Sony Ericsson G502 review: Web as you go

Sony Ericsson G502 360-degree spin

Sony Ericsson G502 measures 109 x 46 x 13.5mm and weighs 83.5 grams. Those numbers are sure to book it a spot on the compact side of handsets on the market. There are indeed only a handful of handsets fitted in an even smaller body, but most of those are mostly low-enders with features inferior to the G502.

Design and construction

As far as design is concerned, you will hardly be surprised. It is quite typical Sony Ericsson, except for the rather extraordinary D-pad. We did find the G502 quite eye-pleasing, albeit a bit too conservative.

The casing of Sony Ericsson G502 is entirely made of plastic, but that doesn't hurt looks much. The handset has successfully avoided the cheap feeling some other completely plastic devices just can't seem to help. Instead, it gives a rather solid impression and, despite a few minor creaks now and then, raises no doubts about durability and strength.

The earpiece is placed at the top of the front panel right above the display. Sony Ericsson G502 features a 2" 262K-color screen of QVGA resolution. Looking at the current market trends, 2 inches is about average in this class. We will get back with more on it a bit later on in the review.

The earpiece is right above the TFT LCD display

Below the display are the D-pad and six keys arranged at its sides. Those are the two context keys, the Activity Menu key and the Clear key, along with the Call and End keys. The controls around the D-pad blend nicely with the alphanumeric keypad, which completes the list of controls on the front of Sony Ericsson G502.

The left side of Sony Ericsson G502 is where the M2 card slot is located. However, it's placed under the battery cover, which will have to be opened every time you want to access the memory card. Not the most comfortable solution in our point of view but, having in mind that it brings certain design benefits, we are willing to forgive that.

The M2 card slot is placed on the left side of Sony Ericsson G502, under the battery cover

The volume rocker and the dedicated camera key are on the right of the G502. They are both rather thin but still offer good enough touch orientation. They are a pleasure to use, with decent press feedback.

The volume rocker and the dedicated camera key are on the right

The top of the phone is completely bereft of controls. Turning to the bottom of Sony Ericsson G502, we find the lanyard eyelet, the Fast port and the microphone pinhole. As usual with Sony Ericsson handsets, the Fast port is used for connecting a charger, data cable or a set of earphones.

The top is completely plain, while the bottom features the Fast port, mouthpiece and lanyard eyelet

The back side of Sony Ericsson G502 features the 2 megapixel camera and the loudspeaker. The latter is smartly hidden in the cleft right above the camera lens.

The loudspeaker is stylishly hidden in the cleft above the 2 megapixel camera at the back

Sliding the battery cover open reveals the Li-Polymer battery with a capacity of 950 mAh. The manufacturer claims the impressive 10 hours of talk time and 340 hours of stand-by. Those might not be actually achievable but we are in fact really impressed by the battery life of Sony Ericsson G502. It managed to last four to five days under moderate use, which is far beyond the power of most handsets we have recently tested.

The battery of Sony Ericsson G502 is one of the most capable we have seen

We are pleased with the build quality of the Sony Ericsson G502. A few metallic parts here and there could have improved the general feel but it is still good enough as it is. Apart from being a bit too light for our taste, it fits perfectly in hand, and single-handed operation is no problem at all.

The phone feels nice in hand, albeit a little lighter than we like