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Sony Ericsson S500i Review

Phone rating:

In a nutshell: The Sony Ericsson S500i is a stunningly beautiful slide phone, available in green, yellow, copper & purple. It features beautiful wallpaper artwork and specially-designed themes that change with the time of day and the season. Sensational lighting effects accompany incoming calls - it's a real treat! Combine this with a 2 megapixel camera and video camera, a music player, an optional memory card for storing up to 250 music tracks and you have an apparent winner. But, and it's a big but, the build quality of the S500i has gone to pot completely and these phones are literally falling to pieces as people use them. Our advice - avoid.

Review: July 2007. Last updated July 2009.

"The slim S500i keeps you in harmony with the world around you. Slide the S500i open to reveal materials and patterns inspired by nature." Sounds like Sony Ericsson's marketing guys have been hugging too many trees! They've even coloured their phone green. Hey, cut those trees down and put some phone masts up! Let's slash and burn our way through the forest of hype and discover what the S500i is really all about.

First thing to say is that we really liked the S500i (before the problems became apparent), despite our sarcastic introduction. You look at the phone and the first thing that strikes you is its glossy black finish and smooth, slim form. You pick it up, (wiping away the fingerprints that have just appeared on the gloss surface), slide it open, and the thing springs into life, with beautiful wallpaper artwork and themes created especially for the S500i. The background and themes will even change according to the time of day or the season. The keypad is flat and shiny: probably not the best for texting, but pleasing to the eye. The best is yet to come though: wait for an incoming call and the phone really comes alive with sensational lighting effects. The S500i is available in a choice of colours : Mysterious Green and Spring Yellow. Both will stand out from the crowd, for sure. It's a stunning phone, designed for the pixie in all of us.

In addition to looks, the S500i has gadgets too. It's a mid-range phone, so it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the top-of-the-range K810i or the Walkman range, but it has everything that most users will want. The most impressive feature is probably the crisp high-resolution display. This is a bright active matrix display that you can view easily outdoors and it does justice to the artwork and themes of the S500i. The phone also has a 2 megapixel camera with video recording capabilities. 2 megapixels is now considered average for a phone, and this one is nothing special, lacking autofocus and a flash. Still, it's good enough for snaps and video clips.

Although it's not a Walkman phone, the S500i does have a good quality music player, with support for Bluetooth stereo headsets. The built-in memory is small (12 Mbytes) and can store a handful of MP3 songs only, but you can buy a memory card to expand the storage to 1 Gbyte - enough for around 250 songs. Transferring music (and other data) between the phone and a PC is very easy using the USB connection, with drag and drop convenience. You can plug in compatible headphones, or use a Bluetooth stereo headset if you prefer.

The phone also has some useful extras such as a sound recorder, flight mode and personal organiser functions. It has fast internet access via EDGE, support for web browsing, email and RSS feeds. It's also a quadband phone, so you can use it worldwide.

The S500i offers a good level of functionality, including all the essentials, and looks beautiful. However, you should avoid this phone for the simple reason that it will probably break. The phone feels quite plasticky and flimsy, but it's the keypad that's the real problem. The keys just crack, as simple as that. Roughly half of our users have reported that their keys cracked. This is an almost unprecedented failure rate, and really you'd be daft to buy one of these phones knowing that. Better to go for the Sony Ericsson W595 instead. Or, perhaps better to avoid Sony Ericsson altogether and try an LG or a Samsung.

Features of the Sony Ericsson S500i include:

  • 2 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom
  • Video camera
  • Display: TFT LCD, 262,144 colours, 240 x 320 pixels
  • Music player with support for Bluetooth stereo headsets
  • PlayNow™ (download music and games)
  • Polyphonic ringtones / music ringtones
  • Sound recorder
  • Speakerphone
  • Messaging: SMS, MMS, Email
  • 3D Java games (pre-installed & downloadable)
  • Animated wallpaper
  • Personal organiser functions (Alarm clock, Calculator, Calendar, Notes, Phone book, Stopwatch, Tasks, Timer )
  • WAP, EDGE
  • Web browser, RSS feeds
  • Memory: 12 Mbytes plus Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™) support (expandable to 1 Gbyte)
  • Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB mass storage
  • Vibration alert
  • Flight mode
  • Quadband
  • Size: 99 x 47 x 14 mm
  • Weight: 94g

Sony Ericsson S500i User Reviews

Love your mobile? Hate it? Please share your experiences to help other people choose the phone that's best for them. Please do not review this phone if you have not used it. This is a review site, not a forum, so please don't just ask questions. Please do not use swear words or offensive language, and please, no advertising!

