Sony Ericsson is known for its elegant and beautifully designed phones, and the S500i is no exception. Its sleek and sexy slider features a unique design that gives a sense of belonging to a high-end boutique instead of a cell phone shop. And even if it's not a Walkman-branded phone, it comes with a music player on board, as well as stereo Bluetooth, a camera of 2.0 megapixels, a wireless Web browser, e - mail, and more. The S500i is available in Mysterious Green, Yellow Spring, Purple Ice and Contrasted copper. Since the S500i is not offered by the carrier of the United States, you will have to purchase unlocked quite steep at a price of $ 359.
Design
As i mentioned, the S500i is very elegant and catchy combined. It is stylish and sophisticated, and there are even two vibrant LEDs on the sides when it is turned on, making it appear extra sparkly. Not only did the S500i loo, elegant, it is also compact, measuring only 3.9 inches by 1.8 inches by 0.5 inches and weighing about 3.3 oz. The S500i is one of the few Sony Ericsson phones manufactured in a slider design, the others being the W580i and the W850i. I love the little slider mechanism - the movement was good, however robust, and does not feel loose at all. There is a slight slope along the chin curl of the phone that you can use to push the phone open, and to close it, you can slide your thumb down on the raised dump - making the entire process completely slipping in one hand.
Performance
I tested the quad-band (
GSM 850/900/1800/1900;
EDGE) using the service AT & T. I liked the quality of the phone calls - voices sounded loud and clear, with a natural tone as well as invitations reported little or no static or background noise. Speaker quality could be a little better, because sometimes it sounded little bit low according to my correspondents. I however managed to pair with the S500i Cardo S-2 stereo Bluetooth headset without a problem.
Music quality is passable. I would not rely on it as my primary music device, but it did deliver acceptable sound quality and the headphones are better than average.
The Sony Ericsson S500i has a battery life of 9 hours when it is active and 15.4 days in standby. According to
FCC radiation tests, the S500i has a digital SAR rating of 0.77 watts per kilogram.
Conclusion
This phone is designed for those who are realistic about their needs. It does not have the
3G, Wi-Fi, high MP camera with autofocus, but again - if you know that you do not need these things, it's not a problem. "There is a" type "of features for the SE phones to a higher level on the price range of scale. This is not a smart phone. This is not a low-end phone either. This phone goes in between - and it's beautiful. Nevertheless, the phone has enough to offer that it becomes acceptable. If you do not care about the latest technology, but rather have a phone that looks good and does not set you back $ 400, this phone is definitely for you.
Key Features
EDGE Technology
Bluetooth™ Technology
Quad Band (
GSM 850,
GSM 900,
GSM 1800 &
GSM 1900)
2 Megapixel Camera with 4 x Digital Zoom
Video Recorder
Music Player
240 x 320 pixels, 2.0 inch display
Linear Mode
