vB Easy Archive - SE k850i...possible purchase. Need help!

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SE k850i...possible purchase. Need help!
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Posted by: davistld01

Hey, guys...

I've been away from the SE camp for awhile, but I'm seriously considering buying a k850i if I can get my finances right...and need some help.

Please don't tell me to read the 500 pages of the "Official k850i Thread"...since I don't have the time or patience...

. I just need some answers...

1) How is the incoming call volume compared to the w810i & k790a (the SE's I've had)? Loudness is subjective...but it's really paramount to me. The other two were too quiet.

2) Is it really the bug monster that I've heard it is? And, if so...what are the bugaboos I need to know about?

3) How is build quality? I like a heavy, solid phone...

4) How is the 5mp camera...really? Does it have auto-focus as the w810i?

5) Is the screen nicer than the k790a...which was pretty nice?

Thanks for your patient help.

Posted by: christomapher

1. Call volume is loud and clear. 3G makes the voice quality better as well.

2. It does have bugs, but I only experience lagging for the most part. Other people have more problems. It depends on a number of factors including where it came from, firmware, and what region it was designed for (I think).

3. Build quality sucks, no improvement since even the T610i. Squeaks and creaks, feels plastic-y, not solid at all. If you want something with the same features and nice build quality, get an N82.

4. It's really nice, it's no dedicated point-and-shoot type camera, but it's much better than anything I have used. Duh it has auto-focus, as well as image stabilization, red eye reduction, bestpic, pictbridge and xpict stories! It's a Cyber-shot, and it's the best camera SE has to offer currently.

4. Much nicer.

Posted by: danska

I can't answer all your questions but i will try with some.

1. It sounds louder than my friends w800 and slightly louder than my old w810. It appears that way at least.
2. I have not had any bug issues with mine yet. Going strong here.
3. It feels like a nice solid phone. I just got mine a week or so ago though. I should wait a little while before judging this. It's still practically new.
4. The camera isn't bad. I'm impressed with it.

Posted by: davistld01

Thanks guys, I'm waiting for a deal to go through to fund my next phone...and am leaning towards either the k850i or the Nokia 6500 Slide...

I will never mod or hack my phone, and just want something nice that works 100% without a lot of BS.

Posted by: marktang

i see that u went over to moto davistld01 lol

Posted by: GeminiIII

Quote:

Originally Posted by marktang

i see that u went over to moto davistld01 lol

i guess he wanted something that's more like to be reliable and with decent build quality.

Posted by: davistld01

Quote:

Originally Posted by marktang

i see that u went over to moto davistld01 lol

Yep...at least for now. Solid build, amazing RF, excellent call quality, sexy looks...and with the black color of the HK-variant, a huge measure of exclusivity. I'm not back to Motorola as a brand...because I've had everything else...but until I find something else, I'm sure not hurting for a good phone.

I do miss my SE though...that's why I posted.

Posted by: Phone Diva

A bug on one of my phones is the theme I used from the card reset back to an original built-in SE theme that came with the phone, three times. Now it's OK though, and I've been using the phone all day. Maybe the phone didn't like the theme I chose,

. But I won out.

I don't agree with the poster who said the build quality was creaky. Neither of mine are. I abused the one phone today(constant phone calls, browsing, knocking around in my purse) and it seems OK. I do think you need to be sure you're in excellent lighting to use the camera, the picture is a little crappy in less than optimal light. But it's OK for casual shots. I do like the volume on 3G, it's great! The screen is really nice, but I don't have a K790a to compare with. I do like the new media interface better than the older W810i(but that was still a great phone).

On the Moto note, I think RAZR2 is a cool phone, the best RAZR yet. All they need is one with tri or quad band 3G with the same build quality.

Posted by: XxXSnake23XxX

I have only i problem...
my center soft key isn't always responsive... but i can live with pressing it 2 or 3 times

Posted by: mrweiser

I'm not going to lie and say that I haven't had any problems with the phone. However it's good points far outweigh the bad. I can't speak for christomapher, but my phone has no creaks whatsoever. It's heavier than the N95-3, but smaller. This is the first SE phone that I have not had to modify the audio drivers on. I keep it at about half volume for phone calls (I've never even been to full volume). The camera is excellent at outdoor shots and pretty good on certain indoor shots. I believe with the improvements I have seen so far that in the next one or two firmware updates this phone will be close to perfect. By the way, my wife has the V9 and my K850i gets as good or better reception, and I actually like the call sound quality better on the K850i. My .02

Posted by: Treatz

I like the phone, and it annoys me

Likes:
camera
build quality
Looks
Tech*
Screen
Dual media support for MicroSD and M2
Batterry life**

:annoyances
Theme resets***
Keys. You get used to them, but they're still not that great
Media player****
Slow and laggy OS. Time for a new processor SE!
TOuch keys aren't the best solution

That's all I can think of for now.

