Sony Ericsson K610 review: Sure 3G choice

Sony Ericsson K610 is a new addition to the K-series but with a twist - it is one of the smallest mobile handsets available with 3G support and video calls. But if that is not enough, the mobile packs in a 2 megapixel camera and a Memory Stick Micro (M2) card slot. The classic shape and design would most probably appeal to the male audience, and one thing's for sure - you could always find place for this little fellow in your shirt's pocket.

Official photos

Main advantages

• 3G with video calls
• 2 megapixel camera
• Memory card slot
• Bluetooth 2.0 incl. stereo Bluetooth support
• Small size
• Comfortable keypad

Main disadvantages

• Photo quality issues, no autofocus, QCIF video only
• No FM radio
• No Infrared port

Sony Ericsson K610 is in the medium class of mobile phones and is aimed at people who need functionality and reliability at the same time from their phones - it's seems to us that it's targeted mainly at the office workers - it has a classic design, high-tech features, compact size and has everything that's necessary to back up your daily schedule. In fact, as regards to the functional characteristics of K610, it is fully identical to Sony Ericsson W710 with the added 3G features.

The K610i version of the phone is to be sold in Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa. The other version K610c is for Mainland China. Recently, Sony Ericsson announced another new version of the phone to be manufactured - K610im which will be a black, i-mode version of K610. I-mode is a network operator service for direct handling of iMail, for browsing the Internet and viewing online content.

Before we start, though, we should warn you that the phone we tested was a beta version so there are some bugs we found and we are more than sure that they would be fixed in the final version. We won't mention those as we go along the review though, because the bugs are a pretty common thing in a pre-release version.

As regards the retail package, the box should include a stereo headset, a USB cable and a 64MB Memory Stick Micro (M2) card along with a Memory Stick Duo Pro adapter but as we have always said - the contents of the retail package are market and country dependant.

Size does matter

The dimensions of the phone are pretty similar to those of K750 with a slight difference in the thickness and weight in K610's favor. The new 3G handset measures exactly 102 x 45.2 x 16.9 mm and weighs no more than 89 g without the memory card which puts it among the top five or so lightest 3G devices in our catalog. It has larger display than K750 with a diameter of 1.8" but unfortunately, uses the same resolution of 176 x 220 pixels. Make a note, though, with a thickness of 16.9 mm the phone is only 3 mm thicker than the famous Motorola V3 RAZR.

The construction of the phone is very solid - so solid in fact, that it looks as though all the details and elements are etched into some uniform bar instead of put together.

The test phone had a very nice matt silver finish which added to the overall "classic" looks of the phone. The keys themselves look as if they are made of the same material as the body which, of course, is highly unlikely but adds a great uniform feel to the design.

K610 general view

The only downside to the phone is that it really didn't look as if it's an expensive device. Don't get us wrong, it doesn't look cheap or anything, it's just that it doesn't possess the flashiness of an expensive business or fashion phone. And it's not one of those, either.

That's not necessarily a drawback, however, since some people don't need a phone that makes a fashion statement and they usually look for a design as subtle as possible.

The phone is available in two color variants - one in red and the variant we got to test - the silver one.