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Average rating from 105 reviews:

Reviewed by Ruth from UK on 19th Mar 2012
I have had this phone (the colour white and gold) for 4 years! I didn't use the phone for one of the years. (In the meantime I had a Samsung Jet which was terrible!)

Appearence: You can see this for yourself really. In my opinion, it is not the most attractive phone but I personnaly liked the range of colours avaliable and the slide function.

Durability: Having had this phone for 4 years I can comment well on this. When and if reading remember I have had this phone for this time - and don't really 'look after it.'
The phone does last well. Now it has some dents and scratches on the surface. Some of the 'gold' plate and even the 'white' plate has scratched off but this isn't noticable and doesn't bother me.
Many of the buttons are now cracked, only the 7, 8, 0 and * aren't. However, all work perfectly except for the # which I find works by chance if you press hard enough.
The top half of the back on my phone for a long time clung on loosely and then fell off, however, this hasn't effected the performance of the phone.
Lastly the only other problem I have had is the screen packing up. However, to fix this I simply needed to remove the cover and clip the wires back into place correctly. (This only happened when I've dropped the phone from a great height.)

Performance: In my case, battery = excellent. The battery after all this time still works perfectly.
Switching itself off: This is a very rare occurance. It has only happened to me when I have written a very long sms, hitting the capacity of 10sms in a single message. The solution is to save a draft once you reach 7 sms just incase.

Other comments: I would just say for me, this mobile is reliable. Any other features you can find online and I have no comment on it really. The phone is a good fit for my hand (being female with a skinny palm and fingers). This phone has survived much dropping on the floor (often from a top bunk).