*triband HSDPA, quad GSM.. it's onbe of the only phones that has triband HSDPA
**one of the only 3G phones that lasts me a day. N95 was half day, at best
***this is a SW issue. It's not really SE's fault per say, but THEY put out theSW and my phone's theme keeps resetting so who do i blame!!
****Complete crap. AT the Gym i use a BT headset, if a call comes in the dam music player never resumes. I always have to fiddle with the phone and headset to get it to work again. This is the last thing you wanna do @ the Gym. it's gotten so annoying i'm just gonna take my ipod again.

Posted by: XxXSnake23XxX

Treatz honestly... how long do you get out of the media player?? does it drain your battery like a biatch?

Posted by: Treatz

Quote:

Originally Posted by XxXSnake23XxX

Treatz honestly... how long do you get out of the media player?? does it drain your battery like a biatch?

I only use it at the GYM.
1 hour max. I don't use it the rest of the day.

Posted by: christomapher

If anyone honestly thinks the build quality on these phones is good, they really don't know good build quality. I guess you can try to ignore the rest of the brands out there, which allows you to think that SE has good stuff, but in comparison SE's quality just sucks.

Posted by: Phone Diva

I have SEVERAL brands of phones and still don't agree with you about the K850i!

I would if you'd said K550i, that's a little cheaply built. The K660i somehwat too. I held a K800i and it seemed solid except for the joystck was a little cheap.

The K850i feels fine to me, otherwise I wouldn't have bought it. I don't think it qualifies as POOR. I'd say more like GOOD. If it had metal casing parts, I'd say very good.

BTW, my N81 has a creaky battery door, but the rest is very good. I think both Nokia and SE went the route of plastic parts. I saw a thread that claims it's because they want to keep the SAR rating down.

Posted by: GeminiIII

Quote:

Originally Posted by christomapher

If anyone honestly thinks the build quality on these phones is good, they really don't know good build quality. I guess you can try to ignore the rest of the brands out there, which allows you to think that SE has good stuff, but in comparison SE's quality just sucks.

i agree - i've known that for years. i remember when i first got into mobiles in 2004. i rather liked the look of the interface on the t630, so when it came to upgrade, i was mostly certain that that was the phone for me, although there were one or two others.....until i spoke to one of the engineers who repairs the phones at orange. i went trough the list during the discussion, but the thing that i remember him saying was "sony ericssons are generally not a good bet. we get more of them back than any other" (words to that effect). so i was like "oh crap! best go for one of the runner ups". so i chose a moto, and i've still got it in my cupboard in perfect working order after 4 years. i did some research afterwards, and the reviews seemed to back up what he said.

the thing about SE is, that they haven't changed at all. their build tends to be(and has always been) a bit on the 'cheap' side. there's only ever been a small handful of models such as the s700 that didn't suffer from bad build like all the rest. occasionally, people get a phone with few, if any, creeks, but there seems to be a considerable and disproportionate amount of people compared with other brands that complain about the build....and the software 'reliability' generally sucks big time! it's a shame that SE seems to see its users as beta testers for them.

SEs have some really attractive qualities that can tempt most users, but when it comes to things such as quality and reliability, they're at the bottom of the pile along with LG. considering my phones now have to last me 18 months, i'm very distrustful of getting an SE because i just don't have any faith in their phones to guarantee to last me 18 months or more. samsung?, yes. moto?, mostly yes. nokia?, mostly yes. LG?, no way. SE?, no way.

Posted by: Phone Diva

You should look in the S60 forum and see the complaints about how cheap the plastic is on the N82 and how bad the sliders are on the N95-4. No matter what the manufacturer, people always have complaints.

I will say though, that Moto phones are often tanks over all other manufacturers. Those things can usually take a beating!

Posted by: davistld01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phone Diva

You should look in the S60 forum and see the complaints about how cheap the plastic is on the N82 and how bad the sliders are on the N95-4. No matter what the manufacturer, people always have complaints.

I will say though, that Moto phones are often tanks over all other manufacturers. Those things can usually take a beating!

