Sony Ericsson W395 Review

Introduction:

Feature phones do not enjoy much popularity lately, especially when compared to smartphones that, in turn, are getting more and more advanced. Sony Ericsson managed to win recognition as a leading manufacturer of feature phones based on specific specializations such as quality music or cameras. The Sony Ericsson W395 is one of these phones that won´t take you by surprise in terms of innate intelligence, but will certainly manage to have you immersed in waves of gracefully blending sounds. It´s a perfect match for all practical people who don´t need extreme functionality, but would rather opt for a device that looks appealing and fad, features basic functions and delivers high-quality music.

Design:

The whole touchscreen phone cacoethes has grown to colossal proportions lately and coming across a typical feature phone is a feat worthy of being extolled by bards. We are really satisfied with the 2.2-inch screen of the W395 that is so insensitive that it cannot be even remotely disturbed by direct sunlight. Well, reading dark text against black background may give you slight discomfort and yet everything remains fully legible.



You can compare the Sony Ericsson W395 with many other phones using ourSize Visualization Tool.

Bearing in mind the price of the device, it´s no wonder Sony Ericsson went for less expensive materials. Of course, this doesn´t necessarily mean the phone would have an unpleasant feel to it and the W395 goes to show this holds true.  Taking a look at its front side, the phone looks pretty cool and appealing with its shiny surface and the glossy plastic feels great in your hand. The charger port, where the 3.5mm jack converter can be plugged as well, is on the left side of the phone. The mandatory volume rocker and the camera shutter are onto the right side, while the M2 memory expansion slot is on the top one of the phone.




Oh, we almost forgot. Actually, the Sony Ericsson W395 is a slider! Typing away with the numeric keypad feels pleasant, but keep in mind the smaller your hand is, the more comfortable texting will feel, since the keys into the most inner side column (the one on your left hand side if you hold the phone in your left hand and vice versa) are a bit hard to reach with your thumb. The weight is well balanced and the device won´t feel wobbly in your hand while trying to dial a number or type in a short message.

The back side of the device is something lovely to behold – the 2-megapixel camera looks like it has been hidden inside one of the two speakers, which are located in the opposite ends of the side. Sony Ericsson´s logo, along with the one of the Walkman series has made it to the back panel. You can´t fail to notice the eccentric pattern on the back, when the phone is opened, that perfectly goes with the overall design of the handset.

All told, the Sony Ericsson W395 is an extremely cute looking phone, especially in its black-purple color solution (our unit).

Interface and Functionality:

The interface, of course, is the same we know well from previous models by the manufacturer. You can easily personalize it to your liking, taste and mood by setting different home screen wallpapers, themes or screen savers. Unlike higher ranking models of the manufacturer, you don´t have the option to change the way the menu aspects.

The phonebook  and messaging screens feature a simplified interface that is really easy to use, so neither would give you any trouble and even the first time you get down to any of these you´ll feel as if you have been using the Sony Ericsson W395 for ages. In case you´re more of a punctilious person (which means that you´d rather buy another phone anyway), you can perfectly trust the organizer that sports all functions most people cannot get by without, such as calendar, alarm clock, tasks etc.



Now, let´s focus on the most important aspect of the phone, namely, music. Of course, you´ve got the Sony WALKMAN player. It lets you take your pick from different equalizer presets, Stereo widening, a bunch of visualization patterns, skins, lighting effects (the purple circle of the D-Pad and the Walkman logo start blinking). The stereo loudspeakers measure up to their task and deliver clear sound even if it cannot be distinguished for its unparalleled loudness though. Yet, their performance is a cut above what most other phones on the market deliver as of now. Bear in mind that using a 3.5mm headset requires that you plug in the converter first. Not that this is annoying or anything. We just have to mention the earphones that come in the box are awesome. They managed to deliver a pleasing sound quality and coped pretty well with even the bass frequencies. 



The Sony Ericsson W395 also has other extra features directed towards music lovers, such as TrackID to help you identify unknown tracks or FM radio, of which we do not need to talk at length about. The phone also sports a 2-megapixel camera to let you take snapshots, just don´t expect miracles – the pictures are noisy and lack enough details. If you feel like watching your favorite videos, you would need to convert them to MPEG-4 files and be mindful about their resolution – it shouldn´t exceed the one of the display – 176x220 pixels.

Conclusion:

Despite the fact the phone doesn´t sport the full range of all the rage functions and this shows with its price, the Sony Ericsson W395 Walkman handset leaves us greatly pleased. In contrast to the all-in-one devices that have been pretty popular lately, this handset relies on its two core aspects – communication and audio playback. Sony Ericsson´s newcomer coped with both tasks surprisingly well. Our only complaint is sometimes people we were talking to grumbled over the in-call quality, or specifically, our voices sounded a bit unnatural. Who cares anyway, we were able to hear them pretty well! All kidding aside, it is not that bad. Our conclusion is that buying the W395 seems like quite a reasonable purchase, especially if we throw both its cute appearance and awesome earphones into the deal.