Not as classy or powerful as some of its siblings, yet still a solid mobile phone: Sindre Lia reviews the Sony Ericsson K500i, finding little to complain about.
Currently dominating the upper end of the mobile phone market with its K700i and S700i handsets, Sony Ericsson is gearing up to repeat its success with the introduction of the K500i for the mid-range market. Admittedly, the K500i doesn't look terribly exciting on paper - neither with regard to features nor design: tag along as we investigate whether this little runt can do for the mid-range what its older siblings have done for the high-end.
 | Despite lingering in the shadow of the S700i, Sony Ericsson's K500i is a good phone
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Exterior
The distinctly mid-range Sony Ericsson K500i measures 102 x 46 x 14 mm and weighs in at 88 g. A perfectly adequate 16-bit TFT display with a resolution of 128 x 160 pixels plays the role of the centerpiece, under which we find an excellent five-way navigational pad. Naturally, the keypad, with its plastic keys and orange backlight, is to be found below this again.
Further on the note of buttons, we find one activating the XHTML microbrowser of the K500i far up on the right side of the handset - whilst in the same position on the opposite side, we find volume up/down controls and a dedicated launch/snap button for the integrated 0.3 Megapixel camera of the phone. Its lens, safely tucked away behind a plastic cover on the hind side of the phone, is placed right next to a truly impressive loudspeaker.
Ergonomics
As mentioned previously, the K500i boasts a very good navigational pad, however the numerical keypad is less impressive as it not only emits excess noise levels but also doesn't quite cut it with regard to comfort level. Fortunately, the phone's casing avoids being particularly slippery, with the K500i resting comfortably in ones hand.
Features
Entertainment plays a crucial part in the arsenal of the Sony Ericsson K500i, which is also why the handset comes equipped with a 0.3 MP VGA camera with 4x digital zoom and support for recording video clips. Additionally, there is also a media player supporting playback of MP3 and MPEG4 files, whilst other highlights include suport for SMS, MMS, J2ME, 40-voice polyphonic ringtones and WAP 2.0.
12 MB of non-volatile memory ensures adequate storage for pictures and video clips, however is far too limited for anyone wishing to replace their portable audio player - in fact, the inclusion of an FM radio would have been a better choice. The K500i also comes equipped with clients for e-mail and instant messaging.
With regard to voice and data connectivity, the K500i chalks up tri-band GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz support, as well as HSCSD, GPRS and an infrared port. Support for Bluetooth and EDGE, however, is notably absent.
Performance
Sporting a simple and user friendly menu in style with other recent Sony Ericsson handsets such as the K700i and S700i, keypad interaction is a breeze with the K500i. The loudspeaker of the phone offers exceptional clarity and loudness, and compared with similar offerings in its class, the 0.3 MP camera of the K500i also shoots quality pictures under less-than-optimal lighting conditions. This photo has been taken indoors at night.
Audio quality during calls also proved very good, as did battery life. The Sony Ericsson K500i claims a talk time of 7 hour and standby time of 12,5 days; our experiences resulted in approximately 5 hours and 8 days, respectively.
Availability
The Sony Ericsson K500i is at the time of writing available in most European markets, selling for approximately $300 USD without subscription.
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