This phone will be for you if you want a phone for texting and ringing, and aren't too nterested in the use of high tech games and internet browsing etc.
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Reviewed by Krista from USA on 31st Dec 2011
The rating above is very thorough so I am not going to rehash all the specs and pros. I do however take issue with the claim that these phones are flimsy. I have had mine since it came out and still use it. Considering phones are supposed to half a life of 1 or 2 years that is pretty good. I will admit 3 of my keys are cracked- but what of it? It is not too noticeable aesthetically and has absolutely no affect on the functionality. The keys still work perfectly.
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Reviewed by Sanjay Gautam from India on 24th Dec 2011
This mobail is very hundsum but buttery problum by parches
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Reviewed by Thea from Malta on 11th Dec 2011
I've had the sony ericsson s500i for 4 years now and it's great..the keys have never cracked for me and I've dropped it quite a few times but it's still going strong. The only problem is the battery, which I now have to charge every 2 days at least even though I changed it a few months ago. Still a beautiful phone though.
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Reviewed by shamsun nahar from UK on 5th Dec 2011
i have sony ericsson s500i and i have had it more than three years now and it is still running realy well but the only problem is that the keypads and got little cracks other than that i really like the phone, its easy to use and got nice light affects.
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Reviewed by sophie from uk on 15th Oct 2007
yeah the keys do crack...it doesn't like being dropped (my screen doesn't work now..everything else does - just can't see what i'm doing) keys cracking isnt much of a problem (i just thought it was cause i text to much...it's an amazing phone i love it to pieces...amazing camera - just a shame it doesnt have a flash!! pain in the bum when you like to take photos out club with your mates lol rubbish battery...thats pants all i do is text and ring people my battery last up to three/four days without charging!! 3 weeks 158 texts? in my first week i had sent 700!! didn't start cracking till about one month and then it was only two keys and still is month after
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Reviewed by Mirna from Tolworth on 14th Oct 2007
I think this phone is really good And i think the people who rated 1 are all wrong
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Reviewed by Paul from New Zealand on 8th Oct 2007
I just reviewed this phone, said it was fine - 2 hours later keys started to crack! Unbelievable.
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Reviewed by Paul from New Zealand on 8th Oct 2007
Had it for about a month and a half, no problems, yet total plastic feeling, slider is on a slight angle, I can hear a plastic sound (like something loose vibrating) when I call. Very worried it will break if I drop it so I'm considering swapping it for a 6300 (red!). Otherwise VERY cool phone.
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Reviewed by Kapil from India on 8th Oct 2007
Hi... Indeed this phone catches your eye when you have a first look at it. The phone is slim, stylish and elegant. However, I faced many problems within a month of purchase. To start with, the keys on the keypad cracked and seem to be very fragile. I got them replaced though, but the replaced keypad gave similar problems. To make matters worse, one fine morning, i found the display of the phone to be completely blank. Have given the phone for repair but seriously thinking of selling it and buying a nokia.... Would rate is 1 out of 5.... Kapil
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Reviewed by Tom from Belgium on 7th Oct 2007
I have this phone from yesterday. It was as an promotion and it was goodlooking. So far, I am really pleased with this phone. But what can I imagine with the cracked keys ? Broken or just a little damage on it ?
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Reviewed by Shantelle Barnard from England on 6th Oct 2007
I wrote a review explaining my keys cracked back in August. SE got it fixed and it now fine. In response to the person who says that we are punching at our keys, ERRRRR NO!!!!!!!!!! If you look its a common problem admitted by SE. I have noticed that SE have reinforced the new keys on my one, so myabe they've sorted now. The only thingi cant get to work now is my orange WAP. It wont display pictures. It could be a problem with the site. But if any1 has and ideas let me know
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Reviewed by Gail from Scotland on 4th Oct 2007
This phone is absolutely gorgeous. Camera and music are probably just average but the appearance is stunning. I think the buttons are just fine but definitely for smaller fingers. The everchanging theme is magical. I could watch it for hours!!! Loveliest phone I've ever seen.
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Reviewed by confusedSEuser from UK on 3rd Oct 2007
go for w580 similar features and BETTER quality
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Reviewed by Jose Mourinho (bye Bye) from Portugal on 3rd Oct 2007
I think that this is phone is great i have not had any problems and i do not understand why people are underating this phone. The phone does everthing camera is great i think that it gives the n95 a challenge!!!the music player is brill theres nothing wrong with this phone.
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Reviewed by Kash from England on 2nd Oct 2007
I feel that this phone is relatively sound as far as its features,looks and functionality is concernedd but I have found that the BIG problem is its cheap and fragile build quality and its rubbish battery! Still not bad overall!
