Sony Ericsson S710a
Phone Scoop Review
Mar 29, 2005 by Eric Lin
In-depth review of the Sony Ericsson S710a, the new high-end swivel camera phone for Cingular. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
Getting closer, but not there yet....
I was hoping this was the do-everything phone, but it turns out it's the try-to-do everything-phone-but-only-does-some-things-well. Here we go:
PROs
+ High-resolution screen
+ Full-featured Bluetooth
+ Sync w/MS Outlook via SyncStation
+ Speakerphone
+ Earpiece sound quality
+ Build quality
+ MP3 player
+ Themes
+ Battery life
+ Styling
+ Gaming capability
+ Reception
+ Call quality (except for mic; see below)
CONs
- Mic location blocked by cheek. This is an unbelievable design flaw. I returned the phone because of this.
- Camera is not all that great. Photos are not sharp. LG VX8000 is better - I was shocked too.
- Camera styling says "I'm a digital camera", but it's just another low quality cellphone CCD, so you begin to resent the way the phone looks when it never delivers good photos. By good I mean they must look good on your PC's screen
- Just too big; it crosses that fine line between portable and pain. I would have been OK with carrying around a phone this big if the photos were as good as the phone pretends they are.
- Menu lag; even with the latest firmware
- Memory card max is 128MB
- Video record has very low sound
- Ridiculous propriety headphone jack
- Headphone volume low
- Swivel is annoying when you're used to one-handed opening ease of a flip phone.
If you're like me and looking for a phone that is a great camera, MP3 player, etc. etc. etc. Then just keep what you have and wait about 2 years for technology to deliver. It's coming, but we'll have to wait. It's back to my trusty StarTAC for me.
Best Phone I've ever had!!!
I bought this phone to replace a Motorola Razr I got as a gift a month ago. Comparing these is like apples to oranges. The razr is a gimmick phone, no different that most other Motorola phones, while the s710a is a phenomenal piece of equipment.
Pros:
* The screen is HUGE and extremely clear.
* The camera is awesome!! I have printed some of the pics at home and they are now on my wall
* Signal/Quality, I live and work in a suburb of Houston and I haven't been able to lose the signal yet.
* Phone comes with a 32 MB memory stick duo and a hands free kit/stereo headphones.
* Features: Video, Bluetooth, EDGE, MP3
Most of the gripes that other people have mentioned have been fixed with the latest firmware update so new phones won't have the same problem: You can now turn off camera sounds, no more menu lag, video only limited by open memory, etc...
You need to get a case with this phone since the screen is exposed, but the screen is very durable. I am very rough on phones and I haven't even scratched it yet.
This is the first feature rich phone I have paid money for (Razr was a gift) and I absolutely love it. If Sony keeps putting out phones like this, i will definitely keep them.
S710
The S710 is by far the best phone out there. The design is unique. The menu is user- friendly. The camera takes great pictures, it zooms, it has a burst mode to cover a moving object, it adds a frame, it has everything from night mode to changing the shutter sound. I love it. I now use this as my camera even in place of my Sony digital camera. I also use it to take video clips. My favorite part is the Bluetooth I connect it with my HBH660 headset. Sony Ericsson got it right with this phone.
Masterpiece!
Working in the wireless industry I am rarely impressed by cell phones. However, I do sometimes come across a phone that knocks my socks off. Lets start with whats truely important, reception and call quality. There is no Cingular phone better in the Was/Bal market than the s710a. The reception is absolutley awsome and so is the clarity of every conversation. The s710a fits in the hand almost like a home phone which makes it very comfortable to hold durring a conversation. And now the features
*Video, *1.3 mega-pixel cammera, *Bluetooth, *MP3 Player, *Music Dj, *Java Apps, *Speaker Phone, *AIM, and *EDGE!
I know sounds like a V551 or 6230 but believe me when I tell you that the s710a is is class all by itself. I've you've got $219.99 to burn and want a phone you'll never get bored with, get the s710a. You will not be disappointed!
My Cell-mate
Having experienced over a dozen cell phones provided by Sprint; Sprint Who? I left sprint and went to Cingular so that I could own this phone. I can't put it down! Well worth $300.00. It does everything and more that I need it to do. I am like a big kid with this phone. As for the remarks about it being slow when moving from screen to screen, so what! Maybe we need to slow our roll some times anyway. I have found my cell-mate! I am in love with this phone! Even the RAZR V3 can't touch this love.
Pros:
Reception very strong, Speaker (crystal clear), MP3's (sound even more awesome with earbuds that are included with phone), Caller ID ringers(personable), Camera quality(awesome for a cell phone-the best that I have exp. so far),Display Screen(beautiful), Infrared and Bluetooth (fast connections), record your own personal ringers or melodies (thru Record Sound and Music DJ),record phone conversations, Voice dial and Voice answer (so cool), Magic Word- for handsfree calling (the balm!), video recording none of that 15-30 seconds stuff (I recorded an entire music video that was on the television screen), Text messaging (delivers and receives very fast), Speaker phone (very clear and the volume isn't low at all).
Cons:
What!!!! I rated it a five!
