Sony Ericsson W995 Preview

Introduction and Design:

Last year was not very successful for Sony Ericsson and the company suffered some significant loss, but it seems that wasn´t an obstacle for its progress, since it announced the world’s first 12-megapixel phone, the Idou, back at MWC 2009. Along with it, the manufacturer also showcased some other models, which seem to have remained in Idou’s shadow. One of those devices was the slider W995, which we saw only for a while. Now, we have the opportunity to take a closer look at it, but still, we cannot come up with a full review, since the final unit has not been released yet. We will only be using a prototype unit (running Vodafone software), so we will hazard a conclusive opinion as more or less significant changes may come forward by the time of its official release.


What’s interesting about Sony Ericsson W995 is that despite the “W” in its name, it´s not only being promoted as very good music phone. Its video capabilities and 8.1-megapixel autofocus camera with “photo flash” are also being stressed on. Now, having read that last sentence, you probably think this is definitely a top-dog, high-end phone, looking far more like an all-in-one device than just a gadget to play some music on. Well, so do we, in addition to the features mentioned above, it also features Wi-Fi, GPS and a 3.5mm jack (at last), which has been pretty conspicuous by its absence in even the Walkman series until now. The jack is positioned on the top side, along with one of the two stereo speakers, the second being on the bottom side.



You can compare the Sony Ericsson W995 with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

For the first time in a Sony Ericsson phone, there is a metal stand on the back of the device. It allows you to conveniently place it on a table (by you half-opening it), similarly to N96/N86 8MP, or you can just attach a neck strap to it (I hope there is one in the package). There is a small magnet holding it firmly clinging to the back of the phone when the stand is closed. This way, even if its mechanism gets a bit worn out, it won´t move freely.

W995 is really compact in size and its weight is acceptable for a phone with such functionality and metal front and back panels. There is a 2.6-inch display with QVGA resolution and 262k colors on its front, able to deliver a really nice image quality and we hope this stays the same with the final unit. The keys, including those of the keypad, are big enough for people with thicker fingers. What’s quite cool here is that when you start the Walkman player, the keys that control it change their backlight, while the rest remain dimmed out. The three music-dedicated keys on its right side also light up in orange. Below them are also the volume rocker and the camera shutter.

Software:

As a whole, the software utilizing the A200´s interface in Sony Ericsson’s non-smart phones is rather easy to use. You will get used to it quickly, even if this would be your first time you´ve seen it. Our prototype unit doesn’t seem to have introduced any groundbreaking changes, but we noticed something new, which is also present in C903. While you are typing messages, an icon bar appears at the bottom of the screen, allowing you to add images, animations, sounds, videos or to say it short, to turn your ordinary message into a multimedia one, fast and easy.


The built-in Wi-Fi supports DLNA, meaning you can view files from other devices on the phone.

The Walkman 3.0 player doesn’t seem to have been through big changes, as well as the rest of the interface, but it’s as good a guess as any what may happen by the time it has come out. The well-known Media menu helps you filter your songs by a number of criteria, view available video files, play a game or see your RSS feeds. We have to mention that the W995 will be Sony Ericsson’s first phone to come with PC Software with their new drag & drop file management function. Its name is Media Go and is still unavailable for download, but should offer you a lot easier video file conversion and music management wrapped up in an iTunes-like interface.



The 8.1-megapixel camera, one of the phone’s high-end features, has got the interface that we already know from Cyber-shot models (like C905 and C902) and features face detection. Since modern top camera phones also have 8MP cameras, we took a few shots to satisfy our curiosity. We are unwilling to discuss their quality and recommend that you not draw any conclusions either; after all, let’s not forget that our unit is just a prototype.






As we mentioned, the W995 features a built-in A-GPS, but in contrast to C903, Wayfinder Navigator is not preinstalled, it only has the standard Google Maps. With or without it, the last addition to Sony Ericsson’s Walkman series looks rather tasty. It has gained a rich functionality and will probably appeal to even the most choosey and exacting customers, but I wonder if it offers a better sound quality than the W980´s. We will have to wait for its official release, in order to pass any judgment. Until then, you can read one (or a few) of our latest reviews or have fun in our forums.