Sony Ericsson phones are in the center of attention for quite some time now, and they deserve it, since most of the newer models sport the great design, all the latest functions and simplicity of use all in one single device. From the days of T610 this company has had only successful models.
Black, with a sleek chrome finish, K750i is one elegant-looking handset. The phone got nothing but nods of approval and admiring looks whenever it was shown in public.
K750i’s gorgeous screen shows crisp, sharp images with rich colors. Although you cannot adjust brightness or contrast levels, there are no issues viewing the interface under direct sunlight.
All the external controls of the phone are well-placed. Individual numerical keys are ridged and suitably spaced out. The top left music shortcut button can be mapped to launch the media player, radio or last used multimedia application. Together with the volume controls on the right, music playback can be adjusted even when the keys are locked.
Another useful key is in the middle, offering quick access to new messages or events, missed calls and Web bookmarks, as well as a customizable list of your favorite functions. One of the few bad things is that resuming applications like Java games may take as long as a minute. The upper row of softkeys seems slightly loose and possibly more prone to wear and tear. Those with larger hands may find the small joystick less easy to operate as well.
The rear of the handset is representative of the K750i’s is sporting the sliding lens cover–which conveniently triggers camera mode on or off–and impressively powerful photolight. Holding the phone horizontally in landscape orientation as you would a normal digital camera, your left index finger operates the 4x digital zoom while your right digit rests naturally on the shutter button. The numerics also double as camera shortcuts: "4" for macro mode, "7" for night mode, "*" for light, etc.
Wow! No more painfully slow menus of previous Sony Ericsson models! The newer menu interface is generally very smooth, responsive and intuitive. You can customize the four-way navigational joystick to trigger often-used functions like messaging and alarm clock. Most menus show as a scrollable list of options, while others with multiple categories such as settings have separate tabs which can be navigated sideways. Usual applications like Calendar, Tasks, Notes and Stopwatch can also be found.
With a 2-megapixel CMOS camera sensor with autofocus, you can easily develop photo-quality prints from the maximum 1,632 x 1,224-pixel snapshots. Furthermore, you have other options like macro mode for excellent close-ups, night mode, self-timer, effects like sepia and solarize, as well as white balance for different lighting ambience. You’d be hard-pressed to find better image quality from a camera-phone at the moment.
The loading times are sometimes disappointing, though. Saving images onto the Memory Stick DUO takes about up to 4 seconds, while the initial loading of pictures for viewing can take a while as well. Users also have to go into camera mode before accessing their photos. Video quality at the limited 176 x 144-pixel resolution is nothing to shout about, either. On the plus side, the pre-included slideshow mode is a nice way of showing off all those precious baby candids.
While some phones seem to throw in music playback and MP3 support as an afterthought, the K750i serves as a genuine alternative to any flash-based portable player. The number of tunes is limited only by the size of the hot-swappable Memory Stick DUO which supports up to 2GB. Although you can use only Sony Ericsson’s proprietary stereo earpiece, sound quality is excellent. Add an equalizer with preset modes as well as manual adjustment plus FM radio, and you have little reason to travel without any music
With Bluetooth, GPRS and infrared onboard, the only noticeably absent feature in the K750i is 3G,which in my personal opinion is not such an important thing at all, but there certainly are people who would like this feature.
Call and reception quality is good, though the unusually high placement of the speaker holes makes it a little strange at first, but you’ll get used to it eventually. The 900 mAh battery is quite impressive, since it gave about 3 and a half days of usage, with about an hour of MP3s per day and normal phone usage (around 15 minutes of calls per day and 4-5 messages, with a few camera shots).
It isn’t the cheapest phone in the market by any means, but for a sleek-looking phone that’s user-friendly with excellent multimedia features, you get what you pay for. If you’ve some cash to spare and aren’t eager for 3G, the K750i comes well-recommended as one of the best phones money can currently buy.