Awesome fone, great price
This is an awesome phone. I love the swivel design, and the camera is absolutely astonishing. It also looks really cool from the camera side, and looks like one of sonys real cameras, unlike most phones that have just a small space for hte lens for the camera. Its alos an amazzzzzzzzzzzzzzing value, considering i got it for only 40 dollars! Great deal huh? Email me if you want to buy it for only 40 too! tmac117@msn.com
WOW!
Had a v551 for 6 months. A Razr for 3 days. Now the s710.
WOW!
It is a fantastic little device.This phone totally outperforms both the v551 and V3.
Pros
built very solid
Screen in beautiful
memory card
Edge
Great phone book
Usable Camera ( not the usual toy cameras)
nice speaker phone
Size ( I like a slightly bigger phone)
Bluetooth
Great interface
Cons
picks up a little background noise
Other than that I really cant think of a negative. I have the new firmware so there is no menu lag at all. If you don't want the teeniest tiny phone on the market but want one that performs, then this is the phone for you and it still has a little wow factor!
Buy it you wont regret it!
S710 Great Phone
I've had this phone since March, but have decided that now is a great time to give it a rating.
Since being with Cingular I've went from the Nokia 6340i to the Moto V400 and now to the S710. The great thing about this phone is all the extras you get with it like the 32MB Memory Card, Duo Adapter, and the MP3 ear bud. You can do so much with this phone that I never get bored of it.
Pros:
When phone is unlocked and in pocket the buttons rarely get pressed.
The swivel function is easy to use, but I also like how you can swivel sideways or not at all and still talk on the phone.
Media Net is very fast as is Instant Messenger.
MP3 quality is great, especially if you have a 128MB memory card and use if for an MP3 player as well.
The storage (32MB on the phone and the 32MB on the memory stick) gives you plenty of memory to play around with.
Address book take so much info for someone in your phone.
When saving the numbers you can set it so that the numbers save to your phone as well as your sim card and don't show up double like Motorolas.
Timer and Stopwatch features are great.
Camera options like Burst of 4 and the different visual options really make pictures easy and fun to take.
Bluetooth work very fast.
Handsfree setting is easy to program.
MP3 quality is very clear.
There are so many more great features but I don't want to list them all.
There aren't many Cons with this phone, but every phone has it's negatives.
Cons
Camera can't take pictures in low lighting even with the light on.
Camera can't zoom, very granulated.
Can't put Mp3 ringtones for voicemail and text message alerts.
Speakerphone is low.
Voice record with the video is low.
This is the one!
I just picked up this phone on Tuesday from Cingular for $129.99 with a mistake and a discount. Originally I was going to get the V3 Razr but when they told me the price of the S710 I jumped all over it before they realized their mistake.
I thought I'd take a few days to familiarize myself with it before I submitted my review. Now that play time is over, all I have to is Wow!. This phone has everything I was looking for plus a great camera.
Based on some of the reviews here about a slow UI, I was a bit worried that it would perform like a 486 processor in a desktop. Now that I have spent time with it those of you who are worried about a slow UI can rest easy. The UI to me is very functional and is no slower than the V400 I traded it in for. I fully expected the games and themes to take a few extra seconds to load since it is changing the background for all the screens in the phone. The games are 3D with great graphics and this phone renders them flawlessly. If the phone was slow these games would take forever to play. Remember playing games with a 486 processor, thought so.
The way I judge speed is by inputting text. Normally you type a letter, wait a few seconds, then type another letter until you are done. With the S710, it is almost as fast as inputting text from a computer keyboard.
My only gripe is that Cingular doesn't have GSM towers in the rural areas of Wisconsin. So when I go to work in these areas I have no signal until I get close to the big cities. So really I don't have a problem with the phone but with the phone carrier itself.
I also picked up the HS850 bluetooth headset and the S710 located in less than 10 seconds.
PROS:
Great Screen
Very Functional UI
Great Graphics
Great Features
Bluetooth Integration
Ringtones are loud and clear
CONS:
Reception from Cingular
Speaker phone could be louder
No games, just demos
Other than that I would recommend this phone to anyone wanting it all.
As close to perfect as it gets
Honestly, what more could u ask from a phone? this phone has everything and i mean everything. Everyone has their own little gripes like.. "it took 2 seconds instead of 1 second to scroll to another item." give me a break. Nothing is ever going to be perfect or please everyone but i think that this phone makes an awesome attempt.
Pros
-Beautiful color and picture
-Big screen
-Takes pictures and video. (the thing is like a digital camera and phone all in one)
-GOod service in Sacramento CA
-Battery life hasnt dissapointed me yet
-You can play mp3s on the phone. everything you need is included in the box like the memory stick, adaptors, cords and software. you plug the cord in to your computer, open the device in my computer, and drag the songs in. The quality is awesome sounds like my ipod. Headset is included as well.
Cons
-size may be a little to big for some people but it doesnt bother me
I havent really had the phone long enough to know everything about it but the features are really clean cut and easy to use. You cant go wrong with this phone. I got it from cingular and the guy even waived the rebate so i got it for a flat $200. Its the same price as the razr now, only it has about 100 times more features. Cingular even has a 30 day exchange policy so you can return the phone if you dont like it anyway. there really isnt anything to lose, i would recomend this phone to anybody willing to throw down $200 on a phone. You wont find anything better for the coin.
