Sony Ericsson W890i

Launch price from £free

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Stuff says

Sony Ericsson’s slinkiest Walkman phone is just as iconic but now has a sharper multimedia tang

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Headphone heresy
The bundled in-ear phones are decent enough but Sony Ericsson still relies on adapters to hook up your quality 3.5mm headphones. It may only be 10mm thin but if its nearest rival and equally slim Nokia 5310 XpressMusic can handle this connection, then why not the W890i?

All of the Walkman music mods – TrackID music recognition software, quirky SenseMe mood playlist creation, support for Stereo Bluetooth (A2DP) and built-in FM radio – are present and correct, while a 2GB Memory Stick Micro is generously bundled to accommodate around 500 average sized MP3 tracks. It can handle up to 8GB cards if you want to go from ABBA to Zappa.

Cyber-shot snub
Sadly, Sony Ericsson’s Cyber-shot pedigree hasn’t trickled down to the W890i – its 3.2MP snapper is bereft of autofocus, macro focus for close-ups and any kind of flash. Maintaining its size zero physique is probably the reason for the autofocus no-show but it still takes basic bright and colourful snaps, despite the lack of detail and sharpness. Video is shot in a respectable QVGA-quality at 30fps.

The improvement on the W880i is clear for all to see. Sure, the W890i may not sport the shake controls and accelerometer sensors of the W910i, but if you like your music phones deliciously slim and feather light, you won’t care one jot.