Comparative review: Sony Ericsson W960i vs Nokia N81 8Gb

Mobile-review posted a very interesting comparison between the Sony Ericsson W960 Walkman and the Nokia N81 XpressMusic.

Bottom line
Let’s see how the contenders fared:

So, the bottom line is this: the Nokia N81 has earned more points (eight, to be precise), most of which are scores on the most vital fronts. And the W960i is a different creature – no doubt, it is an interesting product, it is handy in use, but… only as long as you don’t face it off against its closest rival.

Some words on pricing. As of today, the W960i retails for around 730 USD (in Moscow), whereas the N81 8Gb is priced in the neighborhood of 570 USD, which is quite a difference given that the former is essentially behind the N81 on most accounts, saving for the times when you beam music over Bluetooth. But if you shell out on a wireless headset (like the SE DS-200) for the W960i, its sonic experience will benefit big time. Although, doesn’t it get too steep with all these extra expenses accounted for? Probably a better way to go for the some money is the iPhone or the N81 8Gb?

You may well object and stick to the fact that the W960i features a touch-sensitive display and is second to none, leave alone some N81. And I will agree; however, while smaller, the N81 8Gb’s display is definitely on the bright side and oozes quality, allowing the user to watch clips and short cartoons and enjoy them very much. Plus, don’t forget it comes equipped with the N-Gage service and Nokia’s own music store.



Wrapping it all up, a piece of advice for those contemplating a move from the N91 to the N81 8Gb. If sound quality is what you care about, then you should experience no problems with it after playing around with a couple of earphones. But if you put style above everything else (metallic accents, build quality, etc), then it will be reasonable to wait some more for another music-heavy monster. But, it seems to me that the time of such mastodons are long gone.