Camera Phone Reviews

The Sony Ericsson W800i is the first in Sony's new Walkman Phone line. It features a 500MB Memory Stick Duo Card, stereo headphones, 2 megapixel digital camera, up to 30 hours playing time per battery charge on the music player and a dedicated start stop button.

The Sony Ericsson W800i will also be known as the W800c in mainland China.

Get the Latest Price on the Sony Ericsson W800

infoSync World has a first look review of the Sony Ericsson W800i Walkman phone and writes - 'An impressive feature set graces the W800i, which boasts not only the same 2 Megapixel camera as found in the K750i, but also a built-in FM radio and audio player with 38 MB of internal memory and expansion courtesy of the proprietary Memory Stick Pro Duo format.

Lingering at the prototype stage, the W800i still managed to impress me with its audio capabilities. Deep and rich audio eminate from the handset, and although a bundled dongle is needed to convert the proprietary connector to a standard 3.5 mm jack, users have the option of using high-end headsets which - if what I listened to is anything to go by - will prove to offer an excellent listening experience.'

BengalBoy reviews the Sony Ericsson's New W800i “WalkMan” Cell Phone and writes - 'Well, after a week of using the W800i I am prepared to declare it a “HUGE WINNER!!”.... This little phone packs some very serious hardware in a very compact package. The “WalkMan” MP3 player software is very intuitive and easy to use. There is no DRM restrictions on its use and the sound is amazing!! The 2.0 Mega-Pixel digital camera is good enough to be a dedicated Digital Camera and the W800i's battery life is superior to any other phone I've ever used. But the most important observation I had regarding the W800i was the “Agelessness” of its design. No matter who I showed the phone to, regardless of their age, they wanted to know what it was and where they could buy one!! The “WalkMan” name brand is instantly recognized by young and old as a music player that all are familiar with. When I told them that it would cost about $500.00 on release, no one balked, and it is a rare day indeed when people I see in town are willing to pay that kind of money for a cell phone. The “WalkMan” name is a brand that people are willing to pay a premium for and that they can justify as a nice Christmas or Birthday present for someone regardless of age or sex. '

Mobileburn reviews the Sony Ericsson W800 and writes - 'Like the K750 that it shares so much with, the W800 is simply a fantastic phone. It has a great camera and user interface, managed over 10.5 hours of talk time in our test, and has the best music app I have seen in a phone yet - all in a very flashy and good looking package. If you are looking for a mobile phone with both a good camera and good music abilities, it simply doesn't get better than the Sony Ericsson W800 at this time. I give it a "Highly Recommended" rating.'

Pocket-lint reviews the Sony Ericsson W800i mobile phone and writes - 'Overall, the addition of a larger memory card to an already excellent handset can only ever be a good thing. The features and function make it a very good mobile phone regardless of the music functions although the snazzy electric orange paint job and the Walkman logo certainly make the W800i distinctive. The music player takes a little getting used to and if you’re a Mac user or have a large pre-existing digital music library you could find frustrations in importing tunes onto the handset. '

PC Magazine reviews the very popular Sony Ericsson W800i Walkman cell phone and writes - 'The cute, powerful Sony Ericsson W800i Walkman is the best regular phone we've ever seen, but despite its "Walkman" branding, this is no iPod-killer. So while an array of top-of-the-line features and a truly stylish body leaves other regular phones in the dust, its poor integration with PC-based music libraries leaves us wishing for more.'

Infosync World has posted a full review of the very Orange 2.0 megapixel Sony Ericsson W800i which they've given a very high rating of 93%. In the review they write:

'Despite an advanced feature set which includes a high quality camera and similarly high-performance audio player, the Sony Ericsson W800i manages to maintain strong battery life. Its lack of EDGE for high-speed data aside, the handset also delivers an excellent overall experience in the communications and messaging departments. The Walkman branded Sony Ericsson W800i comes highly recommended not only for youth, but for everyone in need of a brilliant combination of mobile phone, digital camera and portable music player.'

Hardware Zone reviews the Sony Ericsson W800i and writes - 'Will potential W800i buyers make the switch from a regular mobile phone to a petite and manageable Pocket PC Phone granted the petty price difference? There's no real hard and fast answer, but what we do know as a fact is that the W800i, with its bundle that is part of its steep price tag, is a very attractive companion for anyone looking to own a communication gadget that has the best blend of audio and imaging in one hip and trendy package. However, if we were to look at things from a functionality perspective which in turn leads to value, the cheaper K750 is every bit a W800i. Save for the obvious lack of a Walkman interface, a dedicated Walkman button and a 512MB Memory Stick, the K750 matches the W800i in both audio and imaging performance while boasting a more responsive set of buttons.

For now, there's no denying that the W800i is making all the right headlines, but this is set to change once the Nokia N91, Samsung i300 and Motorola ROKR make their respective entry into the foray of multimedia oriented mobile phones with memory expansion flexibilities.'

