Sony Ericsson has managed to deliver some impressively equipped sharp shooting mobiles in its Cyber-shot range. Its recently announced 8-megapixel C905 is set to seriously up the ante for cameraphones when it hits stores towards the end of 2008, but in the meantime the C902 offers an attractive here-and-now package, featuring a quality 5-megapixel camera in a lovely slimline design.

Following on from the K850i, the C902 is another HSDPA high-speed 3G mobile, with stacks of multimedia functionality inside. But it also delivers some stylish design touches on the outside, including a 10.5mm thin profile, refined touch sensitive camera controls on either side of its display, plus a clever slide-out lens cover mechanism.

Naturally, the C902's 5-megapixel camera, with its Cyber-shot pedigree, is the biggest draw, offering a sophisticated set of shooting controls and features consistent with the Sony digital camera brand. These include autofocus, face detection and image stabiliser technology, plus a range of image enhancement and editing software.

But the C902 is also equipped with Sony Ericsson's latest music and video players, a full web browser, and while it doesn't have in-built GPS it does support the excellent Google Maps location-based services application that can map your approximate position and provide near-instant directions.

Design and handling
Unlike some of the tricksy button layout that made the K850i's handling sometimes fiddly, Sony Ericsson has developed the C902 with clean lines, thoughtfully laid out touch controls, and a more conventional, easy to use keypad layout. It's a classy candybar design, lightweight with a glossy black (or red) finish set off with subtle chrome detailing.

Some 5-megapixel cameraphones might be hefty, but the camera here adds no extra bulk to the C902's back panel - in fact, you can't see it at all until you slip open a small sliding section near the top of the phone. This 1.3cm wide old-school spy camera-style slide mechanism is a very neat and tidy solution; it keeps the lens dust-and damage-free in your pocket, maintains the smooth, stylish look of the phone, and also activates the camera automatically when opened.

Closed, the phone measures a pocketable 108(h) x 49(w) x 10.5(d)mm, and fully loaded it weighs 107g - not bad for a 5-megapixel shooter.

The C902's keypad is better than the K850i's too; it has large, nicely defined and responsive buttons that making texting a breeze. The control panel is the more conventional navigation D-pad, softkey and call end key set-up that Sony Ericsson is now implementing across its handset.

There's also the usual Sony Ericsson Activity menu button, which propels you straight into a handy menu of useful application shortcuts, functions and information (from Bluetooth and Google Maps to internet access and application management).

A secondary video calling camera is perched above the phone's display for face-to-face chatting. The screen itself is a 2-inch 262K-colour QVGA (240x320 pixels) display - smaller than you might expect from an image-conscious shooter (the K850i's screen is a 2.2-incher). Though it's a bright, clear screen it does feel like the full space available hasn't been fully utilised for the display.

The main reason is revealed when you activate the camera; slip open the lens cover and in a couple of seconds the camera fires up automatically in landscape mode, with two rows of four small glowing icons appearing above and below the screen. These are the C902's touch sensitive control buttons, offering access to camera and feature settings you're likely to use most frequently.

Camera quality
While some phones use touch controls in a gimmicky way, the ones here are actually useful and uncomplicated - intuitive to use while straightforwardly enhancing the camera's functionality. The touch icon buttons, which use gentle haptic feedback to let you know they've been pressed, work in conjunction with the navigation pad and softkeys. You can press to pull up flash options, set the photo-timer, choose exposure settings (scenes) and shooting modes, switch between camera, video and photo gallery, and to select focus option - either autofocus, face recognition, macro mode or infinity.

As you'd expect from a Cyber-shot class cameraphone, there are plenty of other settings adjustments you can make to optimise your shooting results - such as white balance and exposure settings - or to add picture effects. There's a digital image stabiliser option too, plus the regular Sony Ericsson multi-burst BestPic function that allows you to take select from captured shots taken a fraction before and after you've pressed the shutter - useful for taking moving images.

There's a dedicated camera button on the side, using a 2-step autofocus system. You can easily switch to macro mode for close ups, or face detection if you want to get good people shots in a busy picture - the camera automatically identifies and locks focus on to faces as the main subject.

The results from the camera are pretty impressive, with plenty of detail plus excellent colour rendition. The fine auto metering system adjusts swiftly and accurately to varying lighting conditions, and the autofocus options all work well. The slimline dimensions of the phone do entail some compromises though; disappointingly, there's an LED photo light rather than the more powerful and effective Xenon flash used on the K850i.

This means close ups in darker conditions can look a bit washed out and at mid distances, under-illuminated. There are a few non-flash low-light exposure settings for longer range shots, but it's a shame Sony Ericsson didn't include a Xenon flash too

Shooting extras
Post-shot editing, including a simple picture Photo fix option, is standard issue Cyber-shot stuff, but still good quality for a cameraphone. You can blog shots or video clips too quickly after you've taken them (using the pre-loaded Blogger app).

In addition, you can get location metadata attached to pics - so you can see the approximate location where the photo was taken on Google Maps or other GPS compatible services. This is achieved using the application's default cellsite triangulation software, but if you attach an optional GPS module to the phone, that info naturally becomes pin-point precise. It's a nice touch.

