Qtek S200 review: A genuine tool box

Camera performance

Qtek S200's 2 MP camera has been an unexpected surprise both for me and for my colleagues. It makes pictures in a maximum resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels. Lower resolution options of 1280 x 1024, 640 x 480, 320 x 240, and 160 x 120 pixels are also available. It seems however, that the test communicator we were provided with suffers a certain firmware defect since all picture we took feature strange vertical lines in their right end.

Both the center and the edges of all pictures are perfectly sharp. Colors come out pretty true. The automatic exposure compensation works well, too. What's more, we compared Qtek S200's pictures with images taken with Sony Ericsson K750, which was considered to be the king among all 2 MP camera phones. As expected, Sony Ericsson remains the best, mainly due to its brilliant automatic focusing system. Yet, there were several pictures taken with Qtek S200, which I personally liked more for their lower noise level.

Generally, Qtek S200 only creates hi-quality images under favorable light conditions. Otherwise its photo abilities tend to vanish away. The lack of an additional LED, which could have helped in certain low light situations, is not irrelevant, either. Qtek S200 reproduces well all types of close-distance objects, including texts. Next to the silver frame around the camera lens there are two pictograms, a flower one, and a rock one. In order to make the communicator create perfect macro images, you need to setup lens physical properties by half-rotating the correspondent circle. A similar fixed focus macro mode is also used in many other mobiles nowadays.

Sample photos in full resolution

  
Using Macro mode

 

 

 

Scanning text

 
Images in twilight

 
Zooming in

Qtek S200 is sold together with a practical cloth case with an eye-let for hanging stripe. In the original box you will also find a network adapter, a synchronizing cable, and a light handsfree set.

A successful successor

The new Qtek S200 is at no doubt a well made communicator, representing a significant step ahead as regards the forerunner S100. It offers a new OS, EDGE support, a far more comfortable controls, and, in most cases, an unrivalled display. There are only two matters worth my negative comment: the plastic body and the slow processor speed (unable to meet certain more specific requirements).

Up until now I have remained a faithful owner of MDA Compact. Neither did I replace it with Qtek 9100, nor with S110 or 9000. The new Qtek S200 however threw me into serious thoughts. I think the right time to replace my old communicator for a new one has finally come.