Sony Ericsson C905 Review

Camera:

As we’ve already mentioned, the camera is C905’s key feature. Being shy in all other aspects, we hope that at least here, the new Sony Ericsson model will bring something to the table. Startup and focusing is relatively quick (under 2 seconds), but storing takes about 5.5 seconds, which is a lot slower than the competition. The software is decent, offers a lot of options and here it’s a leader in the non-touch phone division. We have the face recognition, but there’s no sign of the more advanced smile and blink detection.


We’ll keep repeating that the most important thing for a camera is the quality of the photos. C905 did not disappoint us here. The daylight images are usually with the best quality for each model, but C905 is a step behind the competition. The detail level is similar to the one seen in the other 8-megapixel phones but we have a problem with the colors. As in K810 and K850 it looks like there’s a grey filter, which makes them less saturated and with lower contrast. However, we loved snapping pictures with the Xenon flash. It illuminated images very well at 6.5 and 13 feet and C905 is the leader in this discipline. The macro and night pictures made with the phone are similar to the ones made with the other 8-megapixel phones with minor differences. Considering the fact that this type of photographs are not made rarely, we think they are not that important.




For more pictures, please take a look at our 8-megapixel cameraphone comparison.

Apparently, Sony Ericsson doesn’t realize how important the video recording is for a high-class cameraphone. It has become a tradition for the company to be behind in this aspect and unfortunately, we don’t see any changes in the new generation, able to record QVGA clips only.

The pictures in the phone can be viewed in the multimedia flash menu; the realization is very good and we like the way those are arranged in albums full of thumbnails. Congratulations to Sony Ericsson for the fast zooming and the ability for picture tagging.


Multimedia:

The music player is very similar to the one seen in the Walkman phones, although it has fewer extras. It offers various sorting options, equalizers, and has a pleasant interface. The loudspeaker is mediocre but in contrast, even though the headphones look ugly, they sound good, just like in a Walkman phone. Unfortunately, in a noisy environment, you’ll hear the ambient sounds and since there’s no 3.5 mm adapter, you’ll not be able to connect another pair easily. If you are a SE fan, the FM radio won’t bring any surprises for you; it has RDS and an option to give names to the stations. Here, and as a separate application we have Track ID, which provides information on the song you are listening to. As we’ve said before, this is a very good service.



Towards the end of 2008 cell phones are not what they used to be. The music is no longer the leading multimedia and the video playback has become also a key element. So far, the rest of the 8-megapixel phones performed quite well; all of them are equipped with displays over 2.8” and play high-quality MP4 and DivX videos, and in addition, two of them support the XviD codec. C905 is way behind in this aspect, coming with a 2.4” screen and not being capable of playing high-quality clips.


Software:

C905 is yet another Sony Ericsson model equipped with GPS for navigation and picture tagging. We have the free Google Maps and Wayfinder, which is a fully functional navigating assistant. Unfortunately, it’s a 3-month trial version and you’ll need to buy a license after they expire. The GPS didn’t impress us with speed; localization after a cold start took over 20 minutes and 2 minutes after restart of the phone. After restart of the application, we needed about 10 seconds, which is normal.


There are no surprises in the games; Tennis (multiplayer available), Chess and Need for Speed, which looks outdated if you’ve seen Asphalt on INNOV8.