Sony Ericsson P1 review: A smart sharp-shooter

08 May 2007
The Sony Ericsson P1 is an exciting new smartphone that is to be included in Sony Ericsson portfolio. Powered by Symbian OS and featuring a QWERTY keyboard, a touchscreen TFT display with QVGA resolution and a 3.2 megapixel camera with auto focus, it represents the next level of the development of UIQ smartphones. As such, it seems that the Sony Ericsson P1 will be the flagship of Sony Ericsson smartphone line overrunning even the Sony Ericsson P990 and we were more than curious to find out how it performed in real life.

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  • R
  • Red
  • ntq
  • 05 Jun 2007

P990 was a TRASH! . Slow, Buggy ...
I hope P1 is not!

    • R
    • Retardinho
    • N7x
    • 02 Jun 2007

    I live and work in a barely closed environment, with over 50 high-power PCs and servers, so do I really need P1? Certainly not. I can afford it, yes, but even Nokia 1100 could do the job for me pretty well. However, I still enjoy my P990 :D

      • F
      • Fasi
      • PRP
      • 02 Jun 2007

      I have a p900 and was waiting for a phone of this kind but then there is on question i have which i am unable get is that does this phone help sync sms's to pc's coz none of the older version of P series do!!! does this phone make it happen????

        • ?
        • Anonymous
        • TSG
        • 28 May 2007

        I have recently aquired a P990i. Reading all of the reviews on the P990i and the P1 I have found that I will be definately staying with the P990i. The visual asthetics of this phone do nothing for me - the processing power is the same, it is just a rebadged rehash to make up for SE inadequacy. Get you SH%T together SE, I have been a P series user since they came out, the P1 is a joke.

          • S
          • Silver Mask
          • nTU
          • 27 May 2007

          There is one thing tiny thing that i wish they would do like the other new W & K serise, the time should be in the upper cornner next to the battary like the k800 and w850 and so on...

          i know it maybe a little crowded in the top bar.. but it would help me a lot since i work on most applacation and dont relize that the time run

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • Yhw
            • 22 May 2007

            can i also use this phone when i visit japan? i really need to use my own gadget.

              • g
              • gybrush
              • SXc
              • 21 May 2007

              Touch screen is great: I totally disagree with the reviewer opinion that this is a downside. I have M600i and I love it just because it has a touchscreen. It allows you to navigate much faster that with joystick or any other "old fashioned" keys. So don't believe the review when it says that touchscreen navigation is lousy and unusable. Even Nokia is starting to realize that the future is in touch-screen devices and there are numerous indication that their S60 interface will have a touchscreen support in its 4th edition.

                • K
                • Kyle
                • jyB
                • 19 May 2007

                I just don't understand why SE is insisting on not including the 850 GSM band which is used in the US?
                This is a serious limitation unless SE doesn't care to expand its business in the US. How expensive is it to have quad band phones on SE higher end phones....

                  • p
                  • p4
                  • Sm9
                  • 17 May 2007

                  If you like the n95 so much go and buy it, don´t argue here !!!
                  This is for people that want to buy this phone and who like to know more about it. They didn´t came here to hear your stupid "n95 is better" sh..

                  If you know swedish and watch the interview, you´ll see what SE is truying to do with the p1. It´s aimed at "buisness" people and we all know that they don´t stream videos the whole day! They need battery life, build quality, things that can help them with their job....

                  So the question is: are you a serious buisness user?
                  or you are guy that looks at the spec. and buys the phone just to show off in front of the friends

                    • @
                    • @Trisha
                    • whB
                    • 17 May 2007

                    i cant understand why people says the UIQ interface is not user friendly while it has the most intuitive and logical icons of all the platforms i've used including windows mobile.

                      • M
                      • Mattias
                      • Ma9
                      • 14 May 2007

                      I would say one of the main *advantages* of the phone is the keyboard. I just tried typing the alphabet (no practicing), and I did it in 10 seconds. I went "slow" for accuracy rather than speed. (However I've used an M600i for half a year)

                      The way I hold it when I do typing is with both hands, using my two thumbs to do the typing. This way the second thumb can sometimes move towards the next letter at the same time the current letter is being pressed.

                      I don't know how the reviewer was trying to type - with his right index finger? :)

                      Since there are only five rows of keys (but tilting two ways), it's easy to feel where your fingers are. Compare this with the P990i - it feels like the fingers are floating over a "sea of keys", you can't just "feel" what you type on that one.

                        • S
                        • Satya
                        • 2S{
                        • 14 May 2007

                        Please browse through previous comments. There are lot of GPS spftwares that you can use with it. Not only GPS but lot of UIQ softwares. Ypu have to search.
                        ----
                        Building on the feature set of earlier models, the Sony Ericsson P1 supports a wide range of push email solutions and Web browsing applications, plus connectivity via hi-speed UMTS and Wireless LAN (WiFi™). Add to this its compact size and multimedia capabilities and the P1 is the complete mobile office. It is based on the Symbian™ operating system (v9.1) and UIQ 3.0, an open platform that offers broad potential for multimedia applications from operators/carriers, content owners and third party developers.

