Sony Ericsson W960i reviewed by IntoMobile
By Dusan Belic on Wednesday, December 12th, 2007 at 11:44 AM PST In Devices, Sony Ericsson, Symbian
Well folks, here it is – the long awaited Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) W960i review is before you, divided into several sections. Hope you’ll find it useful, and in case you still have questions after reading it, please use our comments form — I’ll do my best to answer in one of the future posts. Ready? Let’s roll…
The look
The Sony Ericsson W960i is the most beautiful UIQ 3 based smartphone ever made. It’s slick and slim, and fits the hand like not many other devices do. Except for the stylus, the phone is very solidly built. The plastic has that cool matte finish and is made so that it doesn’t slips easily from a hand.
As for the stylus, unfortunately I must report I hate it. Compared with the stylus of the P990i, it looks like an unfinished piece of plastic, like it was simply cut from some raw material. Still, it’s not the reason to hate the device as stylus is useful after all — it’s just an area which I would like to see improved in the future Sony Ericsson Walkman smartphones. Since I use a finger for most of the interactions with the device, this doesn’t fully counts.
Keypad
Going from the Nokia (NYSE: NOK) N93, at first, I hated the buttons. They are smaller and I thought I would be making typing mistakes all the time. Luckily, I was wrong — you get used to them pretty quickly. Above the buttons, there are three touch-sensitive music-dedicated controls for (from left to right) previous song, play/pause and next song.
Besides the numeric keypad, the Sony Ericsson W960i has dedicated Walkman, along with back and “C” buttons on the front; scroll wheel on the left, and volume up and down keys on the right side. Plus, there’s the small power button on the top of the device.
D-pad remains the thing to crave for on Sony Ericsson smartphones, especially for those looking to play a game on their mobile. In addition, I would love to see the dedicated home button. Exiting the Walkman player is a real pain, as I have to press the back button for at least three times. (UPDATE: Just press the Walkman button and you’re back on the homescreen – didn’t catch that).
The screen
The screen is now merged with the phone’s surface allowing you to freely use your fingers — something that I personally see as a direct response to the “iPhone challenge.” But let’s not forget that at this stage Symbian with UIQ3 software platform is a more flexible and expandable platform.
Back to the screen. Sony Ericsson uses the same 2.6″ on P1i and W960i, which can display up to 262,144 colors (why not 16 million?) in the QVGA (240×320) resolution. I was asked how it’s protected and I can report there’s some kind of plastic layer on top of the display. So far, I haven’t experienced any problems with the screen. It does get dirty, but you can easily clean it with the Walkman-branded casing, which is also included in the box.
Camera
The device comes with a 3.2 MP camera with auto-focus. Those who have used earlier Sony Ericsson smartphones know they are quite fast when it comes to auto-focusing (compared with Nokia’s smartphones). Still, Nokia leads the pack when it comes to video recording. The Finish giant’s phones like N93, N95 and E90 have set the standards which we rarely see in other phones.
Then again, Sony Ericsson is touting the W960i as the music phone. Camera is just an addition, and for taking photos from time to time – it’s great!
Speed
Sony Ericsson uses a 220 Mhz processor with both P1i and W960i smartphones. And while it does sound slow, the device performs better than expected — and just for the record (and as I’ve already stated) I was using the Nokia N93 previously. Guess it’s the 128 MB of RAM we should thank for the solid performance.
So far, I’ve installed several Java and Symbian UIQ3 native applications and I still have to see it slowing down. I have no idea whether this has to do with the code itself, but the device is working perfectly. Not that I wouldn’t like it to run on a faster processor, but even this way – it performs great. Almost two weeks after I started using it, the W960i hasn’t blocked for a single time.
Connectivity
The Sony Ericsson W960i is a tri-band GSM/GPRS phone (900/1800/1900 Mhz), and also includes the UMTS radio (2100 Mhz). In addition, it supports stereo Bluetooth (A2DP) and WiFi wireless connectivity. No EDGE, though.
Where’s HSDPA and an accelerometer
HSDPA is not supported and the device doesn’t have the built-in accelerometer. I guess it’s the dimensions of the device and the battery life that made the Swedish-Japanese handset maker go this way. It’s still faster than the iPhone, but can’t match the download speeds of the Nokia N81, another device the W960i competes with.
