Camera

Integrating a 24-bit (8 bit per RGB channel) 0.3-megapixel VGA camera, photos at 640 x 480 px in resolution are captured in 16.78 million colors.

While the Z525a does not have an external dedicated camera button like the Z520a, it can be accessed quickly from the menu. The directional keys can be used to switch between Picture and Video Mode (Left / Right) and adjust the 4X Zoom (Up / Down). Unfortunately users will only have 2X Zoom at the highest resolution. The volume controls on the side of the phone are used to adjust Brightness Level.

Various modes allows users to choose from Panorama (combines three photos into one wide picture), Frames (a variety of ten entertaining frames - Wanted Posters, Jail Bars, Monkeys, etc. to put someone's mugshot in), and Burst (takes four photos in rapid succession - ideal for sporting events and action shots).

Picture Size options are Large (640 x 480 px), Medium (320 x 240 px), and Small (160 x 120 px). Quality allows consumers to choose between Fine and Regular. The camera also uses automatic exposure control to select the optimal exposure time needed for different lighting conditions. There is also a Night Mode that allows users to enhance the quality for those shots in the club when poor lighting conditions can be a problem.

One loss from the Z520a is that without the external camera button, the user can not take a self portrait using the external LCD.

An H.263 codec is used to play and record video with the camera. Taken in one of two quality levels, QCIF (176 x 144 px) or Sub-QCIF (128 x 96 px), the clips are little more than a novelty as their choppiness and grainy quality leaves much to be desired.

Unlike some of the newer cell phones on the market that feature 1+ megapixel cameras, the Sony Ericsson Z525a's camera is not meant to replace traditional digital cameras. With resolution limited to 640 x 480 px, the photos are far from print quality and best used as phone backgrounds and to identify callers.

Basic Features

The biggest addition to the Z525a is the new Push-to-Talk (PTT) service. By integrating walkie-talkie and cellular technology, the Z525a provides a PTT service that can be used by families, executives or employees at job sites.

With one click a PTT user can access their list of individuals and groups (they must all be PTT subscribers as well) and see who is available and who is not. One more click and they are speaking to the person or the whole group (up to 20 people). If a quick PTT call turns into a longer discussion, they can convert the call to cellular. There is an additional charge for using the PTT service of $9.99/month on Cingular.

With its quad-band functionality (GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz), users can communicate around the globe with the Sony Ericsson Z525a.

Featuring the same interface as the Z520a, it is still one of the best and most intuitive around. The menu is listed as a 3x4 grid and can be easily customizable not only with unique wallpaper and ringtones but also with different themes that change the layout's design and colors.

While performance varies, the Z25a is rated by Sony Ericsson for an impressive 5.0 and 322 hours (13.4 days) of talk and standby times respectively, under optimal conditions. Some of this may be due to the stingy use of power by the backlights on the two LCDs.

Other than the addition of PTT, the basic features remain the same as the Z520a and were among the strengths of that phone. The PTT provides an interesting new feature that should be popular among the Z525a's target audience which tends to be younger and will be able to use it to keep in touch with their friends.

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