                        In short, the P1 is a device as small as a standard phone that offers flexible ways to work:

                        Dual function keyboard - full alpha-numeric (e.g. QWERTY) text input combined with one hand phone usability
                        Choice of text input method including handwriting and word completion
                        Push email enabled including support for Exchange ActiveSync™ and BlackBerry® Connect™
                        Integrated WLAN and VoIP enabled
                        3.2 megapixel camera with business card scanner
                        Large 2.6” touchscreen with a Transflective Display that is easier to view in bright light conditions
                        Push email and remote working
                        Always being connected while on the move is now a normal part of working life. The Sony Ericsson P1 gives you the ability to handle your corporate or personal emails, contacts and calendar wherever you are. It offers support for a broad range of push email services including Exchange ActiveSync™ and BlackBerry Connect and allows for remote wiping of email and PIM data; something critical in the event of the phone being stolen or misplaced.

                        The Sony Ericsson P1 lets you read and edit documents on the move, whether Microsoft Word, PowerPoint or Excel. It also ships with a desk stand and USB cable in-box, making it straightforward to synchronise with your PC.

                        High speed connectivity
                        Both UMTS and integrated WLAN provide for high-speed Web browsing and data downloads, plus email at a rate and performance you enjoy from your office desktop. The Sony Ericsson P1 is also VoIP enabled for making calls over the internet.

                        Striking visuals
                        Surfing the Web is intuitive thanks to the Opera™ Web Browser that displays pages in horizontal, wide screen aspect. The large, touchscreen QVGA display can be seen and used even in bright environments due to the Transflective Display. The 3.2 megapixel camera takes great shots to store or share via Picture Blogging and is also a useful tool for work purposes. It does away with the need to collect stacks of business cards when travelling. Just take a close-up shot of a business card and the card scanner transfers the contact details directly into the phonebook.

                        Quality downtime
                        As well as a business tool, the Sony Ericsson P1 also serves as an advanced multimedia companion. Its music and video player mean that you can take your favourite tunes and video clips with you on the 512MB Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™) provided. Catch the latest news via the on-board FM Radio or stream mobile TV direct to the large screen. Whichever you choose to do, with the P1 you are never short of options.

                        The Sony Ericsson P1 is a Tri-Band GPRS 900/1800/1900 and UMTS 2100 handset with Wi-Fi 802.11b. It will be available in selected markets from Q3 2007.

                        The Sony Ericsson P1 at a glance:

                        Productivity/Efficiency Features

                        QWERTY keyboard and handwriting text input
                        Predictive text input
                        Handwriting recognition
                        Transflective Display for bright light conditions
                        Document editors and readers
                        VoIP support
                        WLAN (Wi-Fi 802.11b)
                        Business card scanning
                        Video calling
                        Calculator
                        Calendar
                        Flight mode
                        Email and Web

                        Push email support provided by/licensed from;
                        AlteXia
                        Ericsson Mobile Office
                        Intellisync
                        Microsoft - Exchange ActiveSync™
                        Research In Motion- BlackBerry Connect
                        Seven
                        Sybase/iAnywhere
                        Visto
                        POP3, IMAP4, including IMAP IDLE
                        Opera™ Web Browser 8.0
                        VPN client from Certicom
                        Imaging and Multimedia

                        3.2 megapixel camera with Auto focus
                        Digital zoom, 3x
                        Photo light
                        Video recording/streaming/viewing
                        Mobile TV – H.264 playback
                        Picture messaging (MMS)
                        Text messaging (SMS)
                        Bluetooth stereo (A2DP)
                        Media player
                        Music tones (MP3/AAC/AAC+/e-AAC+)
                        Polyphonic ringtones
                        PlayNow™
                        TrackID™
                        512 MB Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™) expandable memory
                        160 MB User Memory (internal)
                        FM radio RDS
                        RSS Feeds
                        Picture Blogging (Free downloadable application)
                        3D games
                        Hygiene Features

                        Bluetooth 2.0
                        Infrared
                        Modem
                        USB support
                        USB 2.0 mass storage
                        Speakerphone
                        Sound recorder
                        Vibrating alert
                        Jog dial
                        Picture wallpaper
                        Wallpaper animation
                        Java
                        Alarm clock
                        Stopwatch
                        PC Software
                        1120 mAh battery
                        Accessories

                        In-Box:
                        Stereo Headset HPM-62
                        Desk Stand CDS-65
                        512MB Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™)
                        PC Software
                        USB Cable
                        Extra Stylus (for touchscreen use)
                        Protective Pouch
                        Standard Phone Charger
                        Optional:
                        Bluetooth™ Car Speakerphone HCB-120
                        Music Remote Control MRC-60
                        Bluetooth™ Music Receiver MBR-100
                        Bluetooth™ Headset HBH-GV435
                        Bluetooth Headset HBH-IV835
                        Stereo Bluetooth™ Headset HBH-DS980
                        Facts and Figures