GearLive reviews the SonyEricsson W800i Walkman phone, and finds that, "It’s really a damn shame that the price and relative obscurity of the phone (local retail electronics stores had never heard of it and marveled when they saw it) will keep it out of the mass market, because the W800 could kill the ROKR dead. Instead, the ROKR’s slick marketing and tie-in with Cingular will keep the W800 off the radar, despite the fantastic features of the first phone to be branded with the Walkman name. That said, the W800 is a bargain even at $500, with an impressive feature set and far better styling than the ROKR, and without tying users to specific software."

In a comparison review of the Nokia N90 and the Sony Ericsson W800, GSM Arena concluded, "We can't do anything but announce the winner - Sony Ericsson W800, respectively K750. Nokia N90 creates simply lower quality pictures which could be seen in the samples above. Nokia N90 however managed better with video recording. In short, we have to say that the two manufacturers had produced high quality photo mobiles which might convince some of the current fans of the dual equipment - a phone and a compact digital camera - to switch to a single device."

CNet reviewed the Sony Ericsson W800i, and had this to say about the camera quality: "The Sony Ericsson W800i's powerful camera comes with an amazing range of features, but it takes pictures in just three sizes (1632x1224, 640x480, and 160x120); we expected more choices from such a high-quality camera. ... Photo quality was quite good for a camera phone, with sharp colors and little of the blurriness that we usually encounter. Videos, on the other hand, were choppy and pixelated."

MobileTracker reviews the Sony Ericsson W800i and has this to say about the phone's camera: "The W800i's camera module is the same that's in the K750i--two megapixels with an autofocus and LED flash. It's great and will really make you start to take more photos. Like other dual face design phones, the camera is designed to be used while holding the phone sideways. This is great because photos are typically landscape by nature, so when the phone is held sideways the screen adapts to be in the same format as the final product." (Photos taken with the camera can be seen at the end of the review).

Newsfactor reviews the Sony Ericsson W800i and concludes, "Most consumers looking for a handheld device that combines a highly capable music player with a cellular phone and messaging capabilities will find much to like about the Sony Ericsson W800i. Those with a need for higher data speeds should wait for an EDGE-capable version of this phone to hit the market. ... Bottom line: You might find this a better choice than Motorola's iTunes-integrated phone, the ROKR."

Jayvee at Cellphone 9 has some shots comparing the Sony Ericsson W550i with the Sony Ericsson W800i. His conclusion? "Well, my final verdict is that if you’re so craving for a Walkman phone but can’t afford the hefty ~ $450 price tag, you can opt for the ~ US $350.00 W800i Lite W550i which gives you no expansion options, a 0.7MP camera quality drop (like it really matters), a more compact swivel form factor and an extra Stereo Widening Effect speaker."

TechTree reviews the Sony Ericsson W800i and writes about the phone's camera: "The W800i has a built-in 2 megapixel digital camera for quality images wherever you are. When you open the active lens cover the W800i's camera viewfinder appears on-screen and is ready to use. The camera shutter, auto-focus and digital zoom control are at your fingertips - where you want them. When you want to adjust contrast, set image effects or size, switch to night mode or use another camera feature you can use your thumb to browse the camera menu with ease. For better lighting, its built-in photo light just above the camera shutter lens does the rest. When the W800i's camera is activated and you want to catch some action, flip the joystick down and record some video. "

Designtechnica reviews the Sony Ericsson w800i and is impressed with the phone's camera: "A 2.0 mega-pixel camera in a cell phone is a wonderful thing. I haven’t used my Canon a400 Powershot in a while now that I have this w800i. The camera lets you flip the phone on its side where a dedicated shutter button lays. You then can use the phone like a true camera using the 262k-color screen as a beautiful viewfinder. Video comes out pretty decent in the right conditions and is probably as good as you’re going to get for a while as far as cell phones go. However, the w800i shines with stills. The quality is unbeatable, hands down. If it’s dark, you can use the amazingly bright LED-flash to keep your picture quality high. I have actually used my w800i to take pictures with, gone right to a local camera shop, taken out the 512MB Memory Stick Duo card, and gotten 4x6 prints made. The result? Amazing prints that you could never tell were taken on a cell phone; keep in mind it won’t fool a photography buff though. The w800i‘s camera is seriously it’s best feature that makes everything else pale in comparison."

Sony Ericsson W800i News Release -

World's first Walkman phone raises the bar for mobile entertainment - The Sony Ericsson W800i brings high quality digital music to the mass market

Sony Ericsson today kick-started its entry into the mobile music market with the announcement of the W800, the first Walkman branded mobile phone. It will now be possible to listen to music, handle phone calls and take great pictures and video, all with one device and with no compromise on quality. The Sony Ericsson W800 is the first product to combine a mobile phone, a high quality digital music player with up to 30 hours’ battery life, and a 2 Megapixel camera. All of this is packaged in a slim, lightweight device with ultra-stylish design.

The Globe and Mail reviews the Sony Ericsson W800i, and has this to say about the phone's camera: "In perfectly sunny outdoor conditions with a still subject and the use of the delayed shutter (in order to keep the camera steady on a table), I turned out excellent results 9 times out of 10. It was really quite impressive to see this level of quality in camera phone and I would compare it well (in terms of sharpness) to my old 2 megapixel Canon Elph in these ideal conditions. Colors were a little flatter than the old Elph but still nothing to snicker at for general use."