Sony Ericsson K850i

Despite some fairly stiff competition, Sony Ericsson remains king of the camera phone market with its CyberShot range. The CyberShot K800i’s 3-megapixel camera was the first to produce images good enough to print, and its xenon flash also made it the first phone to take acceptable night-time shots. The K850i is Sony Ericsson’s latest offering, and it promises even greater things with its integrated 5-megapixel camera.

For a start, its design is neater than the K800i ‘s. There’s no longer an unsightly bulge on the back of the camera, and the lens is now hidden behind an automatic lens cover. This is where the problems begin, though. The sliding lens cover is concealed behind a clear plastic panel, which is easily smudged with fingerprints. If you don’t take care to keep it clean, you’ll find that images appear smeary and blurred.

It’s a similar story with the phone itself. While the glossy plastic body initially looks gorgeous it quickly becomes a mass of fingerprints. It’s not particularly comfortable to hold either, as the plastic is hard and there are some sharp ridges that dig into your hand and ear when you’re talking.

While the phone itself is compact and neat, the keypad and user interface are a bit of a disaster. Whereas most phones have a directional keypad and two menu keys under the screen, the K850i has a rectangular ridge around the 2 and 5 keys, and three touch-sensitive keys below the screen. You navigate the menus by pressing on the four sides of the ridge, and select options with the touch-sensitive buttons. This feels awkward in use, as you’d expect to press the middle of the directional keypad to select menu options, rather than reaching for the keys under the screen.

Thankfully, the rest of the keypad isn't quite such a disaster and the small, widely spaced keys are pleasant to use. The only problem comes when tapping in longer texts as their spacious layout often left our thumbs over-stretched.

It’s a small mercy then that the K850i’s camera doesn’t disappoint. It has a sliding switch to change between photo, video and image preview modes, and there’s even a dedicated camera on/off switch that makes it quick to go into camera mode.

The combination of a high-resolution sensor and autofocus lens ensures that daylight photos are pin-sharp with vibrant colours and hardly any noise. Areas of bright sunlight tend to be overexposed, but you can adjust the exposure to compensate.

The K850i’s xenon flash means that it can take reasonable shots in the dark and the BestPic mode, which takes several photos in the space of a few milliseconds and lets you pick the best one, is great for capturing action shots. The K850i’s high-contrast screen is ideal for previewing photos before you transfer them to your PC, too.

Unfortunately, our photo taking was cut short when the phone’s lens cover jammed shut and refused to open again, even after a master reset. While the K800i was a great camera phone, the K850i feels like a triumph of style over substance.

The menu system is flashy but confusing, while the glossy finish attracts dirt, thus making the phone uncomfortable to hold. It takes excellent photos, but we’d still rather have an easy-to-use phone and carry a separate digital camera.