I have always been a total stickler about build quality, fit/finish, construction & overall "feel" of my mobile devices. And I will agree that, from my experience in the last fifteen years...Motorola mobile devices have generally been the most consistant in the solid build quality department. The two I own and use right now (V9 & V635) are both built exceptionally well, constructed of mostly metal (both) and optical glass (V9). Although I baby my phones, I have dropped both and have suffered no real damage or performance problems.

I have, with very few exceptions, considered Nokia the most cheaply built and mattel-toy-plasticky phones around...although they do know how to build quality, as demonstrated in their E-series smartphones. The "flagship" Nokia N95 is the biggest piece of junk I've ever owned in the build quality area...and Nokia should be embarassed to price it as high as they do. I am always hesitant to consider a Nokia product, because I have never owned one that I wasn't disappointed in. Nokia seems to be content to rest on its laurels, and offer overpriced, poorly made mobile devices to the tech-hungry masses. Sad, but true...

Although I have only owned two Sony Ericsson phones (w810i & k790a), I have been impressed with how well they are built...for phones that are almost totally constructed out of plastic. I do have issues with their earpiece volume and flaky software.

I am seriously considering the k850i...but am having some just as serious questions as to whether I want to invest in a phone that is so controversial where performance and reliability is concerned.

Posted by: Phone Diva

Except for the theme resets, I don't see any problems. I'm also really tempted to use this on my main account instead of the iPhone. Honestly the novelty has worn off on the iPhone. But then maybe I'm in the honeymoon phase with the K850i.

One guy lost his touch key sensitivity after using his for a while.

I actually beat up my iPhone a bit(spilled liquid on it more than once, LOL!) and the things hasn't really lost any function except maybe battery life, but then I poll for email every hour.

Your Moto is HK, meaning 2100 3G band right? How's the EDGE work on AT&T?

Posted by: davistld01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phone Diva

Your Moto is HK, meaning 2100 3G band right? How's the EDGE work on AT&T?

No complaints. EDGE is much faster on V9 than Safari on iPhone. No 850/1900 3G is not an issue with me since my area won't see 3G for at least another year...

Posted by: Phone Diva

WHAT? No 3G in your area and HSDPA is already out?

Posted by: Phone Diva

Back to SE build quality for a minute. At the store when deciding which phone to get, I picked up a W910i and didn't like it at all, and immediately went back to the K850i. It's truly more solid IMO. I think Chris is correct about some SE models, but not all.

Posted by: davistld01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phone Diva

WHAT? No 3G in your area and HSDPA is already out?

Yep, sucks.

But...we got the Beverly Hillbillys and the Simpsons. What more could you ask for?

Posted by: peryus88

Terry, I'd say go for it and just try out the K850i extensively for about a month...especially considering the price you told me. I didn't like mine because of previous reasons already stated, but it might be different for you and you might not have any problems with it. If you don't like it, you can sell it and make some profit.

I haven't tried the 6500. But you can ask one of those guys on the S60 forum.

Posted by: davistld01

Quote:

Originally Posted by peryus88

Terry, I'd say go for it and just try out the K850i extensively for about a month...especially considering the price you told me. I didn't like mine because of previous reasons already stated, but it might be different for you and you might not have any problems with it. If you don't like it, you can sell it and make some profit.

I haven't tried the 6500. But you can ask one of those guys on the S60 forum.

Looks like I'm going for it. I have a couple of options I'm exploring...

Posted by: peryus88

What other models are you looking at?

Posted by: ThorBlaze Dragon

I don't know
is it the right time once K850 hits $350?
I may consider to pick one once the price goes down to $350 or lower
however, there may have a successor which may go to T-Mobile with NA1700 3G by then

Posted by: davistld01

Quote:

Originally Posted by peryus88

What other models are you looking at?

Pretty much just the k850i and the Nokia 6500 Slide.

Posted by: ThorBlaze Dragon

Wirelessly posted (HP 211 and/or nokia N73: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 7.7))

Quote:

Originally Posted by davistld01

Quote:

Originally Posted by peryus88

What other models are you looking at?

Pretty much just the k850i and the Nokia 6500 Slide.

talk about 6500s, the sister model 5610 is coming (only has quad-2G though)

Posted by: davistld01

To be honest...with all the "blue ring of death", rebooting and crashing horror stores about the k850i lately...and some scary stuff coming from some Nokia 6500 Slide owners as well as of late...it makes md wonder if I shouldn't just retreat back to BlackBerry where I know at least I have a stable (simple) OS and no real bugginess...

I don't have time for a phone that is constantly freaking out and being unreliable. And, it seems all the latest "cool" phones are buggy as hell!!!

Posted by: miekk

It's gotten great reviews on my site.