As for the accelerometer, I would expect it to come on-board, especially when we know that it’s present in both K850i and W910i models. Plus, let’s not forget the W960i is competing with Apple (NSDQ: AAPL)’s handset, hence including all the things iPhone has and add some special sauce on top of it seems like an obvious move…
It’s a music-dedicated device but…
…where’s the standard 3.5mm jack? I do use stereo Bluetooth headsets, but I know many people love the idea of using standard wired headsets on their phones. To be fair, there is a cable converter included in the package, but that’s not actually the “real thing.” And yes, earlier reports were true — there are no Bluetooth headsets in the box, or at least not in my box… However, this will make the device more affordable.
Next, where’s the other speaker? The W960i has only a single speaker. Even some mid-range Nokia NSeries phones come with stereo speakers. Not to mention that we see an increasing number of Chinese phones coming with two and even more built-in speakers. And while most people actually don’t listen to music this way, it’s still a strange call Sony Ericsson has made. It doesn’t cost that much more, but provides an additional checkmarks in the device comparison table. 
8 GB of Walkman love
The Walkman software is fully integrated with the device. You can reach it from the home screen — by touching it — or using the dedicated button. It’s stylish and quite straightforward. Not exactly the “iPhone like stylish,” but more than good enough. Scrap that, the W960i provides the users with the so-far-best out-of-the-box music experience on a UIQ 3 based smartphone. Plus, you have 8 GB of available space to put many of your favorite songs and take them with you, wherever you are. I know some people like the idea of exchangeable microSD/Memory Stick Micro cards/sticks, but I’m not one of them. As far as I can see, 8 gigs should keep me pretty happy for a while.
Finally, Sony Ericsson integrated its PlayNow offering with the device, allowing users to purchase mobile content — music included — while on-the-go.
Software
The retail box comes with a CD that contains the Sony Ericsson PC Suite and the Sony Ericsson Media Manager. The latter is a real pain killer, making transfer of media files to the W960i a snap. Still not the iTunes, but they’re getting there.
As for the pre-installed applications on the device, besides the standard UIQ package that includes such apps as calendar, notes, calculator, converter, alarm clock and stopwatch; and of course the Walkman app, the W960i also comes bundled with third-party applications and games like Opera Browser (yes, it can handle full HTML pages), FM Radio, QuickOffice, RSS reader, Business Card Scanner, PDF+, ExchangeActiveSync, as well as two games – QuadraPop and Vijay Singh Pro Golf 3D. Furthermore, like with other Sony Ericsson smartphones, users can get (buy) additional mobile content from the Sony Ericsson’s Application Store from the “More applications” link.
Usability
Here’s one area where much could be improved. If you haven’t used any UIQ-based smartphone, you won’t like the W960i. It’s everything but user-friendly and sometimes I even think it was made by programmers who may not be fully aware of the end-user’s needs — this is not to say that I have anything against programmers. Menus are not that logical and some things require more clicks than it’s needed on other phone. I’m not here bash UIQ as I know they work hard on these issues, but it’s important to note that first-time UIQ users may — and most probably will — experience headaches.
Final word – do I recommend it?
Yes and no!
Yes to the current UIQ smartphone owners who will find the W960i the most polished device so far. It has the best media player, enough RAM and tons of storage capacity. Alternatively, you may want to go for the business-centric Sony Ericsson P1i, which basically has everything the W960i has except for the Walkman player and 8GB of built-in memory.
On the other hand, if you’re coming from the Windows Mobile, S60 or feature phone “background,” get something else – this isn’t the thing you’re looking for. Or prepare to spend at least a week adjusting to the weirdly organized (sub)menus.
