Sony Ericsson Spiro Review

Introduction:

Some things will never change. Phone manufacturers come and go, flagship models make a short appearance and then fall into oblivion, but it seems like Sony Ericsson's Walkman series is here to stay. Or at least it seems to be this way, as the company has recently unleashed a brand new offering for its music lineup, namely the Sony Ericsson Spiro. Now, the Spiro may be small in size, and not that impressive in terms of specs, but it's a descendant of a once glorious family of phones, at the heart of which lies a powerful driving force - music.



Design:

Design-wise, the Sony Ericsson Spiro is a simple slider, with a compact body that will easily fit pockets of any size. It is made from a relatively cheap-feeling plastic that does not allow for a very firm grip. Nevertheless, the Spiro doesn't feel flimsy in your hand.



You can compare the Sony Ericsson Spiro with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

The 2.2-inch display that the Sony Ericsson Spiro uses is of average quality. It presents some nice and vivid colors, but its viewing angles have some room for improvement. In terms of resolution, 240x320 pixels seem to be just enough to guarantee smooth visualization of text and images on this real estate.

Right below the screen you'll find the very, very small keys of the d-pad, which also houses the music control functions. Also tiny are the soft, send, end, shortcuts and clear keys. That said, we can't help but admit that they are nicely-made. It's just that they're quite small, which can be the cause for accidental presses.


On the left side there's the microUSB port, on the right is the volume rocker, which works okay, and on the top is the standard 3.5mm jack. The back side houses the 2 megapixel camera with no flash or autofocus. Naturally, removing the back cover will give you access to the 1000mAh Li-Polymer battery, microSD and SIM card slots.




We are not perfectly pleased with the Spiro's sliding mechanism. It works reassuringly, but there's some slight sound of plastic friction that's a bit unpleasant. The size of the numpad keys is passable, and the key themselves are executed well, so there's no trouble using them for dialing or SMS writing.