Sony Ericsson T700 Review

Introduction:

Cell phones change and evolve as time goes by and designers have been looking for ways of giving their creations less ordinary, more offbeat shapes, so as to make them more recognizable to customers. However, with its stylish overall look and compact size, the Sony Ericsson T700 goes to show that aged concepts can still be in fashion. What else is it the T700 brings along to please people looking for a cell phone that is less sophisticated and without superfluous added features? Let´s find out.

In the box you will find:

• Sony Ericsson T700
• 512 MB M2 memory card
  
• Charger
• Headphones
• USB data cable
• CD with software
  
• Manuals

Design:

The new cell phone comes in a classic candybar form-factor and has a spectacularly slim body that is only 10 mm thin! The materials it´s made of feel pleasing to touch. Its upper part is metal plated, which contributes to its stylish look, but has led to a slightly increased weight. Fortunately, the manufacturer hasn’t gone the deep end and the Sony Ericsson T700 feels extremely comfortable to carry around in your pocket. Actually, you wouldn’t even notice it is on you.




You can compare the Sony Ericsson T700 with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

The display measures modest 2 inches, supports 262k colors and comes with a resolution of 240x320 pixels. The image quality is really good and we have to admit we are pleasantly surprised with its good performance outdoors. You got a message while taking a walk in the open, in the bright sun? Reading it is not a problem at all.

The light sensitivity sensor that automatically controls screen brightness is above the screen of the Sony Ericsson T700, while the keypad is right below. The latter has a likeable layout and the buttons feel pleasing and easy to press, with the only exception being both “right” and “left” directions of the D-Pad. The charger port and the M2 card slot are on the left hand side, while the volume rocker and the camera shutter are on the opposite. The mechanism that opens the back cover is quite funny - you need to unlock both sliders on either side to remove the panel. The back houses a 3.2-megapixel camera with flash and a tiny mirror. 

As a whole, the phone looks cool and dainty despite coming in a rather buttoned-down design.

Interface and functions:

The interface is the very same that we know all too well, but apparently, the manufacturer relies on providing different themes to lend some color and keep its customers interested. The available themes are easy on the eye indeed and make using the phone a pleasing experience.

Contact entries can be searched by first names, but we are really content to see the phone scans all contact numbers and names as you punch in digits on the home screen.



You won´t find anything surprising in the messages menu. Thanks to the comfy keypad typing text away comes easy, there are more than enough options to write short and multimedia messages, and why not even emails.

Organizer functions are up to standard as well. You have the option to set up to five different alarms and the calendar allows entering as many events as you need. The Sony Ericsson T700 comes equipped with a decent number of apps, including file manager, tasks, notes and chronometer. Moreover, you also have voice notes, world clock, unit converter, etc.




Camera:

In character of Sony Ericsson, the camera interface is simple and easy to use and offers options such as white balance, panoramic shots and timer. Unfortunately, autofocus is not on the list of supported functions.

Wiseman says “A pictures tells more than a thousand words”. That´s why we have decided to show you what you get out of the 3.2-megapixel camera of the Sony Ericsson T700 before we share our opinion.

As you have noticed, taking pictures is not one of the strengths of the T700. Despite the relatively high resolution, all images are rather blurry and colors don’t look realistic. As for the pictures taken in the dark, the flash is not really up to task and manages to properly light up objects that are less than half a meter away with results being far from impressive even then.




Multimedia:

As for things you can do when you have some spare time, such as, say, listening to music, don’t you worry, the phone performs well with this respect. The loudspeaker produces very loud sound, that is unfortunately rather sharp, but still, listening to music on the device can be fun, especially if you need to provide audio background for a jolly crowd. We are pleased with the boxed 3.5mm earphones. They are plugged in through an adapter and deliver loud, deep sound with great basses. Noteworthy performance on a Walkman level!

You will be able to watch videos coded in MP4/H.263 and a maximum resolution of about 320x240 pixels, but still, this is better than nothing.

Performance:

In-call quality is one of the weaknesses of the Sony Ericsson T700. During out tests, we found sound through the earpiece to be muffled and quiet. Voices were monotonous and at times, really hard to catch onto. The loudness was fine on the other end, although everything sounded sharp and unnatural. Keeping in mind feature phones do need to provide proper in-call quality, we do consider the T700’s performance below par and much worse than the bare minimum.

Conclusion:

The Sony Ericsson T700 makes for quite a pleasing cell phone in terms of overall look and design and its strengths are the compact size and stylish appearance. The interface is practical and easy to use, which is always a definite plus. Unfortunately, not all components are on level with its price. For an instance, the 3.2-megapixel camera fails to perform as such. Everything looks fine when it comes to music, but talking with people on the T700 feels way too far from the most pleasant thing you may get down to. These issues have definitely spoilt our impressions of the phone and this is why we cannot whole-heartedly recommend it.

Sony Ericsson T700 Video Review: