Hands-on with i-mate's Ultimate line

This is i-mate’s Ultimate line, the top smartphones of the manufacturer. First, at 3GSM 2007, were announced five models, and in the end of the year two more were added. Since three of them were canceled, now they total four and we have them all here.

The name of the line is due to the specifications of the handsets, which are close to perfect. All of them run on Windows Mobile 6 OS and are equipped with VGA (except 8502 which is QVGA) touchscreen displays, global 3G support, and most of the things you’d expect a smartphone to have. Their design is strictly professional and they’re clearly intended for work. The devices are entirely manufactured in black and they are neither small, nor light. When in the palm of a hand, they feel solid and made to last.


6150 and 8150 were between the first announced from the line. All of them (back then five) had identical specifications and only their shapes were different. Naturally, the last two are also identical, with just the front sides being different. They have matching dimensions and design, but 6150 has a 2.8” display and some buttons, and 8150 disposes of a 2.6” one and a numeric keypad. On top of those, both have a NVIDIA GoForce 5500 graphics accelerator and a cable for monitor or multimedia projector connection with the port located on the right side. Strangely, in 8150, the port is covered by a rubber cap, and in 6150, such is not present.


Same as the previous pair, 8502 and 9502 are identical in features. They are based on a Qualcomm MSM7200 chipset (like HTC TyTN II) and that gives them the lead over the other two, the built-in GPS. The special monitor/projector slot lacks here, but there is a USB cable, included in the package for a TV connection. The devices have full QWERTY keyboards. In 8502, it is located on the front panel under the 2.6” QVGA display, and in 9502, which has the form-factor similar of a SideKick Slide, it is revealed by the side sliding 2.8” VGA display.