Don’t get me wrong. I love the device, but I do consider myself to be an experienced (smart)phone user. For instance, after moving from the Nokia N93 (which also has WiFi) I’m still annoyed with the fact that the W960i doesn’t prompt me which connection it should use — it connects to 3G without asking me whether it should look for WiFi networks first. In addition, I don’t like the idea of having to use the touchscreen for some common tasks. For instance, you can’t access your “Sent” messages folder without a touchscreen. But, I’m getting used to it…
At the end, it’s your call. The W960i is not a cheap device. Stefan says you should avoid buying the Nokia N81. If that’s the case, you should avoid the W960i as well. But if you like how UIQ works, go for it. There’s no better non-business UIQ phone on the market at the moment…
Again, if you have any questions please use the comments form bellow…
I bought the w960i on 15 March 2008. Within two weeks of purchase, the stylus tip broke-off. Don’t know how? Can only blame it on the poor design by the of SE’s engineers. It is a 2-piece plastic parts construction and press-fit in. The stupid SE service shop wanted to charge me S$10 for a poorly designed stylus, which I refused. I have a spare stylus that came with the box. The SE engineers must have known that their stylus construction sucks!
I only earnestly started using the w960i one week after purchase, after loading in my contact details, etc. I tried the morning wake-up alarm. But it did not sound! I found out that the phone auto shut-down and hanged. Had to remove the battery and re-start again. Then, the alarm sounded! This is terrible work of the SE engineers?
Sent to the SE repair shop and after two days without the phone (and having to re-load all my contacts, music, etc) the morning alarm worked. But, this time, the noon alarm and the appointment alarm suffered similar problem – which is auto shut-down and hanged. Again, after removing battery and re-starting, the alarm works!
Sent my phone for repair again today 5 April 2008. Hope it works??? Am I unlucky or is somebody else facing similar problems? My set is loaded with Chinese software.
Cheers,Tank2
Hi everybody, yesterday I bought my SE W960i and sure, yaeeah, I admit I’m a bit doubtful. FYI, the price was some 450$ and no BT headset was included.
Main reason for buying it were the wealth of features and storage space.I have quite big hands and the device fits fine in them.
I have used several SE Java phones, latest were K610i and W810i. High-end Java applications like OperaMini4 and Morange really turbo-charge these phones and I am very comfortable with SE’s UI.
For more specific demands I have been using Palm PDAs, latest is Tungsten C. The latter works fine with OM4 on WiFi but obviously it’s no PHONE. However, Palm PDA are incredibly versatile, fast and intuitive.Still, some five years after its introduction, no newer device seems to beat the Palm Tungsten’s UI.
Now the W960’s UI and menus make me very confused and disappointed. I surely will adapt, but the very day Palm launches a handset with decent features, I will be the first to buy it, no matter the price…
Best regards all!
Hi, I have been using w960 for almost a month. Previously I was using w950i – w810i – w550i. I have to admit I was a little skeptical before buying it but now a month later I am totally in love with this cellphone.. I agree the stylus could have been better but once you get used to it, it doesnt really bother you much. BTW great review
Aamyre
I can definetly say the uability is not up the mark. It’s very clumsy. This is the 1st time I have had to read the manual to understand some very basic features.
The jog dial should have been a small roller upfront; its very time consuming to have it on the side.
There are lots of problems with text entry, especially when entering in web addresses as scrolling over and editing doesn’t seem possible.
To add to all this the WiFi antennae seems to be of very poor quality and does not detect networks where my iphone friends happily find hotspots.
Stick to iPhone or Blackberry
hello
my name is Sunny and I am a student in UK, I’m planning to get a new phone but I’m stuck in deciding sony erricson w960i or nokia n95 8gb. I’m a sort of person who likes music very much may b the SE camera will b enough me. but by reading all these reviews i thinks that the w960i will makes some problms later on. plz help me by replying me the adavantages and disadvantages of sony erricson w960i and nokia n95 8gb
thanks
sunny
SARUN SUNNY,
bear in mind that built-in storage space is no good as the sole reason to buy a device like this.M2 cards prices drop rapidly and in a handset like the W890i they equal the performance of the W960i.
In fact, these two devices share the same media player but the W890i generally reacts much faster in other tasks.But I must admit the W960i has a very warm,rich and full sound not really present in the W890i.
It may serve as a guideline to you that I still, after 2 months with the phone,still am confused with the UI.
Best regards! //L
Hi friend….
