Sony Ericsson T650 review: T-Series refueled

Metal on the outside, plastic from the inside

The Sony Ericsson T650 will be selling in two distinct color variations - light green and dark blue . The one we got to test is obviously the green one. The T650 has a nice metallic body - exactly as advertised. Make a note here; we'll get back to that aspect later on in the review. The handset measures 104 x 46 x 12.5 mm and weighs 95 g which provides for a nice feel when held in hand.

Above the display you can see the speaker in the dead center. The video calls camera is located on its right, while the ambient light sensor is on the left. The TFT display measures 1.9" in diagonal which isn't quite what you'd expect in a higher mid-range tier handset. Just so you get a dimensional perspective, the W880 has a 1.8" display, while the K800 sports a 2" one. The manufacturer claims the Sony Ericsson T650 display is mineral-glass covered, which should prevent scratches. The keypad on the T650 has a great styling, the keys are small, and yet comfortable. Most of the Sony Ericsson users out there would be happy to see that Sony Ericsson have ditched the infamous navigation joystick and have replaced it with a sleeker D-pad.

Getting into the details

The right side of the T650 incorporates the usual Fast port used for attaching the charger and all peripherals. The Fast port is getting relocated on the side of increasingly more Sony Ericsson handsets. We suppose that it has something to do with its increased use for plugging stereo headset for listening to music.

The bottom part of the T650 sports only a microphone pinhole and holes for attaching a neck or wrist strap. For that purpose you would have to remove the back cover first. The top part of the mobile features the On/Off key and a sliding release key for the back cover. The On/Off key is really minute but that doesn't pose any usability problems.

Side Fast port • Microphone pinhole • On/Off key

The left-hand side of the T650 nests the dual volume key and the camera shutter key. They are all made to blend seamlessly into the handset design. The slight elevation plus the nice tactile feedback provide for a great user-friendliness of the controls.

Camera shutter key and dual volume key

The back side of the body has a nice brushed metal finish and the back panel represents one whole piece covering the back entirely. At the bottom you can see the loudspeaker grill. The camera lens and the LED flash are located on the top. The camera is advertised as having a 3.2 megapixel resolution but, as with some other Sony Ericsson products, its effective megapixel count is exactly 3.15 megapixels. The lens is located within a bulging black frame, which in our humble opinion spoils the sleek looks of the device.

The manufacturer claims the Sony Ericsson T650 display is mineral-glass covered, which should prevent scratches. The keypad on the T650 has a great styling, the keys are small, and yet comfortable.

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Obviously without it the engineers wouldn't have been able to fit a 3 megapixel module into the body. The immediate result from such a solution though might mean that the camera lens cover would easily get scratched or smudged with fingerprints.

Backside: whole back plate • loudspeaker • camera lens

Removing the back panel reveals something that we hinted at earlier on. Although the body of the Sony Ericsson T650 seems and feels metallic, underneath it's plain plastic. Not a bad solution we might say - handsets with all metal structure usually pay a certain weight penalty and they go way over the 100g marker.

Now back to our lab mouse. When you release the back cover by sliding the release key located on the handset top side, several things may attract your attention. The M2 memory card slot is located on the left, not far from the Fast port. It allows (for) quick hot swapping of memory cards as you don't need to remove the battery. The device can host Memory Stick Micro cards with a capacity of up to 1GB. The SIM card slot is located next to it. The SIM is removable with the battery off only. Forgive us for stating the obvious, we just couldn't help it.

The Sony Ericsson T650 gets its juice from a Sony Ericsson BST-33 Li-Poly battery with a capacity of 930 mAh. Battery times are not yet officially published, but our test handset managed to endure almost 4 days of fair usage in a 3G network - so expect a decent overall performance from this puppy.

Removing the back panel