Sony Ericsson K850i spotted and detailed

Hungarian website Terminal.hu looks to have scored a couple of pics of Sony Ericsson's yet-to-be-announced K850i Cybershot handset, which appears to boasts some specs similar to the company's rumored "Sophia" device. The most notable of which is is the handset's front-and-center 5-megapixel camera with a xenon flash, which gets backed up by a second 640 x 480 camera if that's a little too much for you. Otherwise, the tri-band handset gets some impressive if not all that unusual specs, with QVGA display of unspecified size, GPRS and UMTS connectivity, and Bluetooth (with A2DP), but apparently not WiFi, as was rumored with the Sophia. All that's squeezed into a slim 4.6 x 1.9 x 0.5 inch, candybar-style package. While there's no word on an exact release date just yet, it'll apparently make its debut sometime this spring, with an announcement possible as soon as CeBIT this week.

[Via Unwired View, thanks Staska]

[Nick @ Mar 13th 2007 2:11PM]

Nowhere near are good looking at my K800i :(
I think I'll upgrade to a K810 when the time comes, and give this one a miss.

[iRobot @ Oct 16th 2007 10:01PM]

That's stupid. This one has a 5 mp Camera on it, and a better interface.

[CowboyGA @ Mar 13th 2007 2:29PM]

I'm just glad to see that someone's figured out the equation "Camera + Phone = Handy"

While a 5.0 megapixel camera crammed into a phone will likely produce blurry, off-color pictures, it's a great sophomore attempt at the industry to get this right, and I'll definitely be looking out for it's better adapted bretheren.

Thanks Sony Ericsson! Wait, what that? It'll hit US production circa 2015? Nevermind...

[3rdsun @ Mar 13th 2007 3:53PM]

what year are u in. This is a cybershot phone meaning most of the features of the cybershot camera line crammed into a phone. Have u ever seen a picture taken with most modern 2 megapixel and up phones. I guess not or u wouldn't be talking so much garbage.

[Nick @ Mar 14th 2007 7:56PM]

search Flickr for K800i photos, or even K750i for that matter - and you'll see that this will be the "better adapted bretheren".
SE have the best cameras on their mobiles by a long stretch, and they're not smartphones either.

[shahyan @ Mar 13th 2007 2:31PM]

Why not quad-band sony?
Make a world phone so everyone can buy it.
This is why I'm just now going to buy the N73 instead of a K800

[Mishko @ Jul 25th 2007 7:30PM]

This is a world phone, the first TRUE WORLD phone with all 9 Bands of GSM.

EDGE
GSM 850/900/1800/1900
HSDPA
UMTS 850/1900/2100

No other phone in the world can claim to be able to use all the GSM platforms.

[vishwas @ Jul 30th 2007 4:32PM]

then go suck nokia y came n comment on sony wen u can't own one SE is d leader now nokia is history just look wat SE k models offers. even nokia can't offer dis at is jaw droppin cost if nokia has to release k810i it would atleast cost not less then 750$ take my word. hands up for Sony Ericsson ass down for Nokia.

[andrew @ Mar 13th 2007 2:48PM]

What's with SE at the moment ?
whatever they are smokin .. it's nasty ..

they have some real awfull button thing going on that started with the w880i and the k810i and now this ? well i used to love the slick design of SE mobiles but this .. bah no.. !

No wonder the hordes are fallin over to get a lick at the iPhone ..
mmhhhhh iiiiiii .. ffffoonnneeee

[Nitesh @ Mar 13th 2007 3:15PM]

The N95 takes to the cleaners, looks and functionality wise.

Still impressed by how slim this is though.

[PeteC @ Mar 14th 2007 9:12AM]

I just gave up getting an N95 because of the abysmal battery life. My N80 was awful and the N95 is much the same, I ended up going for an E65. I'm intrigued to see a bit more how this works but reckon the xenon flash is always a good sign that it really is trying to be a camera rather than just an LED flash.

[Pac Man @ Mar 13th 2007 3:36PM]

I have to agree, SE seems to have completely lost all the style that I once admired. They're turning into Siemens with their ridiculous button layout, and look what happened to them...

[harmon wood @ Mar 13th 2007 4:04PM]

Does that look photo shopped to anyone else???

Take a look the unusual shape of the artifacting on the back around "sony ericsson". Artifacting must commonly happens around contrast. However it is rarely in large geometric forms. Most commonly it is in the general shape of the contrast. ie. the shape of the letters "sony ericsson" not the whole rectangular block.

However, that was not the first thing that tipped my off. The perspective, size relation, and boldness of the text "Sony Ericsson" are also off. (comparing to my w810i sitting on my desk in front of me.)

There is also the color change of the "sony ericsson" on the front. This is a logo. Companies rarely change the color of a logo.

Not to mention odd smudging and artifacting all over the phone that is not common in bad jpeg compression.

I am open to being wrong, here. But I hope I'm not becouse that phone looks like crap!

Did I also mention that the phone colors material and trim are just slightly off from sony's common style. This looks more like a nokia design.


Just my two cents.

[CowboyGA @ Mar 13th 2007 4:19PM]

3rdsun,

I'm not sure which is worst: your abuse of the letter "u", your angry defense of 2.0 megapixel camera phones, or your belief that this CyberShot will be the exact same quality as its stand-alone original.

Try taking a moving picture with a camera-phone in less than perfect lighting and let me know how it comes out. I use my camera-phone more often than I use my actual cameras, but if I'm not taking an indoor, stationary picture, odds are, it's bound for deletion.

