Review of GSM/UMTS-handset Sony Ericsson W902
Mobile-review have posted their review of the Sony Ericsson W902. Here is their final impression.
The Sony Ericsson W902 is no revelation in terms of its calling features: it's got a solid vibro alert and perhaps overly loud ring tones, which still make it a decent performer on this front. The reception quality was nothing to complain about, and the microphone quality was more than satisfactory.
The Sony Ericsson W902 retails for around 400 Euro (in most European regions), and it seems Sony Ericsson themselves have done everything possible to prevent it from going into the mainstream by setting exorbitant wholesale prices. Truly, while it’s available for 520-550 Euros in Russia, all local distributors get it from Sony Ericsson for 342 Euros (VAT excluded), meaning that there little to no wiggle room for them at all. Furthermore, it falls into a higher price-bracket than most of its rivals, and ends up one on one with the Nokia N85.
Again, I do feel bad about putting the W902 up against the Nokia N85 – it simply can’t stand comparison with this top-of-the-line slider phone that retails at the same price point, comes with the same memory card in the box and sports quite decent materials at that. As far as candybar-shaped phones go, the ZN5 won’t just as popular, although it features superior audio quality, more advanced imaging department and WiFi connectivity. At the end of the day, the only things going for the Sony Ericsson W902 are its quirky design and brand name – there are no other strengths that would justify its 400 Euro price tag. What is worse, local retailers get insufficient supplies of the phone, while having to distribute it with miniscule profit margins.
So, what our bottom line is going to be? The W902 is a likable and functional solution without any bells and whistles, yet positioned as a top-of-the-line do-it-all phone. Interestingly, even the market’s leading manufacturer, Nokia, can’t afford these games and prefers to offer really balanced and interesting handsets in this price bracket. The most fair price point for the W902 would be 330-340 Euros for European countries and 400-430 Euros for Russia, which is pretty much what Sony Ericsson’s wholesale prices are these days (although the wholesale price for Europe is significantly lower). The reason why it’s so overprice is simple – they are trying to offset all missteps and losses in Russia they have made in 2007 and 2008.
On balance, the W902 doesn’t have any glaring drawbacks. If you find it likable and at the same time ready to pay 20-30 percent on top of its real price for, basically, nothing – then it’s worth looking at. But for all people in the know there is a slew of other more able and significantly cheaper solutions.
On the bright side, Sony Ericsson have already launched PlayNowPlus service in Sweden, which is an all-you-can-eat music download service for the W902, and, essentially, their only chance to keep it afloat, as even local carriers aren’t particularly enthusiastic about it. If anything, we haven’t mentioned the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic in this write-up yet, however, with its commercial release scheduled for December it will deliver a knock-out blow to a whole array of phones out there, including the Sony Ericsson W902. Unfortunately, Sony Ericsson have long forgotten the meaning of such words as “innovation” and “price/quality ratio”, and those who still can’t agree should wait and see how the market reacts to their carelessness.
The Sony Ericsson W902 is no revelation in terms of its calling features: it's got a solid vibro alert and perhaps overly loud ring tones, which still make it a decent performer on this front. The reception quality was nothing to complain about, and the microphone quality was more than satisfactory.
The Sony Ericsson W902 retails for around 400 Euro (in most European regions), and it seems Sony Ericsson themselves have done everything possible to prevent it from going into the mainstream by setting exorbitant wholesale prices. Truly, while it’s available for 520-550 Euros in Russia, all local distributors get it from Sony Ericsson for 342 Euros (VAT excluded), meaning that there little to no wiggle room for them at all. Furthermore, it falls into a higher price-bracket than most of its rivals, and ends up one on one with the Nokia N85.
Again, I do feel bad about putting the W902 up against the Nokia N85 – it simply can’t stand comparison with this top-of-the-line slider phone that retails at the same price point, comes with the same memory card in the box and sports quite decent materials at that. As far as candybar-shaped phones go, the ZN5 won’t just as popular, although it features superior audio quality, more advanced imaging department and WiFi connectivity. At the end of the day, the only things going for the Sony Ericsson W902 are its quirky design and brand name – there are no other strengths that would justify its 400 Euro price tag. What is worse, local retailers get insufficient supplies of the phone, while having to distribute it with miniscule profit margins.
So, what our bottom line is going to be? The W902 is a likable and functional solution without any bells and whistles, yet positioned as a top-of-the-line do-it-all phone. Interestingly, even the market’s leading manufacturer, Nokia, can’t afford these games and prefers to offer really balanced and interesting handsets in this price bracket. The most fair price point for the W902 would be 330-340 Euros for European countries and 400-430 Euros for Russia, which is pretty much what Sony Ericsson’s wholesale prices are these days (although the wholesale price for Europe is significantly lower). The reason why it’s so overprice is simple – they are trying to offset all missteps and losses in Russia they have made in 2007 and 2008.
On balance, the W902 doesn’t have any glaring drawbacks. If you find it likable and at the same time ready to pay 20-30 percent on top of its real price for, basically, nothing – then it’s worth looking at. But for all people in the know there is a slew of other more able and significantly cheaper solutions.
On the bright side, Sony Ericsson have already launched PlayNowPlus service in Sweden, which is an all-you-can-eat music download service for the W902, and, essentially, their only chance to keep it afloat, as even local carriers aren’t particularly enthusiastic about it. If anything, we haven’t mentioned the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic in this write-up yet, however, with its commercial release scheduled for December it will deliver a knock-out blow to a whole array of phones out there, including the Sony Ericsson W902. Unfortunately, Sony Ericsson have long forgotten the meaning of such words as “innovation” and “price/quality ratio”, and those who still can’t agree should wait and see how the market reacts to their carelessness.
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