(You can see more detailed information on the phone's camera plus a selection of photo samples taken with it in our related article Sony Ericsson C902 camera samples here.)

Video footage shot with the camera isn't quite as high quality, although it does produce reasonably smooth 30 frames per second QVGA quality images that look good on the phone's screen and acceptable in a YouTube way on a PC screen.Video playback from over-the-air downloaded clips or files transfered from a PC looks good on the C902, though the screen size is limiting.

Another plus point though is the accelerometer inside the phone. This adjusts the screen between landscape and portrait mode automatically, depending on how the phone is being held. It works for both the media functionality and full web browsing applications, providing a smooth way to flick to full page widescreen views when required.

Music player
The media player software on the C902 is essentially the same as used on most recent mid- to high-end Sony Ericsson models, slick and user-friendly with a good graphical user interface. Though not Walkman-branded, the tune player is similarly high quality and uses a not too different UI. Its multi-format player is organised into the usual array of categories - tracks, albums, artists, playlists - as well as sections for podcasts and audiobooks.

The phone comes with a reasonable stereo earphones, but thankfully, like with Walkman mobiles, you can plug in your own better quality standard headphones. The C902's headset is a two-piece affair, with a standard 3.5mm headphone jack socket you can can plug standard earwear into. While the supplied set are fine, a set of our reference Sennheiser headphones revealed the sort of high quality performance of which the phone's music player is capable.

Stereo Bluetooth offers a futher wireless option for headphones, but while the C902's loudspeaker is admirably clear, in typical mobile fashion it lacks any real bass oomph.

The C902 has 160MB of internal storage, plus Memory Stick Micro (M2) card expansion. Unlike the K850i, however, it doesn't have dual support for MicroSD cards as well as M2s - a feature we thought was a welcome development on that model.

Loading up tunes requires Sony Ericsson's usual procedures, using the PC Media Manager software and USB cable provided, or copying over with the phone in mass storage mode. Naturally, you can download over the air - the phone's HSDPA data connectivity enables downloads at up to 3.6Mbps on appropriately equipped mobile networks, speedily delivering tracks or video clips in just a few seconds.

As well as your own mobile network's content, you can try third party services including the pre-loaded links to Sony Ericsson's PlayNow portal - just make sure you have an inclusive data deal to cover the cost of off-network downloads.

High-speed browsing
HSDPA high-speed data connectivity cranks up the phone's web browsing capabilities too, although there's no Wi-Fi for non-mobile network connectivity. The full web browser here is again standard issue for higher Sony Ericsson models, and provides a very usable and intuitive user interface, including some tidily arranged pan and zoom options.

It's quick at rendering pages too, and with its cursor-style pointer, it's good to navigate and browse. There's a Smart-Fit option for mobile-tailored versions of full web pages, if required. There's also support for RSS feeds, so you don't have to fire up the browser and search each time you want to check up on your favourite web pages or blogs.

Riding on the HSDPA-boosted data speeds, Google Maps for mobile software is becoming another Sony Ericsson regular. And welcome it is too, giving a pseudo GPS navigation option, using cellsite triangulation info and maps sent over the air to locate your position to within a few hundred metres. While this is made more precise with an optional GPS module attached to the phone, getting a map of the rough area you're in can be extremely useful if you're somewhere you don't know.

The location is usually centred within a block or two from where you are, allowing you to zoom in or out to get a fix on your position or find where you're heading. You can get excellent navigation instructions too, handy information about nearby services and points of interest, plus satellite images of areas. It's a feature that's well worth exploring if you're travelling, as it covers the world.

The C902 is also loaded with a now familiar Sony Ericsson rundown of useful features and applications, from extensive organiser functionality and voice recorder to email client and three games, plus various video, image and music editing apps. Usefully, an FM radio is included in the spec too.

Performance
The battery performance of the Sony Ericsson C902 impressed us. The manufacturer quotes optimum figures of up to 3.5 hours talktime on 3G networks, or 9 hours on GSM, while standby time is measured at 350 hours on 3G and 400 hours on GSM. With our average usage, including much snapping, we got over four days of life between charges - though this will be reduced if you hit the music or browser functions regularly.

The audio performance for making and taking calls was first rate - sound quality was excellent and network holding reliable.

Compared to the K850i, the C902's design means there are some some trade-offs required to accommodate the slimline profile and touch screen controls - notably the disappointing absence of a Xenon flash and the smaller screen size. These are compromises we'd prefer not to see on an image-orientated Cyber-shot phone.

Otherwise, the C902 offers improved, if more conventional, layout of controls, aiding handling, while its slim lines make it more pocket-friendly than its bulkier predecessor.

It may not have integrated GPS or Wi-Fi, but the C902 is still a very attractive handset, offering a fine set of mid-range Sony Ericsson 3G phone features in a stylish design. Combined with quality imaging from that inconspicuous 5-megapixel Cyber-shot camera, we reckon it will have great appeal for many buyers.