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Reviewed by CJ from UK on 1st Oct 2007
Nice little phone, batterys rubbish tho!
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Reviewed by Jacques from France on 1st Oct 2007
To Travis from Canada - maybe I learned my lesson to never buy from SE ever again. This phone is horrendous. Customers shouldn't have to do their homework! We should just be able to buy a phone and assume that it will work perfect. We don't expect the keypad to fall apart in our hands during the first week, or in my case, the second day! I really do not care if they are now making this phone from solid gold - I would not touch it with a 10ft barge pole. It's back to Nokia for me, and I'm very happy with the new 6301. Faultless phone.
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Reviewed by MINT from ENGLAND on 30th Sep 2007
Dont like it in a nut shell ,,Back to NOKIA Never have never will..
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Reviewed by Travis from Canada on 30th Sep 2007
Alright so.... as you can see the reviews are divided and the ones who really like the phone give it five stars for the simple fact that is hasn't cracked.... Now to all of those who gave it a bad review due to the cracking keypads... You didn't do your homework.... At all.. And therefore you are now sittng at home crying about it and your broken phone... Anyone with half a mind would have researched it and found out that the keypads on the phones that were produced before week 27 will crack... it is a fault that SE fixed after this week and so if you have a phone from week 28 then you will be completly fine. Now I understand that they shouldn't make a phone with such a big problem, however if you did your homework you would now have a phone that is great and no cracks in it at all. So to all of you who gave it five stars, Congratulations on doing your homework. And to all of you who are crying about the keypad, maybe you learned a lesson to do some homework on an important device like a cellphone.
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Reviewed by lee from UK on 30th Sep 2007
do not buy this phone it is not very trustworthy all of the keypad has broken in 2weeks and it crashes almost instantly everytime. DO NOT BUY IT!!!
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Reviewed by chris from cyprus on 29th Sep 2007
perfect
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Reviewed by Tom from New Zealand on 26th Sep 2007
The phone is distinctly average and the build quality is real bad. I had a Nokia that never broke on me for years, this one did in a matter of weeks. If you want a superficial phone that does not deliver, this one is perfect. Look elsewhere.
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Reviewed by xXxXx from UK on 26th Sep 2007
Hia PPl I Just Wanted Tooh Say That Ive Had My Fone For 2 Weeks 2daii. (26.9.07) I Think The Fone Looks Amazing Nd All My Friends Are Always Askin Me Were I Got It. Ive Sent 158 Txt Messages Since I Got Nd No Sign Of Crakin (Touch Wood). I Rekon Some Of The Crakin Is Due Tooh Miss Use. My Battery Life Is Reli Good, Much Better Than I Was Expecting. Memory is Poor But A Memory Card Is Not Expensive (1gb 20pounds) I Would Reli Reccomend Buyin This Phone :)
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Reviewed by Emily from UK on 24th Sep 2007
Dont buy it.. Its not that good.. Has rubbish memory and all of my keys have cracked in 1 week.
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Reviewed by xbabe82517 from UK on 24th Sep 2007
For Sean Hannah from Scotland (dated 23.09.07) - I wonder if you'll be so chuffed with your phone once it's fallen to bits after a few weeks. My advice - never write a review about a phone the day after you've got it when you're still in the honeymoon period. I hope reality sinks in soon...oh, and check out the review by this website above - they're not too impressed with it, either. The shop I bought my phone from now has actually stopped selling them due to the huge fault with the keypad. This phone is most certainly the poorest, most cheap-quality handset I have ever used. I am now blissfully happy with the Nokia 6300 - faultless design - and a once-loyal SE customer has now been converted to a Nokia fan.
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Reviewed by Wilbur from Goa on 23rd Sep 2007
Simply Great..... No Problems.n am happy
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Reviewed by emma from teesside on 23rd Sep 2007
the phone itself it great only problem is keys started to crack after a few dsays of ownin it, also does not always spring into life wen u slide it up and return key can be a bit usless at times
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Reviewed by sean hannah from scotland on 23rd Sep 2007
My GOD!!!!!! see all u people who are compaining about it get a life its not the phone thats at fault its u punchin in numbers too hard a gd craftsman never blames his tools
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Reviewed by Reading Reader from UK on 23rd Sep 2007
Still no problems with this cool phone (Wk31), see previous reviews below under my user name.
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Reviewed by gretta from uk on 23rd Sep 2007
this phone is very good looking. it has a lot of impressive features and cool lights on the sides. although the battery life isn't amazing and it is quite lightweight and can therefore feel fragile in your hands, this is all compensated for by the fact that it looks hot! in short this phone rocks- buy it!!!
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Reviewed by Jake from liverpool on 23rd Sep 2007
It's Brill!!! Looks awesome, no problems with keypad and the sound quality is fab i recommend this phone to most people. (might be harder to use for elderly people)
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Reviewed by Lola from Singapore on 18th Sep 2007