If u like music and camera very much then my clear answer will be SonyEricsson W960i….its a powerfull music device and the big advantage of touchscreen…..all you want to do its to get use to it….thats all its only takes 2 days….and i hope ull enjoy the features of this phone and powerfull music….on the other hand N95 8GB is also good but its only main feature is GPS thats it no good sound and no touchscreen plus a very bold look…..my advice for you if u didnt get any of the phone yet you just wait for the another series of Walkman W980i releasing in july its an awesome phone you better check its features first.
thanks for reading my opinion
Ahsan Waheed.
Let me make myself perfectly clear.I’m slowly beginning to like my W960i.Its overall performance and hi-tech level is awesome. Still, I feel very doubtful because you should not have to be an engineer to manage your cell-phone. Symbian UIQ is quite slow, not really stable and possibly soon obsolete, gone and forgotten. Sometimes I feel I’m stuck in a Kafka novel using it. I said it before and I say it again, SE Java phones equipped with state-of the-art Java applications are more than sufficient for 98% of the users. They are also easier to use,faster and smaller, and dropping memory card prices inhibit the reason of buying it for its 8GB memory. W960i also lacks external memory card slot. So, think twice before you buy….
which one is the best the Iphone 8GB or the sony ericsson W950i
FYI, newly founded Symbian Foundation plans to create a common, universal UI in order to meet the new challenges of Android,Apple and Limo. This means that UIQ (and Series 60 as we know it today) will disappear from the market.
200 out of 375 employees at UIQ software company in Sweden will have to leave. Sad for us in Sweden, but hopefully the new UI will be more intuitive and user-friendly. Maybe they should take a glance on Palm in search of better ideas…?
If you are not in desperate and immediate need of a high-end smartphone, hold your horses or buy a plain, reliable Java device.
Hello..
Brother looksharp65 said that no external memory card slot in SE W960i my question is : do u really need an external memory slot….?you have 8GB man its enough i think more than enough and second question is : Is there an external memory card slot in NOKIA N95.? i think no…
Brother Ahsan Waheed…. yes and no. 8GB is a huge amount of space. Then again, expectations on storage space tend to increase as time goes by.
We should soon see the 32GB M2 (just a prediction, I have no such secret information)
With a memory slot, management of files becomes so much easier. They can be read through a USB card reader, stored in your wallet or be physically sent by mail. When memory cards grow faster and cheaper, the device with only a built-in memory probably will be regarded as obsolete sooner than a device with a memory slot.
Sorry , I forgot one important issue about built-in memory. If your device crashes, you REALLY,REALLY need to have a back-up. But it is far more easier to move the card to another phone, isn’t it?
Dose the W960i have a mp4 player because i want to put a film on it if i get it?
Till now i got a problem with W960i which is turned off by itself. This is what i called Sony Ericsson rules!
i am encountering my prob now with my w960i phone. I just baught it last july. I couldn’t be able to use its touch screen. It is now insensitive. I went over the user guide and checked it but until now it is not working.
hi i am owning a w960i for the last 6 months. it was abit complicated at the beginning. i normally keep my phone in my pants pocket. today when i took my phone out to use the LCD was damaged. the screen had not a scatch on it. i havent droped the phone or anything. i would like to know if any other owner of a w960i has had a similar problem.
i just want to know that due to the phone memory of 8gb,will the W960i slow down when the memory will be almost full?
and also does the W960i catch viruses easily?also is it difficult to get rid of the viruses?
Plz help me!
Its been a year I have been using this device and I simply love the way it works. It does slow down a bit when its completely filled but surprisigly not to what I had expected after filling up 7.5 GB space.
i need a lot of help….i got this phone yesterday and the screen is messed up..like when i press the menu it takes me some where else….help plzz??
hey this is one of the best reviews out there!!!! but anybody knows if this phone will work fine with only the 1900mhz in the USA???? please answer!!! thanks!!
To edd:
You have to open your phone with a torx 6 screwdriver and look for the touchscreen Connector it is very little and fits in the display chip (just under the LCD screen.
Seriously, it is really easy to do and the torx § won’t cost you more than 3 bucks.
http://www.datakits.co.uk/store/sony-ericsson-w960-w960i-genuine-original-lcd-screen-p-5472.html
Just be sure that all is properly connected inside (touchscreen swap to the LCD chip and LCD to the mainboard (under the numeric pad).
good luck
How long can I play music, before the battery dies? Where I get this phone in the USA?
I need that pen as soon as possible