Sony Ericsson Z770i review

Sony Ericsson's mobile range has been crying out for a nice'n'slim flip phone with the sort of high-level 3G functionality that has become a regular fixture in many of its candybar and sliderphone models. The Z770i slips elegantly into the lineup, with a modest profile, an understatedly stylish design and high-speed 3G HSDPA connectivity underpinning its performance.

The Z770i isn't geared up for high-end smartphone duties, but nonetheless handles a healthy spread of multimedia and web-based features, with a similar set of specs to several recent Sony Ericsson mid-range models, such as the K660i. Its mobile broadband-speed delivery provides the facility for fast web browsing, plus streaming and downloading of video, music and other content over the air.

Another helpful web-based service Sony Ericsson has pre-loaded onto the Z770i is Google Maps for Mobile, an application that provides real-time location finding, navigation and fast local search information on the handset, even though there's no GPS receiver built in.

One regular 3G feature that you won't catch on the Z770i, though, is video calling. Sony Ericsson has omitted a secondary camera for face-to-face chatting, something that may put off some buyers - but we suspect not many. The only camera on this handset is a 2-megapixel main shooter on the front of the shell, a disappointingly limited snapper with no flash or advanced autofocus capabilities.

Although the Z770i isn't in Sony Ericsson's Walkman music mobile range, it nonetheless is decently equipped for listening on the go, with a multi-format music player and an FM radio. Memory Stick Micro (M2) card expansion is included too, with a 512MB card lined up for in-box inclusion.

Design and handling
Sony Ericsson's created an attractive handset. It has a neat, tidy and relatively slim clamshell shape, decked out in either mainly black or silver - with just a hint of colour on the trim to give it a bit of zip. The external monochrome display used on the Z770i is disguised beneath a thin mirrored strip; mostly it's hidden, but shines subtly through the mirror whenever a call or message comes in, a music track's played or the phone's been activated in some way. A neat touch that looks best on the silver version of the phone.

Underneath the shell, the Z770i shows a bit more flair. Its numberpad design has swishy curves around the control buttons and rounded numberpad keys, backlit with striking colours. The flat brushed metal-look pad layout is very reminiscent of the Motorola RAZR series, although more eye-pleasing.

Sony Ericsson has chosen an alternative navigation pad set up to the usual circular D-pad control. Four tiny rice-thin directional buttons radiate out from a small central select button. All are almost flush with the surface, but still manage to be easily clickable. Similar buttonry is employed for softkeys. The directional buttons are pre-programmed for shortcuts from standby, although they can be easily reassigned for other functions.

Some may think the titchy control buttons are too fiddly, but we found the handling nice and responsive. Keys are thoughtfully arranged so you can feel your way around the pad even if you have largish fingers. Confusing the Up key for the Menu button (it sits directly below 'Menu' on the display in standby) could be an issue at first, but the layout quickly becomes second nature.

The Z770i is the latest Sony Ericsson model to revert to a conventional Call and End key configuration, which makes handling easier for converts to the brand. A further Activity Menu shortcut key provides fast access to a crop of useful functions under one umbrella - with shortcuts for Bluetooth connectivity, Google Maps, TrackID, calendar and notes, plus a folder of links for fast internet access.

The display inside the shell is a reasonably-sized 2.2-inch QVGA (240x320 pixels) 262,000-colour screen, which is a large enough for an acceptable look at images, videos or websites.

With measurements of 93(h) x 48(w) x 15.5(h)mm and 91g, it's a pleasing size for your pocket as well as comfortable for enjoying multimedia content.

Camera snapping
Sony Ericsson doesn't bless all its cameraphones with the sort of shooting capabilities employed in its Cyber-shot range. Evidently, phone buyers keen on high quality snapping should look at this clamshell-less line-up instead. The Z770i's 2-megapixel camera is the minimum expected of a mid-range handset in 2008. Picture quality can be reasonable in favourable lighting conditions, but it isn't one of Sony Ericsson's better cameras; there's no flash for shooting in low-light environments or at night, and no autofocus system or macro mode for accurate focusing or close-ups.

Consequently, the camera's fixed focus lens is essentially a quick pic snapper that works well in good light but struggles with more demanding light situations.

You can read in more detail about the Z770i's camera and see examples of images taken with the camera in our related article Sony Ericsson Z770i camera samples.

Video shooting quality is better than average, owing to its 30 frames per second capture rate. It shoots in maximum QVGA (240x320 pixels) resolution though, so while images flow smoothly on the phone's display, detail is limited and pixellates if blown up on a PC screen.

