Cingular's Sony Ericcson Z525a Cell Phone Review

First off, this is an all around good phone for anyone on a budget, especially since it's pretty cheap on eBay right now. As far as it's functionality as a phone goes, it works perfectly. It has all the functions you would expect from a cell phone. 9 speed-dials, up to 750 contacts (500 in the phone, 250 in the SmartChip SIM card), last calls made, missed calls, received calls, etc. There is a speakerphone function, which works great. It's just as clear as any other call you would make. I know it's not necessary for the average cell phone user, but there are times when it can be convenient.

The organizer includes standard alarm capabilities, a calendar, note pad, timer, stopwatch, and calculator. There shouldn't be too much to explain here.

The design is very attractive. If you don't like the faceplate color, you can get one customized. The keypad is very well backlit and comfortably sized for those with larger or clumsier fingers. The phone is also very lightweight, though not so light that it's easy to drop. Some people aren't that fond of the antennae style, but it's grown on me. It's really a personal preference. As a bonus, there are lights surrounding the keypad that you can set to light up when you receive calls or text messages. In short, this phone is very pleasing to the eye. It's n excellent choice for those of you that want to stay away from the "stylish" RAZR look. The display is clear and has adjustable brightness. There are a few included "themes" for the display, and if you're not happy with any of them, you can download new ones. The external display is also very nice. From the external display, you can see the time, date, service bars, and approximate battery life.

The camera is just what it should be for a camera phone. Resolution comes in 160x120, 320x240, 640x480, and "Extended" which I believe is 1280x960. I personally don't take pictures that often with my phone, but these resolution settings should meet your expectations for a camera phone. If you were looking for digital camera quality pictures, I'd recommend simply getting a digital camera. There's no flash on this camera. There's also a noticeable discoloration in pictures, at least in indoor pictures. The camera also functions as a video recorder, but again, I don't use the camera feature too often.

The phone has standard text messaging and multimedia messaging features, as well as AIM, Yahoo Messenger, and ICQ, but just as you'd expect, there are charges for these features, which will depend on your service plan. This phone is also capable of checking your e-mail via POP3 and Internet access, which has become pretty standard in the cell phone world. I don't use this feature either, as any Internet usage is charged at 1 cent/KB (that's $10 for a megabyte!!).

The PTT (Push To Talk) button is positioned outside and is very easy to accidentally press. It hasn't caused any problems for me because I don't have a subscription to it, so when I push it, a message simply appears the next time I open the phone asking me If I want to set it up. However, if you were to subscribe to PTT, you can have the button locked so that you need to do a certain key sequence to prevent accidentally incurring charges.

I can't review the Bluetooth or Infrared capabilities of the phone because I don't have any other devices that support it, but this phone does have them.

I don't really know what else to say about this phone. It's great for anyone that's looking for style, wants to keep away from the Motorola's, and is on a short budget. If you're willing to spend more money, by all means, go and get an imported unlocked phone. I was considering getting a W300i or a W800i, but decided I wanted to save a little money and settled with the Z525a. The only real major complaint I have about this phone is the low, non-upgradeable internal memory. It's probably what helps make the phone so affordable. Also, if you have a USB cable (not included), you might need to download the PC Suite software from the Sony Ericsson website.