As I stated above, I'm glad to see phones being built with better cameras, but don't go holding your angry little breath expecting this model to be perfect.

[Yem @ Mar 13th 2007 5:13PM]

I pretty much only upgrade for faster data these days. Bring on HSDPA.

[mroach @ Mar 13th 2007 6:26PM]

Here are connectivity specs:

GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
UMTS/HSDPA 850/1900/2100

Can't cite my source, but it's right :)

[MNA @ Mar 13th 2007 6:42PM]

One look at the buttons and I can assure you can this picture is not fake ...
Whoever is head of design should be sacked for actually letting this sick joke pass all the way to production. Just take a look at samsung to see how beautifully plastic can be bent..

[amiga_tone @ Mar 13th 2007 8:51PM]

Does it come with rumble? Or is that last-gen that won't be included? hehehe

[john @ Mar 13th 2007 11:05PM]

are you out of your mind ppl? w880 keypad is not that bad at all.. easy to type and the best feedback.. don't judge from the picture and try not to comment before you try something for a while...

[grizzle @ Mar 13th 2007 11:22PM]

the w880 keypad is NOT that bad. It's just all the haters out there that can't get the phone are mad cause they don't get to play with it.
The tactile response of it is some of the best i've seen. Granted big fingers are going to have a problem, but the target market of this phone probably aren't going to have that problem.
This phone will look better with newer hardware revisions, ie the keypad will change a bit, right now it's shaky. SE phones NEVER look dead on with prototype models.

[PreGHz @ Mar 14th 2007 1:26AM]

It's all about taste.

I gotta say, you never truly appreciate an SE phone until you actually hold it in your hands.

Most of their line has always turned me off when I first see them (they aren't that photogenic), but there's a reason why people love their SE phones so much.

It's like giving birth. The sonogram makes the kid look like a red-headed stepchild, but when the kid finally arrives and you hold it in your hand, you immediately fall in love.

[Stanley @ Mar 15th 2007 5:32AM]

Yea, the phone is just too sweet to behold, with its portability and High Quality Camare. Kudos to Sony Erricson.

[MattS @ Apr 1st 2007 4:42PM]

ok this looks alright but why can't sony produce an all in one phone to really kill the market this year. a nice looking compact slide phone with a cybershot camera and walkman functionality and gps/wi-fi would be the ultimate phone on the market for some time to come. there's obviously practical reasons why they can't do this yet but these newer models are not impressing me at all.

they are releasing too many phones and not enough quality. i have a w850 which is a great phone (a bit of a brick and the camera not so good) but its a mile better than the new w880. sony need to improve upon the w850 with a better camera and those desirable features i mentioned. its a shame that the n95 is going to fly off the shelves because nokia don't seem to have a clue how to make their phones run at a decent speed (NOKIA - use a faster processing unit for your symbian phones you idiots) but with no SE on the market with those features, the average joe-gadget junkie is gonna be lapping up the N95 well into the year.

I'll be able to play with the N95 tommorow and see exactly how slow it is. The new E65 which is a very nice phone isn't as bad as the N73 speed wise but still miles behind any SE.

[yush @ Jun 14th 2007 4:49PM]

the phone is on the official site now!!
http://www.sonyericsson.com/spg.jsp?cc=gb&lc=en&ver=4000&template=pip1&zone=pp&pid=10868

[Lorena @ Jun 27th 2007 11:08AM]

I'm sorry to say, but most of you a**holes are way to critical. SE makes the best damn phones out there, with camera. I have the K790a 3.2 MP and it's awsome. Takes wonderful pictures and I can't even imagine the pictures from the 5.0 MP phone. Have you seen other phones w/cameras??? It's a joke, compared to SE. Okay, maybe the buttons are a little small, but the wonders that it does, beat that! I love Sony Ericsson, Rock On!

[T @ Jul 21st 2007 11:29AM]

This looks fake. the official SE website here in Canada doesn't even show a model with a silver frontal button like this one. its either green or blue

[Mike @ Aug 14th 2007 10:47AM]

just a thought~~~
u guys cant compare this with the N95. They are on a totally different line. The N95 is more for ppl that need a phone that can go online to check emails n etc, n works for ppl to go on business trip with becoz of the wi-fi function n GPS etc etc.
but the K850i is for guys that likes to take pictures. This phone is basically a decent camera with the function to call ppl with and nothing more. So PLS think about the customer line b4 comparing phones.

but then i still sad that the K850i doesnt support Wi-Fi or else i wont even think about the N95 : /

[sahney @ Aug 23rd 2007 1:29PM]

Any clue on the release date and price? Thanks Devesh Sahney

[anthony @ Sep 16th 2007 11:48PM]

Ive had a few phones over the years delivered from overseas, unfortunately none of the video phone capabilities were able to work on our North American networks, until now. At around $700, unlocked without a contract, I will most likely purchase. SD slot on the side, 5mp camera plus second camera on the front for video calls, 240 video up to 2 hours record time, ad2p bluetooth stereo, FM radio, and walkman like mp3 player w/ megabass, also has a flash and red eye reduction. Its predesecor was the 2006 phone of the year, Heres a link I found with a release date of November 22nd.
http://www.negrielectronics.com/product_info.php?currency=USD&products_id=447

[k850iGuy @ Jan 3rd 2008 12:54AM]

I just got this phone from Italy in blue and it is awesome. Best features are probably the camera (obviously), UI, screen, and looks (in my opinion). It's also loaded with extra apps. A little bit on the pricey side however...