Jørgen Sundgot clips on Siemens' Xelibri X7, finding a rare instance of a good-looking handset with a unisex design: now find out what he thinks about what's under the hood.
With its first collection of Xelibri handsets, one cannot go quite as far as saying Siemens introduced a novel concept to the world of mobile phones. However, the manufacturer did go further than all of its competitors in its experiment to bring forward models where style mattered almost as much as functionality - and still does more than most handset makers. This review takes a look at the good-looking half of Siemens' offering for the non-fairer sex: the Xelibri X7.
 | The Xelibri X7 has a clever design and good looks, but like its siblings doesn't quite cut it in the feature department
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Exterior
The X7, although primarily designed for men, has a somewhat unisex design that is both unique and perfect for showing off: at 10.4 x 4.6 x 2.6 cm and 83 g, the X7 resembles an oversize money clip designed to slide into pockets with its front exposed and hanging on the outside. There is also a plastic clip designed to fit into the crevice dividing the front and back half for attaching a lanyard loop.
Meanwhile, the front half of the X7 contains a suitably bright and crisp - albeit small - 12-bit colour screen centered and far up on the front, with a large, four-way navigational pad just beneath it and an action button at its center. Under this we find the keypad, which retains a traditional layout except; the only Xelibri member of this collection to do so. The battery is located in the back half of the phone, and is exchangeable.
And finally, at the bottom, we find the SIM card slot - protected by a conveniently placed hinged plastic insert, which to open requires either a somewhat lax attitude towards cutting ones fingernails or possession of a generally sharp object.
Ergonomics
The X7 is very comfortable to hold and use - although a lack of spacing between keys on a horizontal axis might cause difficulty for some users with regard to discerning between keys. This aside, keys are well sized and also slightly domed, and also offer good tactile feedback while at the same time keeping noise levels down.
Features
As with all Xelibri handsets, the dual-band GSM 900/1800 MHz X7 is high on style, yet short on features. Although basic functionality is fully adequate both with regard to voice connectivity and SMS compatibility, the most advanced functionality offered by the X7 is voice dialing - somewhat odd considering its high price. As befits a style-conscious handset, however, the X7 offers four system-wide themes and a slew of polyphonic ringtones for personalization purposes.
Performance
Offering a well-designed, icon-driven menu system laid out in carousel fashion, the Xelibri X7 requires little if any time to get accustomed to. User friendliness is excellent, however the handset is plagued by annoyingly sluggish interaction and is unable to keep up with rapid text input. Voice dialing works well although is far from fast - but on the bright side, SIM card exchange is speedy for those wishing to keep the X7 as a second phone.
Voice quality is good, however despite good overall signal reception the handset has a tendency to produce intermittent static in conversations conducted under favourable conditions for no apparent reason. Battery life proved quite good, although claims were - as usual - somewhat over the top with up to 290 hours of standby time and 240 minutes of talk time: we achieved approximately 270 hours and 200 minutes.
Availability
The Xelibri X7 is now available in several larger European markets and the Asia Pacific, as well as from the dedicated Xelibri online store. It sells in the $325 USD range without subscription.
Conclusion
Unlike its younger, male-oriented sibling, the Xelibri X5, the Xelibri X7 manages to stand out in a crowd due to its consistently stylish design. Still, it is mostly a phone for talking and little else as it lacks any advanced features and also performs sluggishly when it comes to text input. The handset gets major credit for its narrowly focused design concept, however this also has the drawback of being prone to scratches due to the front being exposed. If you want to show off, though, the X7 certainly gets the job done.
What's positive: Innovative and stylish unisex design; easy SIM card access
What's negative: Minimal feature set; intermittent static; not exactly cheap
| Design: | 5/10 |
| Connectivity: | 8/10 |
| Specifications: | 6/10 |
| Software: | 4/10 |
| Value: | 3/10 |
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iSW Score:
5.2/10
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