On paper, these two phones are very similar – which makes them perfect for comparison and illustrates how tick-list specifications don't tell you enough about a phone. We delve in deeper

Form
Both phones have very similar dimensions, although the Samsung is marginally wider. Both are a little bulky, and heavier than the iPhone, at 136 and 140g. This extra size and weight of the Samsung can be forgiven as it has a 2.8-inch screen instead of the 2.4-inch screen seen on the C905. These both boast the same resolution of 320x240 pixels, so you're not missing out on too much – but if you like to use your phone for watching videos, this extra size of the i8510 will be noticed.

Multimedia
The Samsung is clearly better set up for video users – not just because of the larger screen. There's a 3.5mm headphone jack for plugging in headphones, whereas the C905 uses a break-out extension, which we're not so keen on – especially with Sony Ericsson where the multiple pin connectors tend to wear out pretty quickly. The Samsung also has more powerful speakers for playing to an audience.

The i8510 even has the ability to output to a TV, using a provided cable, for a truly impressive multimedia experience. And of course, for storing these videos, the Samsung is available in both 8GB and 16GB configurations. This can even be added to by purchasing the industry standard microSD cards. Unfortunately for the C905, it is plagued with the proprietary Sony M2 expansion slot and memory cards which are more expensive and not compatible with any non-Sony devices.

The proprietary connections don't stop here – with the Samsung using the standard microUSB, and Sony once again requiring the use of the cable they provide in the box.

On the plus side, both devices support Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP, so you have the option of listening to high quality stereo music over Bluetooth. There is also Wi-Fi b/g which comes in handy for browsing the web without using up your precious data package. The C905 also only supports 3.6Mbit HSDPA unlike the 7.2Mbit of the i8510.

Camera
Samsung puts a lot of emphasis on the snapping capabilities of its phones. The i8510 is no exception, having an 8-megapixel camera, with a slew of functions such as face recognition and smile detection. There is no optical zoom, but at 8-megapixels, a digital zoom is still pretty handy.

Much like a real camera, there is also a switch on the device for selecting video/picture or playback. Going to any of these modes gives you the distinctive click you associate with a real camera as the lens cover automatically opens.

The C905 also does very well in this respect being yet another Sony Ericsson phone to have the Cyber shot branding. This matches the 8-megapixel size, with a xenon flash to boot - unlike the Samsung, so we should expect to see better shots in a darkened pub environment.

With very little internal memory and only a 2GB expansion card provided – you'll chew this space up pretty quickly. As both of these devices also have built-in GPS (what phone doesn't nowadays) you'll also see geo-tagging support, so you can remember where you were when you took a picture. Aside from the flash, the cameras are otherwise very similar and both of high quality and I certainly wouldn't leverage too much on this as a decision point.

Interface
If you've used any of the Sony Ericsson phones from the last three years, you'll be right at home the C905, which has a stable, easy to navigate operating system. The i8510 on the other hand, unlike most of Samsung's phones, is based on the Symbian S60 operating system, which we also see on the Nokia N96.

Samsung has done a really good job of customising this, so using the phone is overall quite enjoyable – more so than the Nokia equivalents. Just like the Samsung Omnia, the i8510 also includes the optical mouse that makes browsing the web a little nicer.

Verdict
We would happily have either phones in our pockets today. If having a decent camera flash is important to you, then the C905 is the obvious choice and this is unfortunately one of the only reasons why you'd choose this phone over the Samsung. The use of a standard 3.5mm jack, microUSB cable and expansion via microSD and having larger on-board capacity all go in Samsung's favour for this being the choice device.

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