Sony Ericsson Z520a Review - Introduction and Design

Reviewed by: Allen Tsai - Oct 29, 2005

Introduction

Setting their sights on the image conscious consumer, the new Z520a by Sony Ericsson builds upon the Z500a released last year. More of a fun phone than a business device, the Z520a featuring Style-Up exchangeable front and back covers, allowing users to change the exterior depending on their mood. With most cell phones in conservative silver, black, white, or blue, the Z520a lets consumers express their style and taste.

The Z520a comes with fun features to set of the senses. When incoming calls or new text messages appear, light effects start flashing. Located around the rim of the Z520a, LEDs are programmed to display various patterns in different fun sequences.

It's features like these that make Sony Ericsson the king of customization. Offering not only wallpapers and ringtone alterations, but also themes that go beyond basic color schemes, the Z520a assures users' personalities shine through.

Design

A Sony Ericsson characteristic, the recognizable loop antenna is reminiscent of the Z200. Having a plastic-molded exterior, two interchangeable Style-Up covers are included while additional colors can be purchased separately.

Sony Ericsson Z520a Closed Measuring 83 x 46 x 24 mm and weighing 98 g, the Z520a is much smaller and lighter than the slightly bulky Z500a, perfect for the pocket.

Compact and simple, the front features a 4K-color 80 x 101 px screen, offering at-a-glance status and access to limited phone features. Located off to the bottom right, the lens to a VGA camera can capture images at up to 640 x 480 px.

On the left, Camera and Volume Keys are situated next to the infrared port, while the bottom houses the multi-function port for headsets, accessories, and the charger. Turned around, a speaker grill ensures loud and clear speakerphone functionality.

The loop antenna on the top seems to generate varied responses from consumers, either they love it or hate it; there seems to be no in between. Regardless of which camp users belong to, the Z520a does a fairly decent job picking up signals; much better than its internal antenna brethren.

Opened to reveal a 65K-color 128 x 160 px LCD, 5-way directional and numeric keypads provide quick navigation and fairly sizable and comfortable typing through T9 predictive text.

Out of the box, the Sony Ericsson Z520a comes with a standard 900 mAh Li-Ion battery, two Style-Up faceplates, home charger, and user manual.

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