With both video and images, you can carry out some basic picture tweaking and editing in the phone, and a blog option enables you to upload photos or clips straight to a Blogger account from the handset.

Music player
Although not supplied with the same higher quality earphones as the Walkman phone range, the music player is a very capable performer. The media player has a typically classy user interface and tracks you've loaded up from a PC or downloaded over the air are arranged into familiar categories and playlists. It's easy to use and logically arranged. You can adjust sound shapes with an onboard equaliser too; Sony's Mega Bass option can crank up the low end too.

Sound quality through the in-box headset is acceptable, but you can do better if you make an effort to upgrade the headphones. There's no standard 3.5mm headphone jack socket, just a typical chunky Sony Ericsson connector on the side. But you could co-opt a Walkman set (which have 3.5mm socket adaptors on them) or buy a Sony Ericsson adapter. Most Z770i owners will probably be happy with using just what comes out of the box, but you really hear the full capabilities of the player if you're listening through better earphones.

You can download tracks from a PC using a supplied USB cable and Sony Ericsson Media Manager software, or you can drag and drop music (or other) files to the M2 card memory in mass storage mode. Bluetooth can be used to swap tracks too. You can also buy tracks to download at HSDPA speed over the air from a compatible network operator music service, or from Sony Ericsson's Play Now or another third party service.

Another source of free music is the FM radio feature - always a useful phone extra. And anyone keen to identify tracks they hear on the radio or anywhere else can use Sony Ericsson's excellent TrackID software to name that tune in seconds via remote database analysis of short recorded sound clips.

Web browsing
Sony Ericsson has integrated several neat HSDPA-driven data services in with the Z770i. The Access NetFront web browser provides a good platform for viewing the internet on a small screen phone. It uses a similar interface to the K660i and other recent Sony Ericssons. The launch page is well designed, with a Google search bar heading the list of options, with further intuitive options listed down the page for tapping in addresses, searching history and accessing bookmarks.

RSS feeds can be stored and accessed quickly too, so you can get regular updates from your favourite sites or blogs without having to keep revisiting the browser. These can be displayed on the standby screen in news-ticker fashion too.

Helping you navigate around web pages more easily, pan and zoom controls help you to get an overview of the page and find elements you're after. You can choose a landscape screen view as well as portrait, and flick between a full web page format or a phone-optimised Smart-Fit page, with elements re-formatted for easy scrolling.

Location finding
The Google Maps location based service that's pre-installed here is an excellent addition to any mobile, cleverly using network base station information to calculate your approximate location area to within a few hundred metres, with no GPS involved at all. You can zoom in or out of onscreen maps, or switch to see satellite images. This can be extremely helpful if you're looking for a road or other location in an unfamiliar area.

As well as mapping information, which is refreshed from a remote server via the phone's data connection, you can search for local services, cafes, restaurants, petrol stations and numerous places of interest, and get step-by-step route navigation instructions sent to the phone. It's all quick and easy, and great to have right to hand. And if you want to, you can upgrade to full GPS precise positioning by connecting a separate optional GPS receiver module.

Typically, Sony Ericsson provide a full package of easy-to-set-up email, calendar and other organiser functionality in the Z770i. Anyone looking for a no-hassle, non-techy way of keeping connected will appreciate the email wizard approach. Syncing the phone with a PC is straightforward too with the supplied PC Suite software and USB cable.

Battery life is quoted by Sony Ericsson at around 8.5 hours talktime on GSM or 4.5 hours on 3G, or some 340 to 350 hours of standby time. In practice, real usage gives a lot less than optimum figures, but our tests suggest you should get a good 2 to 3 days of usage between charges without too much trouble. Intensive music listening, browsing or talking will obviously affect how much you get out of it.

Summary
There's plenty to like about the Z770i. It has an unfussy but stylish outer shell and a fresh numberpad design, while its music player functionality is certainly up to scratch. Its spread of web-based apps provide a richer package than the casual user might expect, with 3G HSDPA mobile broadband speeds making its data-based functionality quicker and smoother.

The camera, however, is disappointing in such an otherwise tidily specified mobile, while the lack of a second video calling camera is curious but not a real deal-breaker for most mobile phone users. It may not have Wi-Fi or smartphone capabilities, but this pocket-friendly clamshell nonetheless delivers a good package of typical Sony Ericsson mid-range functions and applications.

A decent-looking, slim-enough 3G clamshell mobile, the Z770i is a refreshing flip-phone addition to Sony Ericsson's lineup.

Sony Ericsson Z770i technical specifications