Sony Ericsson Z550
- d
- dorian
- S3f
- 05 Aug 2006
You've been of great help DarkRay, thanks for taking your time to answer, you really know your phones =)
So it isn't a joystick on the Z550i? It looks like it...I thought it was. D-pad..you mean like on samsungs for example? There are buttons for every direction? If that's the case whats the thing in the middle? Is it also a button?
Is there any good software coming with the phone? Like an organiser-type for the PC? So you easily can transfer songs, videofiles, pics etc from phone to computer and vice versa? Also, the outer display...is it good? It sais that it can show missed calls, messages etc on it. Isn't it too small for that? Can you change the amount of time the display should be litten up?
- D
- DarkRay
- F4p
- 04 Aug 2006
To (no name):
The camera for K750i is definitely way better than the one on Z550i, since the former has a 2.0MP camera with proper auto-focus capability. But by doing away with the auto-focus, the camera for the Z550i is more responsive (less lag between shuttle press and actual photo taking).
There is also more memory (38MB) on the K750i, versus the 24MB that my Z550i have. Another difference will be that the the K750i uses the much cheaper Memory Stick Duo Pro memory card, rather than the ridiculously expensive Memory Stick Micro M2 memory card.
There is also no infrared port on the Z550i, which the K750i has. But since I like Bluetooth so much better, it does not bother me at all.
One big advantage of the Z550i in my opinion is that it uses a proper D-Pad, instead of K750i's joystick. I personally hate SE's joystick implmentation because it seemed quite prone to errors and malfunctions.
Size wise, the Z550i is definitely smaller (shorter in height actually, but otherwise similar in width and depth). The physical screen size on the Z550i is marginally larger (by about 1.5mm diagonally) even though both have the same resolution of 176x220 pixels.
Otherwise, the interface and speed of both phones are really uncannily similar and I am not surprised if they actually run the same processor. After all, the K750i is only marginally more expensive than the Z550i now.
Sound wise, I find the call quality good. It could be louder, but I am getting my communications through as well as receiving them loud and clear.
MP3 quality wise, fitted with a proper adapter to use a standard 3.5mm earphones (I am using Sennheiser CX300) or on the HPM-70, it actually sounded better on certain songs (more bassy ones) than my Samsung YP-T8 MP3 Player. Radio is okay, but the reception quality on my YP-T8 is definitely better.
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To karry:
I don't think the battery for the Z550i and K750i are the same. Based on my usage of sending about 20 messages and a talk time of about 10 minutes daily, I get about 2 ~ 3 days worth of usage between each charge. I have no idea about how this is affected by MP3 listening or radio as I am using a dedicated MP3 player (Samsung YP-T8) for that.
The media player is similar to the one found on K750i. Volume level is similar to that of K750i as well which is "okay, but certainly could be louder". So far I have not missed any calls yet though.... ;-)
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Hope the above replies helped! :-)
- k
- karry
- P$5
- 04 Aug 2006
to Dark ray
a) I want to know about the battery of Z550i. Is its battery is same as of K750i. what is normal battery backup. Can we listen contiunous FM or MEdia player for 2-3 hours daily, how long will the battery run then?
b) is the medial player is normal one or with outstanding features like in Z530i or W550i. Is the ringtone and mp3 sound loud enough.
Thanks in advance for your response and i am hoping to purchase this phone in advance after your reply.
- ?
- Anonymous
- S3f
- 03 Aug 2006
To DarkRay:
=D
I just have one more question. Is the phone better than the K750i? Cause the number tells the amount of features and how good the phone is right? The higher number in series the more high-tech? So is K750i better than Z550i? And I also wonder about the sound quality of the Z550i. I have the T630 and IMO it has clearer and better sound than many newer phones. How about the Z550i?
- D
- DarkRay
- F4p
- 03 Aug 2006
To dorian:
No problem. Glad to be of assistance! This is definitely one of the most under-rated phone around.... and I hope it stays that way - this way my phone stay unique! :-P
Anyway, my guess is that like the Samsung E730, the E760 probably did not support CIF video, but QCIF like SE phones instead. The older E720 had CIF video, and so did the newer E770. No sure why they leave it out of the models in between them, but probably like the vibrate-and-ring issue, just another one of Samsung's weird quirks.
- d
- dorian
- S3f
- 03 Aug 2006
To DarkRay:
Ok, thanks it really helps. So the E770 has some new tech in video? Cause on the E760 the videos looked really bad. Especially on the computer..like crap. I don't think that it's gonna look better on the Z550i but..that doesn't make my choice. And yeah I know about that vibrating thing on samsungs...really irritating.
You're right about that considering the K750i haha, didn't think of that =)
Yeah I really think it's gonna be the Z550i for me. Because I'm looking for a middleclass phone, nothing high-tech and expensive. And the price on the Z550i is quite good =) But it hasn't shipped here yet...I really hope it's gonna turn up in the stores soon!
- D
- DarkRay
- F4p
- 03 Aug 2006
To dorian:
I never played with the E760 buy did fiddle around with the Samsung E770 which I was considering as well. Their display and camera should be similar since they are in the same series.
Comparatively, the display quality between the Samsungs and SE Z550i is very similar. Camera wise, I feel that they are about the same as well (Samsung E700 series phones also have no autofocus).
