Sony Ericsson Elm review: Green roots Tweet

Gsmarena have posted their review of the Sony Ericsson Elm. Here are the phone's key features, main disadvantages and final impression.

Key features:
* 2.2" 256K-color TFT screen, 240 x 320 pixels
* Quad-band GSM support
* Dual-band 3G with 7.2Mbps HSDPA, 2Mbps HSUPA
* 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash; geotagging, face detection; VGA@30fps video recording
* Built-in GPS receiver with A-GPS; Trial version of Wisepilot navigation software
* Wi-Fi with DLNA
* FM radio with RDS
* Stereo Bluetooth 2.1
* microSD card slot, 280 MB internal memory
* Eco-friendly package and materials
* Social networking integration, widget enhanced interface
* NetFront v3.5 web browser with full Flash support
* Splash-resistant body
* Noise cancellation
* Excellent audio quality

Main disadvantages:
* No standard USB port
* No bundled data cable or memory card
* No 3.5mm audio jack
* Kinda short Wi-Fi receiver range
* No DivX/XviD video support
* No document viewer
* No xenon flash
* No camera lens cover
* Feeble loudspeaker
* No video streaming over Wi-Fi
* Expensive navigation after the trial period expires

By this point it must be pretty clear that the Sony Ericsson Elm is a reasonably attractive package. Rich functionality comes in a well built shell and the potent user interface has done well to be in step with the times. Things get even sweeter if you happen to like the human-curvature design. And we need to say it straight – it’s not a gimmick, ergonomics are excellent.

So if you haven’t been caught in the touchscreen wave, the Sony Ericsson Elm is certainly worth a look when choosing your next phone. The social network integration and the top connectivity options don’t make it a smartphone but are certainly nice to have. Imaging is good enough to let the Elm take advantage of some of that Cybershot nostalgia.

To give you a better idea of the good value for money the Sony Ericsson Elm offers, we’ll take a look at several of its competitors that cost roughly the same.

The Nokia 6700 classic is possibly quite a threat. The slim metal-clad handset is a close match for imaging but fails in the connectivity department for the lack of WLAN. On the other hand if smart is your game, the Nokia N79 is a S60 3rd Symbian smartphone that can deliver.

Of course if you are happy with the Sony Ericsson Elm, but just wish for a bigger screen, the Sony Ericsson Hazel slider-twin is the way to go. It offers basically the same package but the slider form factor has made more room for the display. However, this will probably mean a slightly higher asking price too.

Finally if you are still sitting on a fence regarding touchscreen, you might want to take a look at some of the low-end smartphones out there. The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic and the HTC Tattoo are slightly more expensive and obviously lesser cameraphones too, but offer full-touch control and larger screens (not to mention the full-featured smartphone capabilities).

As you see, the Sony Ericsson Elm is among the solid offerings in this price range, fully capable of standing its ground against the competition. Plus, it carries the GreenHeart logo and the eco-friendly vibe to give you a nice warm feeling inside. GreenHeart has still a long way to go to reach Cybershot or Walkman, but the Elm is one step closer.

Labels: