i-mate Ultimate 6150 Review

Introduction:

i-mate’s Ultimate line includes four phones and only one of them is not equipped with any hardware keyboard – 6150.

Just a quick review of the specifications is enough to convince us that we are about to discuss a phone, entirely targeting the prosumers. The model is equipped with a 2.8” display, 520 MHz XScale PXA 270 processor and a monitor/projector connector. Using the connector, you’d be able to easily present your ideas on a big screen. This feature has been added in order to save you carrying your laptop to such meetings.

The package includes:

Design:

Most people’s first reaction when they see i-mate 6150 is negative. It is usually compared to building materials (brick). The phone really is massive and heavy. Its weight is justified by the fact that the front panel and the back lid are made out of metal.

Most consumers do not realize that the phone is designed for work. From this aspect, 6150’s appearance is very nice without any unnecessary elements. Unfortunately, its shape is quite uncomfortable and could be quite irritating during a talk.



You can compare the i-mate Ultimate 6150 with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

Almost the entire front is taken by the touch sensitive 2.8” display. It has a resolution of 480 x 640 and supports 65k colors. Since it is not leveled with the front panel surface, and is placed deeper in the body, pressing the areas towards the edges, could be quite uncomfortable. The screen is very sensitive and offers good picture, but it is not usable in direct sunlight. Besides, it gets dirty pretty easy even when you carry it in a case.

Over the display are located the video calling camera, the brightness sensor and the LED indicators for the status of the device. The last ones light up in red when you have a missed event (call, message, alarm), in orange when the phone is charging and in green when everything is OK.

The only hardware buttons on the front are located under the screen. They are all backlit in blue and are small, which makes them relatively hard to use although they are easily pressed and clearly felt (click). The strange thing here is that the ОК button and the “clear” key are actually the same one. It deletes when pressed normally and acts as OK when pressed and we don’t think this is the best solution.

The first thing we wondered about when checking out the controls was “Why do we need to have a joystick on the front panel and a rotating wheel on the left side?” They are both equally comfortable and have the same function. By using them, you can move up down (left-right also for the joystick) and to confirm the different options. This facilitates using the phone without touching the screen. After we were using it for some time, we found out that depending on the hand you are holding the phone in and the screen orientation (vertical/horizontal), one of the two control methods is always extremely handy.

On the left, we also have the OK button, which in contrast to its twin located on the front panel is activated when pressed once, cannot be used as “delete” and is hard to push. Also here, we see the microSD slot, the shortcut to the Wireless manager and below them, the hardware restart button, accessible only with a stylus.


On the opposite side is located the VGA cable slot, used for a monitor or projector connection. In contrast to the other model of the manufacturer with such functionality (8150), here we don’t have a cover, thus leaving the button unprotected from contamination. Next to it are the miniUSB connector and the small, hard to press camera key.

The top side houses the power button and the IR sensor. The stylus is hidden in the left corner. It is very user-friendly, which is quite an important fact since you’ll probably use it frequently.

The 2-megapixel camera with LED flash and small mirror is logically located on the back. If you remove the big metal lid, you will see the battery and the SIM card slot below it.