Our Sony Ericsson C903 Review

Sony Ericsson C903

Design

The day we were introduced to The Sony Ericsson C903, our fingers were eager to test out the handset. We were first intrigued by the newly improved design. From the very first look, we could see that Sony Ericsson have paid special attention to ergonomics and user-friendliness. Made from top-notch materials, the C903 does not disappoint with its durability. Made of sleek plastic, the C903 has a unique appearance, however; with time, infinite fingerprints accumulate on its surface giving it an undesired dirty look.

Screen

Moving on to the C903’s screen, we could see that the 2.4-inch screen is a typical Sony Ericsson creation. Boasting a QVGA 240*320 resolution, the Sony Ericsson screen definitely lives up to the market’s standards. It comes ready with bright colors, sharp graphics, and great pixel density, making an image scream out alive with great color and clarity.

C903 Slider Open

User Interface

The Sony Ericsson C903’s user interface is easy to handle and friendly even with the least experienced users. The built-in accelerometer helps you switch view orientation hassle-free between portrait and landscape mode. One interface mishap is the auto-unlock feature where you’ll be oblivious to the numerous calls being made while the phone’s in your pocket – due to normal pocket pressure on the keypad.

Keypad

The Sony Ericsson C903’s keypad has a distinct, vibrant feel to it causing it to stand out from other brand phones. As mentioned earlier, the Sony Ericsson C903’s attention to ergonomics pays a huge part in its design. It is most prominent in its D-pad that is smooth on your fingers and comfortably accessible. One small problem we’ve encountered with the D-pad is its feeble press directions. Other than that, all is working as expected. The main access buttons such as the call and end call are embossed for better usability.

C903 Side

You will also find useful keypad camera controls backlit in effervescent blue such as: focus mode, flash control, and timer. Like many of its peer slider handsets, the C903’s keypad automatically locks when the phone is closed.

On the negative side, there are no protective covers for the side ports making it a dust and dirt collector over time.

Camera and Multimedia

Sony Ericsson C903’s multimedia features kept us entertained for hours. The flash-based Media Center includes: music, video, photo gallery, games, and YouTube.

As with any Sony Ericsson, you will find the standard PhotoDJ, VideoDJ, and MusicDJ as part of your phone’s factory package.

In addition to the standard mp3 support, its player supports diverse media formats including: WAV, WMA, M4A, and E-AAC.

After cruising through the Media Center, it was time for us to test the 5 megapixel Cybershot camera. While the quality is not superior, it definitely outmatches the quality delivered by other non-Sony Ericsson handsets. Indoors, the quality is sharp and lively. Outdoors, the quality is excellent with a 16x zoom feature that helps you capture photos of objects from far away.

Connectivity and Battery Life

The Sony Ericsson C903’s battery life is mid-range in our charts. Depending on how heavy you use the Media Center features, expect to charge it every 2-3 days.

Though the handset boasts excellent connectivity with built-in GPS, A-GPS, and geo-tagging, it does not support Wi-Fi, making this a great disadvantage to those regularly out on business and pleasure.

What We Liked

We liked the Sony Ericsson C903 for its Cybershot 5.0 megapixel camera full with ShutterSmile, flickr upload, geo-tagging features, its scratch-free 2.4 inches display screen, and threaded message conversations.

What We Disliked

We disliked the Sony Ericsson’s C903’s D-pad direction press and fingerprint-attracting glossy surface.

Our Final Verdict

Our journey with the Sony Ericsson C903 is filled with highs and lows. Overall, anyone crazy about multimedia add-ons will find this phone a perfect match. It comes as a compact, user-friendly handset packed with high-end features sold at affordable low-end rates.

Compare Handsets

	Read Review
	Sony Ericsson C903
General
Form Factor	Slider
Dimensions	97 x 49 x 16 (mm)
Talk Time	350 mins
Standby Time	350 hours
Weight	96 g
Quad Band	Yes
Photo and Video
Integrated Camera	Yes
Camera	5.00 megapixels
Video Player	Yes
Phone
Vibrating Alert	Yes
Polyphonic Ringtones	Yes
Messaging
MMS	Yes
Photo Messaging	Yes
Predictive Text	Yes
Screen
Colour Screen	Yes
Connectivity
3G	Yes
Bluetooth	Yes
Email	Yes
GPRS	Yes
HSDPA	Yes
WAP	Yes
Music and Radio
FM Radio	Yes
MP3 Player	Yes
MP3 Ringtones	Yes
Additional Content
Downloadable Content	Yes
Downloadable Games	Yes
Downloadable Ringtones	Yes

Sony Ericsson C903 Full Specification

General

Photo and Video

Phone

Messaging

Screen

Connectivity

Music and Radio

Additional Content

User Comments

Images of the Sony Ericsson C903

Sony Ericsson C903

C903 Slider Open

C903 Side