| Mini Review of the Ericsson Z600 |
| Mini Review of the Ericsson Z600 |
 |
The Ericsson Z600 is a GSM camera phone in a clamshell design. That alone begs comparison with the Sharp GX22, which offers the same basic features in a similar package, but superior display quality and a vastly better camera. Last Updated: 06-Nov-2003 |
Before reading this review, please read Some Thoughts on Phone Reviewing.
General
The first thing you notice about the
Z600 is its funky design. It looks like two separate phones stacked on top of
one another, rather than a single product with a hinge. You’ll either love it or
hate it, but looks aren’t, after all, the most important aspect of a cell phone.
If they are to you, then you really shouldn’t be wasting your time reading
reviews anyway.
The aluminum casing is solidly built, and the flip has a positive stop that
should prevent creaking when stress is put on the hinge. However, you should
always treat phone hinges with respect, and try not to put too much stress on
them when you talk on the phone.
The large screen doesn’t come close to the gorgeous display on the Sharp GX22,
but it has much richer color than other Ericsson offerings, such as the
T616. The display is probably good enough for
the average consumer, but below what is obviously possible.
The built-in camera provides a maximum resolution of only 384 x 288 (same as the
T616). As Carsmovies noted, this feature is really intended for taking pictures
to use as wallpaper, or to send to other phones via MMS. This sort of resolution
isn’t good enough for taking real photographs, as even 640 x 480 isn’t quite up
to that task.
Carsmovies sent along a photo he took of me at Square One (which I’ve included
at the bottom of this review). I’ll make the same recommendation here as I did
with the T616; don’t buy this phone for the camera. Buy it because you like the
phone, and consider the camera as a bonus.
Unlike many other Ericsson phones, the menus are lightning fast (or they sure
seem that way). It’s a joy to work your way through the menus on this phone,
which work the way all the other Ericsson phones should work. The menus also
make excellent use of the display, and are as good as any menus I’ve seen on
just about any phone. Remember however, that I didn’t really get a chance to
play with the phone for a very long period of time.
The phone also includes infrared and Bluetooth, which both seem to be standard
on Ericsson high-end GSM models. This should be a major selling point for those
wishing to use their data connections with palm or laptop computers.
RF Performance and Audio Quality
RF
performance is exceptional. During tests against my
Nokia 6310i (which thus far has proven to be the
standard-bearer for RF) the Z600 holds its own. The audio breaks a little bit
more under weak signal conditions, and I did mysterious drop two calls when I
hadn’t been expecting to. None-the-less, the performance is close enough to the
6310i to declare it a tie.
Too bad incoming audio quality doesn’t match the
stellar RF capabilities. The tonal balance of the Z600 is decided thin and
peaky, though sound reproduction is top notch. The earpiece has plenty of
volume, but when you turn it up the sound becomes unpleasantly piercing.
Outgoing sound quality isn’t bad, but it’s mostly just average.
The bottom line is that the Z600 is a rather expensive phone (selling at around
$600 Canadian), and it offers very disappointing incoming audio. The camera’s
quality is too low to take seriously, and the phone lacks some of the more
powerful features found in the Ericsson P800. However, as a stylish clamshell
phone, the Z600 does seem to strike a chord, and so it should find a number of
enthusiast buyers. I just can’t number myself among them.
****************
Here is a photo of yours truly taken at Square One:
