Sony Ericsson W890i Review: Smooth keypad, solid battery but won’t display caller ID

Bigger is really better with the Sony Ericsson W890i. Its got a pumped-up camera 3.2MP and is also 7 grams heavier and slightly wider about 2.5mm but disappears when you slip into your pocket.

The Good: Gorgeous brushed silver finish fit for a Terminator. Smooth and improved keypad. 2GB stick included. 3G. Decent sound recorder. Decent earbuds. Solid battery life. MusicDJ app lets you compose original ringtones on-the-go. A paused track holds its place, even after phone shuts down.

The Bad: Phone can’t take calls and won’t display caller ID during mass storage transfer or while connected via USB. The result: beaucoup missed calls! Camera needs a flash (yesterday!). Memory slot can’t be accessed without removing battery cover. No 3.5 mm jack. No wi-fi. Despite a near-perfect keypad, the tiny menu buttons can feel a little cramped. Radio only plays with headphones (i.e., no boombox’d NPR).

The Bottomline: The best improvement to the W890i is that it can swallow a 4GB stick, delivering twice the tuneage of the W880i.

Price: Starting at $350.

Read full review over at WIRED.

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