH-61