                        Operating system: Symbian™ OS v9.1
                        Size: 106 x 55 x 17 mm
                        Weight: 124 grams
                        Colour: Silver Black
                        Screen: 262,144 color TFT touchscreen
                        Resolution: 240 x 320 pixels
                        Size: 2.6 inches
                        Networks: P1c/i: UMTS 2100-GSM/GPRS 900/1800/1900
                        Talk time GSM/UMTS: Up to 10 hrs/3 hrs 30 min
                        Standby time GSM/UMTS: Up to 440 hrs/350 hrs
                        Video call time: Up to 2 hrs

                          • t
                          • tus_kak
                          • mDc
                          • 14 May 2007

                          price will be about 600 euros, for about 300, u can get a new p990, now.

                          about nokia's n95: its cam is lousy and slow, the cover is much cheaper than the p990/p1 one: se does not have to release a n95: for serious user, the p990 already is a better choice.

                          buy a p990, its rather the same phone, no handy, also p1 won't ever be perfect!

                            • k
                            • kenny
                            • whB
                            • 14 May 2007

                            i loved playing windows PALMTOPs/pocket PCs ever since. and i have played current PDAs with 195Mhz processor, no qwerty keyboard, and even lower battery life but i lived through those "shortcomings" reliably. and as far as i know P1 even had greater screen, better Battery and better input(TS,Qwerty and Jogdial in one) so the shotrcomings i get used in windows/palm PDA won't be so much issue as i would have in P1. Typically new things needs to be get used to and that was the issue when we first handle an alphanumeric mobile phone. so will it be so hard for us to get used to it? IMHO no so...=D

                              • t
                              • terio_kun
                              • vpd
                              • 13 May 2007

                              I hope the Sony Ericsson P2 has:
                              *TFT 16M colors
                              *5MP cybershot camera
                              *powerful XENON flash
                              *captures VGA 30fps video
                              *3x optical zoom
                              *at lease 10mm slimmer

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • vpd
                                • 13 May 2007

                                No GPS!
                                No Edge support!
                                No HSDPA!
                                No Xenon Flash!
                                No Optical Zoom!
                                No DVB-H TV broadcast receiver!
                                No 3.5 mm audio output jack!
                                No TV out!
                                No VGA 30fps Video capture!
                                No 3D stereo speakers with vibration!
                                Not a Cybershot Optics!
                                Not a 5 Megapixel Camera!
                                Not a TFT 16M colors!
                                Not even slimmer at lease 10mm!
                                Oh My God!
                                What kind of smartphone is this!
                                But i like it!
                                I think i wanna have one!
                                I wish nextime they produce a P-series that not only as smart but also focuses in imaging.

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • F4p
                                  • 13 May 2007

                                  but before nokia i'm using sony. lols. hmmm

                                    • d
                                    • den
                                    • wYF
                                    • 13 May 2007

                                    I really loved the M600i, despite the software quirks. The keyboar took a while getting used to, but I already type as fast i as I do on a normal phone pad. This phone looks like the M600i but with a camera. It's like moving from a Nokia E61 to an E61i. Unfortunately, Sony is positioning this product not as a successor to the M600i but to the P990i, which means the price range of this item will be similar to the latter rather than the former. Yikes. Too bad for us M600i lovers.

                                      • S
                                      • Satya
                                      • 2S{
                                      • 13 May 2007

                                      See Mr. "Unknown" .... i never want to discuss N95 here coz it's a home for Sony people but there are some Nokia fan-boyz who loves to stay here without invitation means they start comparing it with N95 so there must be somebody to stop them. I just want to ask one question " Man ! why are you here if you like N95 and hate Sony !! Why are you feeling so much insecure ? " There are 3 commnets channels in GSmArena P1 page . First is here, second is at specification page and 3rd is somewhere else and you know guys start bashing Sony with a ridiculous manner. Some people have even wrote about Blu-Ray disk etc Can you imagine ?
                                      ------
                                      There are numerous sites that offer software like PDF Viewer for UIQ platform. For example :- SonyEricsson Application Shop, Symbianone.com etc. Visit those sites and you will find >100 software which you are craving for. Some phones come with preinstalled software where in others you have to install. It's just like some has some other has other features.
                                      ---------

                                      You need Unzip software for P1 ..... here is the link and believe me when you start exploring Sony you will never return to any other company be it any product from mobile to any other device. Here is the link :-

                                      http://my-symbian.com/uiq/software/applications.php?faq=12&fldAuto=41

                                      In case if that link doesn't open then add http:// and put slash sign in place of (slash). i have to write in that way because in this site long links are shown with dots in middle of them. :-

                                      my-symbian.com(SLASH)uiq(slash)software(slash)applications).php?faq=12&fldAuto=41

                                      --------------

                                        • ?
                                        • Anonymous
                                        • F4p
                                        • 13 May 2007

                                        here is the review for http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX5eh7eLaVQ
                                        bad points is name out by them too.