Sony Ericsson K530 Review

Performance:

The phone works fast, so while browsing the menus one will not sense any unpleasant and irksome delay or “thoughtfulness”. The camera even starts in about a second and photographing with the consequent recording takes no more than 3 – 4, which is fairly rapid.

The sound volume of ringing is well above average, so you will hardly need any more. Even in a noisy environment or in case the phone is in the other room, you are certain to hear the call.

According to data supplied by Sony Ericsson, the 950 mAh Li-Polymer battery (BST-33) of the phone endures up to 9 hours conversation time or 350 hours standby. During our testing the device was subjected to a prolonged conversation, enduring 472 min (7.87 h). Regardless of the fact that this is shorter than the officially stated 9 hours, the telephone demonstrated enough “stamina” - one that will appeal to the long-talkers among you.

The voice in the receiver has a medium-high volume, sounding a bit muffled and monotonous, whereas at the other end there is strong and clear audibility with a realistic voice reproduction.


Conclusion:

K530 is positioned in the middle of the Sony Ericsson product range and shows an excellent performance as such, without, of course, claiming the resources of the Cyber-shot or Walkman series.

Compared to its predecessor K510, significant improvements have been made: this phone stands now very near to the capabilities of the “former” high-class company series – K750/W800 – with a 3G network support at that. It is good news that the back lid problem, noted by us during the test of K530’s prototype, has been solved in the official version. We congratulate Sony Ericsson’s constructors on managing to do so.

In case you need a phone, which does not necessarily feature specific multi-media or smartphone functionality, the K530 will be one of the best alternatives yet to appear on the market.