The Sony Ericsson W995 brings an 8-Megapixel camera to the Walkman line-up. This sits alongside a range of top-notch features including Wi-Fi and GPS. It’s a great addition to the range that already includes the Sony Ericsson K660i and Sony Ericsson W770 but is it the right multimedia phone for you? Check out our Sony Ericsson W995 review and find out…
The slider format means the W995 sits neatly in a pocket, and the lozenge shaped number keys are well designed and easy to hit at speed. In fact, this handset shrieks good design throughout. We especially like the kickstand that hinges out from the back of the casing. You can use this to prop the phone up on a table in both wide and tall formats making it as useful for watching video as for keeping an eye on incoming texts.
Sony Ericsson has put a 3.5mm headset jack on the top edge of the W995 – the first time we’ve seen one in a Walkman handset. Unfortunately you have to use the standard left-edge mounted proprietary connector and the provided headset if you want handsfree calling. There is a 3.5mm connector past the microphone, but the earbuds-only section is too short to use effectively. So the 3.5mm slot is fine for your own earphones, useless if you want handsfree voice.
The W995 is brimming with features, from the BBC iPlayer and YouTube to an FM radio and NearMe which finds things (cinemas, chemists, restaurants and lots more) that are near your current location.
Sony Ericsson’s odd shake control also makes an appearance. Hold down the left side Walkman key and shake up and down for volume control, left and right to switch tracks. It is made redundant by superb right side mounted playback and volume buttons.
Verdict
The Sony Ericsson W995 comes complete with 8 megapixel camera. It is a top-notch Walkman phone with plenty of alluring features.
Best features
8 megapixel camera
Good kickstand
Robust hardware design
Not so good
Difficult to use provided headset with 3.5mm headset jack
Check out the Sony Ericsson W995 image gallery:
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i got this baby last week, and very satisfied. I tried my old headset with microphone, and it works well with the 3.5mm audio jack. i did not have any problems, as pointed out in this review. but actually the sound of the included headset is really great, so I will use that anyway.