The VS6 clamshell is Panasonic's last GSM-only handset to hit shelves before the maker moves to 3G in all of its models; Sindre Lia pops the lid and sees whether it's one to remember.
Review summary of the Panasonic VS6:
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Pros:
Cons:
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Mediocre |
70%
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Excellent |
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Full Panasonic VS6 Review:
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Measuring 96 x 46 x 21 mm and weighing 101 g, the tri-band GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz Panasonic VS6 is evidently not quite as slim as its predecessor,
the anorectic VS3. Still, it offers a more streamlined and classic cover in black and silver, as well as incorporating the nifty single-press opening mechanism also found in the VS3.
In open mode, the VS6 features a comfortable keypad providing good tactile feedback with the exception of the circular 5-way navigation pad which came across as slightly hard to use. The handset's 2.2" QVGA display with 16 million colours, 300-candela brightness and a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels, on the other hand, impressed with excellent performance both in daylight and darker environments.
The Panasonic VS6 also sports a user-friendly user interface with an intuitive icon based menu. Text input proved to be a breeze, as did browsing the mobile internet with the internal WAP 2.0 browser. Furthermore, the VS6 also features polyphonic and MP3 ringtones, support for SMS, MMS and Java MIDP 2.0, Messaging Illumination, two games in Sonic The Hedgehog and Soccer, as well as 32 MB of onboard memory. Connectivity-wise, the VS6 exceeds the VS3 by offering GPRS, Infrared, Bluetooth and USB 2.0; alas, EDGE is nowhere to be seen, nor is calendar synchronization.
The VS6 does, though, come equipped with a 2.0 Megapixel camera which, courtesy of its high shutter speed, produces great instant-capture shots. The image quality in general can best be described as good, providing images with good white balance and bright colours. Controlled by means of a dedicated camera button on the right side of the handset, the camera also records video clips at a resolution of 176 x 144 pixels, with both stills and videos easily added to MMS messages from within the camera application.
The reception and voice quality of the Panasonic VS6 were both adequate, while the phone offered approximately 4 hours of talktime and 7 days of standby time during our test period as opposed to Panasonic's claim of 8 hours and 18 days, respectively.
Availability
The Panasonic VS6 is now available in Europe, selling in the €300 EUR range without subscription.
Price and availability
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