However, one thing that Samsung E770 wins hands down is definite their video. Supporting CIF video (352x288) versus the crappy 176x144 used by most SE phones, the video quality of the Samsungs has to be seen to be believed.
However, Z550i wins on all other fronts, including the ability to vibrate and ring at the same time (most Samsung phones for some strange reason refuse to support this fundamental feature and the E770 can only do so on specific Vibratones), and tons of options for customizations. If a theme, wallpaper or software can run on a K750i, it will run perfectly on the Z550i as well.
Since K750i is so popular and has been around for so long, you have a ready and huge library of items to download. :-)
- d
- dorian
- S3f
- 03 Aug 2006
Ok, thanks for the answer. Cause I've played a bit with the Samsung E760 and the display there is very bright and clear. Also it has 1,3 mp camera and the pics were better than expected, really good I must say. So I thought if you compare those things with the Z550. Is SE camera as good or not? And no autofocus? Then it can't be that good?
- D
- DarkRay
- F4p
- 02 Aug 2006
To dorian:
The display is very good, similar to the one on K750i and certainly better than the ones found on W300 or its predecessors, Z530i and Z520i.
Camera wise, it can take decent pictures under good lighting condition, but don't expect it to be excellent as there is no auto-focus. It's better than most other 1.3MP found on most other mobiles in my opinion though.
- d
- dorian
- S3f
- 02 Aug 2006
Can anybody who has the phone tell me about the camera and display? Is the display bright and good? How good is the camera? Can it take high-quality pics?
- D
- DarkRay
- F4p
- 31 Jul 2006
To: Riya
Go to Settings -> Sounds & Alerts -> Increasing Ring and select "Off".
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This is really a great phone. I have a Samsung 1GB YP-T8 as my MP3 player and so the 25MB is more than enough for my themes (go to zedge dot net - lots of great themes), wallpapers, photo ids, and ringtones. I do not need really the M2 card and so will wait out and buy the 1GB M2 card only when its price falls below US$50.
- ?
- Anonymous
- Sa%
- 31 Jul 2006
That is the best phone i ever had!!!!! its perfect you guys will love it. nice design easy to use perfect display extremely good camera ... what else to say perfect!
- R
- Riya
- in{
- 31 Jul 2006
Can anyone lemme' know as to how can I increase the ringtone sound? Or how can I change the ringtone mode form 'Increasing Ring' to Normal Ring?
- j
- jojo
- P@d
- 31 Jul 2006
this phone is cheaper than W300i..y? it doesnt have usb cable, 256MB M2 card, more quality headset & smaller external screen..but it beats W300i in other aspects..better display, more compact (no loose antenna), better design, & good keypad..so u want some tip?buy a separate headset, usb cable, & 1GB memory card & it will beat W300i at any given time..
- S
- Santa singh
- iwX
- 30 Jul 2006
Phone is tremendous.Only thing is that ringing volume is not so loud as others.Cany anybody tell me that how to stop shutter sound when click to take picture.I wanna stop that.Pls help!!
- D
- DarkRay
- F4p
- 28 Jul 2006
By the way, in reference to the questions below, this phone is able to record phone conversations, and does have a built-in RDS capable stereo FM radio. Like the K750i, it can even use the radio as the alarm signal (the supplied headset, which acts as its antenna must be plugged in though).
Also, why in the world would anyone still one to use IR when bluetooth is so much better. Not only is it way faster, it does not need a line of sight to operate. ;-)
- D
- Dark
- F4p
- 28 Jul 2006
The phone can accomodate 1GB M2 cards, but they are really expensive right now. Ringtone level wise, I say its about average, similar to the K750i.
By the way, the more I use the phone, the more I love it. It is fast with little lag, and it operating system is practically the same as the one in K750i! All the K750i themes and Java games are all running great on my phone! :-)
- j
- jack
- P@d
- 27 Jul 2006
is the message alert tone/ringing tone loud? hows d speaker at d back?does it play mp3 quite loud like w550i, w300?anynone, tnx...
- J
- JAMES
- P@d
- 27 Jul 2006
can this phone accomodate 1gb/2gb ms micro?
- D
- DarkRay
- F4p
- 26 Jul 2006
Just got the Sterling Black one and in my opinion, it is the best mid-level phone available now!
My previous phone was a Samsung and I was considering their offerings (mainly SGH-X670 & SGH-E670). But hated the fact that a lot of Samsung phones do not come with the "ring and vibrate " feature which so many Sony Ericsson and Nokia users already take for granted (even my ancient Nokia 8210 supported that).
I was astounded by the sheer amount of features that this entry level phone has and its only slightly more expensive than Samsung SGH-X670 (which does not support memory cards, has only a VGA camera, and no bluetooth). Without bluetooth, Samsung requires either the USB (via a separate cable) or WAP to transfer files which means spending more $$$.
Features wise, it is comparable to the more expensive Samsung SGH-E670, but with the additional benefit of a built-in RDS enabled Radio. More importantly, it can ring and vibrate simultaneously!!!
Its finishing is also very nice, with brush metal accents and good quality plastics. The monochrome screen in front do not bother me and is actually better cos you can set the display to show you the time and other details (such as miss calls and messages) all the time (like a inverted LCD) and it is easily readible anywhere.
Only pain is that it is using the super-expensive Sony Memory Stick Micro M2 and no complimentary one is provided in the stardard package, which came only with the battery, handsfree and charger.