Been eyeing this phone since the day it came out cos it looks good on the computer screen. And now I've had this phone for about two weeks. So far, I'm loving it. Nice display, great sound. No cracked keys as what I've read (yet!). People have commented on it being nice and stylish and I definitely do not regret getting the S500i.
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Reviewed by Ange from Uk on 14th Sep 2007
Got mine 3rd of september paid 130pounds for it an keypad 6 has cracked ive not got to go carphonewarehouse tommorow an have been warned they may say i caused the damage this phone looks pretty but its rubbish i would not reccomend it at all also when bluetoothing it switches itself off i want a refund tommorow but lets see what happens im not a happy sony customer ive gone back to nokia
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Reviewed by Paul from England on 14th Sep 2007
A pleasing phone on the eyes with some nice touches. Unfortunately after a few days I have found my keys have cracked and the base of the phone appears to be coming away from the phone. The camera though a standard 2mp is very blurred, a real let down in fact. On the plus it has a sharp screen, nice coloured lighting effect and the menu system changes colour during the day etc. As far as the phone goes it compares to Sony's school report...'Could do better'!
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Reviewed by Sarah from USA on 12th Sep 2007
DO NOT BUY THIS PHONE!!!! Within the first month of having mine, 10 of the keys cracked! I have HORRIBLE reception and if I put any pressure on the outter piece, the phone connects me to the internet! It is so poorly made. And you will get absolutely NO sympathy from Sony Ericsson either. Ive emailed them 6 or 7 times and called 3 or 4. They do not respond to your emails unless you dont have any problems! They expect me to pay to have my phone shipped to them for repairs, and they will send it back in 2 weeks! I pay 70 bucks a month for my service! Im not going without a phone for 2 weeks! I had a w810i before I got this phone and it worked great. Now, i HATE sony, so I will never buy from the again! Unless you want dissatisfaction and horrible customer service, dont waste your time with this piece of junk! I wish zero stars was a rating option, I feel bad giving it one!
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Reviewed by Frog Princess from UK on 11th Sep 2007
This phone is absolutely beautiful but totally shoddy. I have had three handsets now and the keys have cracked on every one of them. I have contacted Sony and they deny that there is a manufacturing fault. In fact they told me I was likely to be charged for repair if I returned it and they decided it was user induced damage. I'm going back to Nokia. I never should have strayed.
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Reviewed by SEAN from Northern Ireland on 11th Sep 2007
Was a bit worried about buying this phone due to some reviews regarding cracked keys....I have had this phone for 4 weeks now and deliberately waited to see if any probs......phone is EXCELLENT.....no probs with key pads....display is crystal..sound is awesome...only gripe is camera not having even a torch/light/flash....but hey i have an 8MP camera so dont need it...therefore 4 stars from me
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Reviewed by Marta from Croatia on 11th Sep 2007
its a great mobile phone... I luv it... but my keys cracked after 3 days...
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Reviewed by Cara from manchester on 9th Sep 2007
Oh my word what a brilliant phone it has all you need in a phone and the text messages are brilliant the quality of the phone is top!!!!! lol
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Reviewed by Rachel from Scotland on 9th Sep 2007
I love this phone. It is very stylish and easy to work, I would reccomend it to anyone!
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Reviewed by mehdi from iran on 8th Sep 2007
shame on sony ericsson,we bought to device,and the both of key pads cracked,i am so sorry for sony ericsson.
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Reviewed by liam from uk on 6th Sep 2007
bad choice of phone waste of muny 2 b true nice style tht it tho... 9 of ma keys are cracked nd wreacks so easy if dropped but nice sound tho
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Reviewed by steph n racho from uk on 6th Sep 2007
love it
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Reviewed by sean hannah from scotland on 5th Sep 2007
ave had dis phonf fir a wee while now its AMAZING!!!!!!! the sound quality, camera quality, and video quality is brilliant ave not ad one thing bad happen to it whoever says is rubbish clearly doesnt ave a brain
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Reviewed by Candy from Burma on 5th Sep 2007
It's my new phone. I m regular sony ericsson customer. my first ph is T 610, next is k 750i then now i m start using s500i just yesterday. S500i is acceptable one and it is stylish one. But earing volume is a little bit low and quite heat after talking 15 minutes or more. It is a quite soft rather than k750i, very hard one. But I can accept.
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Reviewed by jo from england on 3rd Sep 2007
i have had this phone for 5 weeks and really love it. Last friday my screen went all blurry/liney, the only way it would return to normal was by removing the battery. It has now been sent for repair and i have a nokia 1100 :( my phone could be away for 4 weeks.
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Reviewed by chris from england on 2nd Sep 2007
my keys cracked. and now my screen with no excessive pressure.
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Reviewed by Reading Reader from UK on 2nd Sep 2007
