Sony Ericsson’s latest prepay Walkman popster, the W302, clearly takes design cues from its more powerful big bro, the W890, even down to its slimline torso. But unfortunately, given its entry level ranking, the comparisons end right there.
And after experimenting with old school flip designs on its last entry level Walkman music phone, the W350, the W302 returns to familiar candybar ground. An aluminium plated façade gives it a quality burnish but at 78 grams and 10.5mm, the W302 is feather-light and trim for easy pocket storage.
This baby Walkman is also easy-to-use, following the same menu rules as every other non-smartphone-powered Sony Ericsson blower. That said, the keypad arrangement could be a concern for the fat-pinkie fraternity, with its tabs pitched somewhere between the tiny lozenges of the W880i and the more spacious buttons of the W890.
Understandably, the W302 doesn’t receive the latest Clear Audio Experience technology of its more advance Walkman brethren but the 2.0 player still sounds great for a prepay handset. The equaliser is well stocked with 10 audio boosters and you can hook-up your own earphones via the 3.5mm adapter.
Sony Ericsson provide a 512MB Memory Stick Micro which is fine for the occasional music snacker but pretty lame if the W302 is earmarked as your primary portable audio player. It can handle up to 4GB cards, so the more fanatical muso can rack up around 1,000 average sized MP3s.
For a lower division phone, fast 3G downloads speeds were never going to be on the agenda, so it’s left to slower EDGE to take responsibility while the basic point and shoot two-megapixel snapper is bereft of any decent photos mods.
Verdict
One of Sony Ericsson’s better entry-level Walkman music phones of recent times and a sound choice for mobile music fans on tight budget.
Best features
Slimline and lightweight design
User-friendly
Cool sounding Walkman music player
Not so good
No autofocus on two-megapixel camera
Lack of 3G
Check out the Sony Ericsson W302 gallery
Closest rivals
Nokia 5310 XpressMusic
Another svelte music blower that’s even slimmer than the W302 at 9.9mm. It shows its fine music creds with dedicated music controls and an integrated 3.5mm headphone jack.
Sony Ericsson W350i
The W302’s entry-level cousin has aspirations to be sleek standalone MP3 player with a retro front slip design that sports dedicate music controls - a love it or loathe it look.
Samsung J700
If you’re after a prepay phone with far more style, then Samsung’s dapper slider should fit the bill with a nine mode equaliser and support for Stereo Bluetooth providing the music glitz.
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