Sony Ericsson W705 Review

Interface and functions:

As you may have guessed already, the Sony Ericsson W705 takes after the W995 in more than just its outward appearance. The software implementation is closely similar and the phone features the same themes we saw on the prototype unit that we wrote a preview of. The only difference is brought forth by the lack of GPS module - you have the FM radio app taking up its place in the main menu.

The Sony Ericsson W705 sports some really pleasing functions. Say, you can do phone contacts searches from the home screen by entering digits, which makes the phone seek through both entered names and numbers of all your contacts. Unfortunately, there is no way you can filter your contacts by family names even from the phonebook itself. Not last, the phone politely asks for your permission to download all necessary internet and email account settings the moment you enter the particular menu, which feels nice and might turn out to be a great time saver.

Taking a look at the home screen you´ll find that the two functional buttons lead to both major functions of the phone – multimedia menu and internet search (through Google). Let´s press the latter first.


Internet and Multimedia:

The Sony Ericsson comes properly equipped for Internet surfing sessions – it supports HSDPA 3G at maximum speed of 7.2 Mbit/sec, while Wi-Fi allows you to put the excellent internet browser to good use in case a wireless hotspot is within range (say in your corner pub) and do this free of charge. Browser loads heavy websites fast and hassle-free (aside from Flash content), supports pop-ups, RSS broadcasting and the pan option allows you to comfortably read even larger web pages. The overall performance of the web browser is excellent for a feature phone.




The build-in accelerometer is decent, kicks in when you get to the browser or multimedia menu and manages to spin the screen to landscape mode with but a short delay. It´s also usable in certain games or with the music player (the ShakeMe function)

Well, let´s not wander from the subject and get to the audio features of the phone. We are of the opinion that the manufacturer has taken things a bit too far by claiming the W705 an undisputed champion. Certainly, the phone produces great sound… but this only holds true if you plug in a pair of earphones. The built-in loudspeaker is rather weak and adds an annoying, sharp trait to the sound. We don´t find the headset that comes in the box extremely comfortable to use plus it lacks proper basses. We decided to put the 3.5 mm. adapter to good use and plugged in another pair of earphones to find audio quality drastically improved. The longevity of the battery deserves admiration. We heavy used the handset as music player in between all the tests we subjected it to and the battery didn´t fail us. Plus you can always turn the radio on in case you´ve grown tired of all the music you have.



Video support is limited to MPEG4/H.263 only and that´s quite unfortunate, since the format can deliver no better than mediocre image quality… We so much felt like watching a movie or two on the large display.

Sony Ericsson W705 sports 3.2-megapixel camera that lacks autofocus and has rather simplified interface when compared to the Cyber-shot phones. Still, it offers enough options – white balance, preset effects and night mode. Come to picture quality, camera performed nearly as we expected. Snapshots had pleasing colors but lacked enough details. All told, picture quality is somewhat below par alongside of what the C510 delivers, but is still OK. You can also capture videos at QVGA resolution, 15 frames per second and rather bad overall quality.