OK....have the phone two weeks today and no problems - still very happy with it. It was so easy to get a brand new 2GB SanDisk memory card from a company on EBAY for £20 (also comes with free adaptor). All in all the phone is going very well with no cracked keys so far. Will review update again in 3 - 4 weeks.
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Reviewed by craig from england on 1st Sep 2007
The look of the phone is great and the functionality is typical top notch from sony. very user friendly. But this phone is an absoulute must MISS!!! because the build quality is appalling. its very light with a plasticy feel, not sturdy at all. The worst thing though is that the keys WILL crack on you. they still work, but after 2weeks they had cracked in half and its not because i was to rough its because they are flimsy. I've never experienced anythin like this before. Maybe sony should use thin metal rather than weak plastic for buttons that would obviously be used a whole lot for calling and texting.
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Reviewed by jonathan from england on 1st Sep 2007
I love the phone, but # key has cracked down the midlle after having it for one week only :( big disapointment as sony ericsson have said all phones produced after week 27 would be fine. my s500i is a week 31 model, and now i have to send it off for repair :( putting that negative aside, all other aspects of the phone are very good, and exactly what i was looking for :) i can only give 3 stars because of the keypad issue.
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Reviewed by Matt L from England on 31st Aug 2007
I received this phone today as an exchange foe a SE w810i. The keys were too small and the satin finish was so slippery I kept dropping it. This phone looks nice the keypad is smooth and its colourful and a bit different too. However disadvantages - one ce you have taken off the rubber battery case it wants to keep coming off. Also the slider mechanism on mine is not flush on one side so when you key the top buttons the body moves a bit which is more annoying than anything else. It looks good quality but its quite placticky and it squeeks in places. Hasn't got the metallic solidity of the better Motorola phones but the features are pretty good.
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Reviewed by grace from liverpool on 31st Aug 2007
ive had my phone for just 3 days now and i absoloutley love this phone i am so pleased i got the black one as ive heared that the yellow starts to look a little tatty cos wen it gets chipped black shows up unlike the black one.The phone its self is glamorous yet practical .wen i bought the phone i never thought it would come with games but i was made up that it did it had brain juice like the brain accademy on the wii very good game and some ova block game which i have not yet masterd.i pascificly bought the phone for its mp3 and it has lived up to my expectations the volume is ded loud :)I think that the fact that wen ppl call u the lights flash its a very classy idea movin on to the negative aspects if you are buying the phone for its camera dont its blury !the battery life isnt that good either i charge mine very nite it comes up fully charged nd it onli lasts me one daii b4 battery alert comes up plus you will have to buy a memory card (£40.00) because it comes wiv no memory overall a brill phone hope i didnt put u of buying it because you wont regret it if u do :):) hope ive helped
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Reviewed by K from UK on 29th Aug 2007
I absolutely love this phone, it's a nice size, looks fab and my friends love it too. I'm particularly fond of the lighting effects and the menu. The music quality is great too. I got my first s500i a few weeks ago. After 3 or 4 weeks the 3 and 7 keys cracked, so I sent it back and got a replacement. After 3 weeks, the 2 and 3 keys have cracked. I am absolutely gutted because I LOVE the design of the phone, but I'm fed up with the cracking keys. So I'm sending it back to get a refund and getting a different SE phone. :(
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Reviewed by Reddy from US on 29th Aug 2007
Read quite a good feedback abt this peice. After buying n using it for more than 2 months, i'll say it's JUNK. No camera zoom... horrible battery... the color from my face panel started fading off...Features like copying moving contacts IS NOT THERE !!!! n if you are planning to get it from TIM.. forget it.. their software sucks biggg time.. All in all.. ONE LOSER PIECE :(
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Reviewed by lizz from uk on 29th Aug 2007
i loved the look off the green one in pictures but when i went into the shop it was so shiny and just plain yuck without it turned on but i really like this phone so i got the yellow one. There is a sliver one coming out but i am still glad with my buy, i have only just got this phone so cant tell u much at moment but i will update my review after a 2 weeks or so
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Reviewed by Gwen from UK on 28th Aug 2007
Just bought this phone a few days ago - so far I am very impressed with it. However, I keep catching the wap button and going online - quite annoying. Very smart though, the screen is amazing quality and the font is not too small. The ringtones are quite loud which is good.
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Reviewed by hels from england on 28th Aug 2007
i got this phone about a week ago, after reading many reviews on various sony ericssons i decided on this one and so far im glad no problems and the phone looks fantastic! however there are some bad points no flash or zoom on the camera the battery is quite poor considering and the phone itself has low memory so i would advise you to buy a memory card when buying the phone
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Reviewed by FA from England on 28th Aug 2007
I love this nice phone.
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Reviewed by Reading Reader from UK on 27th Aug 2007
