The Sony Ericsson Satio isn’t so much a smartphone, it’s a high-end feature phone that has been designed to replace your mobile and your dedicated compact camera. However, can it really do both? Well, the 12-Megapixel CCD would suggest it could be your sole camera. Check out our Sony Ericsson Satio review to see how well it handles.
The Sony Ericsson Satio looks and feels more like a camera than a phone. At its thinnest point it’s only a mere 13mm deep but the main bulk f the body is a lot chunkier than that. Then there is the hefty lens cover that adds to the sturdiness of the design. However, you will find this handset something of a struggle to push into your jeans pocket.
The 12-Megapixel CCD sensor on the Sony Ericsson Satio more than makes up for size issues. It’s couple with a Xenon flash, which means you can get the best results even in semi-dark rooms and we found the Satio camera features a genuine pleasure to use.
Sony Ericsson has opted to use the same Symbian S60 OS, as you’ll find on the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic and Nokia N97. So, while it’s a rather stable and reliable base, Sony Ericsson has built its own UI on top, which isn’t as intuitive. In fact, getting around this phone can be rather troublesome.
Check out our tech spec and guide to the Sony Ericsson Satio
Where this handset fails is in small but important features such as there is no 3.5mm audio jack. Then there is the overall build quality of the Sony Ericsson Satio, which is far lower than we were expecting. The plastic used feels rather cheap and certainly doesn’t feel as if it will stand up to life on the move.
Then there is the battery life, which we found annoying. If you intend to use the camera a good deal then you’ll need to charge the phone every day otherwise run the risk of it falling on you.
When it comes to other features you’ll find GPS, Wi–Fi, HSDPA and even gesture controls on the screen all present and correct, which add to the usability of this handset.
Verdict
The Sony Ericsson Satio may be rocking some of the most high-end features we’ve seen in a smartphone yet but ultimately there is a lot of style over real substance. We found the Sony Ericsson Satio a rather chunky and clunky handset to use, and what’s more even the build quality didn’t live up to expectations.
Best features
12MP camera
Nice screen
Xenon Flash
Not so good
Chunky design
Poor battery life
Awkward UI
Check out the latest Sony Ericsson Mobile Phone Deals
Check out the Sony Ericcson Satio review image gallery:
Closest rivals
Nokia N96
Mobile music fans will dig this Symbian smartphone’s mammoth 16GB onboard memory to stockpile a wealth of tunes and its integrated 3.5mm jack to plug headphones straight in.
HTC Touch Diamond
This Windows Mobile powered touch phone has the multimedia chops to match its stylish design, including a 3.2megapixel camera, built-in GPS and 4GB of internal memory.
Sony Ericsson W980
Sony Ericsson’s flagship music phone is incredibly compact but still manages to feature the latest Walkman music player with dedicated touch controls and 8GB of storage.
100% secured payment
