Product Reviews

Recent Sony Ericsson phones such as the K750i have looked like a cross between a mobile phone handset and a digital camera. Now the company has taken this development a step further with its K800i, which has Sony's Cyber-shot branding and a 3.2-megapixel camera built in.

The K800i is larger than the K750i and much thicker, as it has a bulge on the back to accommodate the camera. Bulge aside, the phone's design is smart and unfussy. The number pad's keys are large and have a pleasant rubbery texture but are a little wobbly. The joystick is a distinct improvement, with a more positive action than those on previous Sony Ericsson handsets.

The K800i is easy to use. Its main menu uses large, colourful icons, and submenus are arranged in tabbed lists. This keeps each list of options down to a manageable size. The K800i has a superb screen. Its 240x320 resolution is large for its size and colours are bright and vibrant. There is an integrated web browser, which can display some normal webpages, but it is nowhere near as powerful as the browser on a smartphone.

To take photos, you hold the phone on its side and operate the shutter with your index finger. Sliding down the lens cover activates

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the camera application. Unlike the lens cover on Nokia's N70, the K800i's cover is stiff enough to stay shut in your pocket, so it won't accidentally switch to camera mode. The phone focuses quickly and is quicker to take photos than any other camera phone we have seen, so your subject is less likely to have moved out of the frame by the time you've taken the picture. The K800i also has a proper flash, instead of the more usual LED for night shots. It works as well as the flash on a normal camera, and even shots taken in complete darkness are properly illuminated. Picture quality is excellent. Daytime photos are clear and in focus with little noise, but the camera struggles to find the right exposure under soft office lighting. Still, the photos are almost on a par with those of a dedicated 3-megapixel camera, and are certainly good enough for 6x4" prints.

One of the K800i's cleverest features is its BestPic mode, which shoots nine pictures in less than a second and lets you pick the best one. It's perfect for capturing fast-moving objects. There are also plenty of effects to add to your pictures, as well as a simple image-editing program on the phone. The handset's internal 64MB of memory leaves room for around 80 photos. The memory card slot accepts only rare Memory Stick Micro memory cards, though, so if you buy one you won't be able to read it in a card reader or use it in any other device.

Even though it is chunky and has a wobbly keypad, Sony Ericsson's K800i is the best phone for taking photos we have seen. It's also free on a £30 contract, so it's excellent value.

Sony Ericsson K800i user guides, FAQs & downloads at Know Your Mobile