Sound Quality

While evaluating the prototype model of the P800, we were satisfied with the overall sound quality of the phone. Incoming calls had decent tonal qualities. People's voices were clear and clean. We noticed the pesky background noises that plague GSM phones in the P800. It doesn't surprise us, but we wonder if anyone will be able to fix it. It's most commonly described as a hiss. But is actually caused by vibrations of the electrical components within the earpiece itself. It wasn't noticed when a Bluetooth headset was used. Outgoing calls were also clear. No complaints. Just what we've come to expect from Sony Ericsson. The earpiece volume was loud enough to hear in noisy environments, but had to be cranked up quite a bit. This might be a problem with soft callers.

RF Performance

Ah... now we come down to the last hurdle. In the past this is where some of Sony Ericsson's best products have tripped on their way to the finish line. While not exceptional, we can say it's better than the previous... ahem T68i. While that's not saying much, weaker signals were able to be held longer when the results were tested against the T68i. This falls short of some Nokia phones though. It's by no means perfect with an internal antenna, but it's decent enough to earn a rating of:

Some of you might wonder why we gave it the same as the T68i when we said it had better RF performance. It compared better than the T68i, which isn't saying much, but it definitely falls short of the better phones out there. With the arm and a leg you'll be paying for this phone, you might as well be able to call someone to get some help.

Pros

· Vibrant 12-bit 4,096 color display.

· Stable, flexible Symbian OS 7.0. A key benefit for developers is the source code is being made available to help encourage new applications for mobiles.

· Great games.

· PDA functionality is excellent. The entire unit is just packed with features.

· Decent quality digital camera to capture all those spontaneous, memorable moments.

· Excellent talk time and standby time.

· Good web and e-mail support.

· Excellent handwriting recognition software.

· Personalize it as much or as little as you want. Pictures, themes, polyphonic ring tones, games, music - the possibilities are endless.

· Expandable memory.

· Vast array of connection possibilities. You can hook it up to anything.

· Excellent clarity. With the addition of the loudspeaker, it's even better!

Cons

· Small, plastic buttons.

· Plastic stylus seems cheap. Definitely could have come with something better and sturdier.

· Proprietary memory sticks. Expect to pay more for Sony memory.

· Weak vibrating option. You might miss calls if you leave it in silent mode. Perhaps size has to do with it.

· 4 hour recharge time. Longer than I'd like to see.

· The sheer quantity of options and features may seem overwhelming and complicated.

· Price. These babies don't come cheap. Expect to pay somewhere in the $1000s when it's released and come down a couple hundred when it gets more mainstream.

Conclusion

Weighing everything we've considered thus far, we think the Pros considerably outweigh the Cons. Obviously, Sony Ericsson have got something good on their hands. While maybe bugs or small issues could be revealed in the future, the P800 has the flexibility, growth potential, and strength of features to overcome almost any deficiency it may have.

One major consideration is the price. Is the P800 worth its hefty price tag? If you're an average guy looking to impress a few friends, maybe not. If you're a business man always on the go, maybe. If you have too much money, definitely. Thus we cannot factor in price into our final valuation, as different people have different needs. Overall, we give the P800 a rating of:

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