Sony Ericsson K550i

For those of you who’ve seen the advertisement on TV with the guy taking a picture of a lightning bolt, exaggeration is an understatement. But Sony has always been a favorite with me in terms of product quality, though I haven’t quite liked too many of their phone models. The K550i is a sort of an upgrade to the ever-popular K750i.

Form Factor
I do like the design, it’s sleek, slim and it just plain looks cool. The black and silver give the K550i a certain edgy but sophisticated look. What I don’t like are the tiny keys. I’ll admit it takes getting used to, but that doesn’t happen too soon. Give it a week or so. I’m a bit disappointed that it doesn’t have a joystick, which I think would have simplified navigation but the 5 way navigation pad with the ridges for up and down are alright.

On the rear you’ll find the 2.0 megapixel camera hiding behind the silver lens cover. The cover is rather tight so it doesn’t slide down too easily (I’m hoping it’s not a general problem but just with this piece). The two LED bulbs just above the lens gave me the impression that the phone was looking at me with a rather beady set of eyes. Pull the cover down and it’ll seem like it’s grinning at you.

On one side you’ll see the volume / zoom keys and the dedicated camera key. You’ll also notice two small levers embedded into the main body with a symbol of a lock inside. That’s actually the locking system for the rear panel. Simply slide them back and the rear panel will pop open. Now that’s neat. The hot swap mini SD card slot is just underneath the panel on the other side.

On the other side there’s the dedicated music player key and the all-in-one connectivity slot for the USB, earphones and charger. Why can’t they have a simple 2.5 or 3.5 mm pin system? And on the top is of course the power key and infrared port.