OK....DAY 9 - no cracked keypad (as yet) and battery is fine. The battery tends to run down as far as 50/60/70% and then stay very consistent thereafter, but never runs out and have used it extensively. Phone is a looker and lots of people have commented on it, wanted to look at it etc.....I still like it!
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Reviewed by alex from uk on 25th Aug 2007
why do people even like this phone this phone is poor
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Reviewed by Alen from LA on 24th Aug 2007
very nice and fantastic cell,its wonderful
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Reviewed by mr r from slovakia on 23rd Aug 2007
the phone is rubbish,i cant even get the back off the thing and what is with the cracked keypad man
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Reviewed by ali from uk on 22nd Aug 2007
the phone is poor
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Reviewed by Reading Reader from UK on 22nd Aug 2007
Emailed Sony E. and they confirmed that this type of fault WOULD be covered in the guarantee. Proceeded to purchase phone from Carphone Warehouse 19 Aug 2007 and the phone said 07W31 on the back. Phone was £199....BUT only £130 if bought with a PAYG sim card for £9.99, meaning got phone for £139.99 in total. Phone looks cool and 4 days in I don't have any probs with the keyboard.....look for my username in future articles in case this changes. Battery appears to decrease sooner than my previous W810i and I assume this is because it lights up like a flying saucer when a call comes in!!!! Overall, I like, I like, I like.......THIS IS NO JUST A LADIES PHONE!!!! Its TOUGH!!!!
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Reviewed by jan from england on 22nd Aug 2007
i love it.some had problems with keys cracking but mines fine. only problem is the lighting upon incoming calls stays one colour no matter what colour i choose
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Reviewed by reejo from india on 22nd Aug 2007
this phone is a stupid phone i hate it
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Reviewed by rino samuel from uae on 22nd Aug 2007
it is not a good phone compared to w810i
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Reviewed by Suze from Australia on 22nd Aug 2007
I love this phone but after 2 days the #key has cracked. I bought it unlocked from Hong Kong and do not want to send it back for replacement only to have them crack again. In all other ways it's perfect for me so i'm not sure how to rate it, so disappointed. Forgot to add...mine is W32.
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Reviewed by Jennifer from England on 18th Aug 2007
Sony Ericsson assures that there are no faults with the keypad. I just bought the phone yesterday and have been very worried about the keypad and am not sure whether to exchange it for the Nokia 6300 but will try it out. Also, looking around, there is a rumour (?!) that phones made after W(eek) 27 are fine and it is ones that are made before that crack. Mine was made in week 31 so we will have to wait and see.
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Reviewed by Justine from Canada on 16th Aug 2007
Just to inform you on the keypad cracking, not only does it crack on the green but aswell as the yellow and have also been found to crack among the closely designed phone of w580 of Sony Ericssons. It is not due to the paint where as the key pads are actually really thinned out. and is only held into place by gluing the center of the key pad to the phone, if you press on the side between two phones they all tilt, unless sony ericsson has seperated the keys then it wont crack easily. BTW, I emailed Sony Ericsson to inform about the keypad cracks they said that they do cover this and whom ever that distributed to you should. OTher than that i wish the phone has a flash or 3g app but it doesnt so i rate it 4 stars.
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Reviewed by GOH CHEE PHENG from MALAYSIA on 16th Aug 2007
The design was the main attraction for this phone. i bought an ap set from this from a shop in subang square and my keypad cracked after 3 days of usage and the guy told me sorry we dont cover this.
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Reviewed by James from UK on 15th Aug 2007
Adam i would just like to say .. yes at first you cannot add many songs to the SE S500i ... and thats why if you want to add songs you either buy a memory stick ( as said in the actual review ) or you buy a walkman phone >< My one is amazing and to those who keys are cracking yes this is a design fault .... It happens with the mystic green ones ( not sure about yellow ) where the green/black paint does something with the plastic which crakcs it :( BUY THIS PHONE ITS AMAZING THE LIGHTS ARE LIKE FIREWORKS GOING OFF IN YOUR PHONE :PPPPPP
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Reviewed by phone counsel from UK on 15th Aug 2007
Just swapped to this phone from a Samsung which i hated. I'm so disappointed with it, there are so many things that are wrong with it and only a few things that are right. The positives are: The screen size is excellent; It looks amazing; The ringtones and themes are much better than average; the glowing lights are pretty fab; the camera is good despite the lack of flash (seriously so they work anyway?!) and the landscape feature when viewing pictures is pure class; the alarm feature remains excellent - to be able to set an alarm to stop on the weekend and start again monday morning is genius. The negatives: Although it looks cool - this phone is so cheap in everyway. Its very plasticy to hold and feel. When your texting you can hear the plastic creaking and twisting; Closing the slider doesn't seem to cancel a call and worse the previous screen. As a result the phone doesn't lock and you find you call all your mates from your pocket; the keys are the flimsey piece of work ever and they will crack. I thought everyone was just moaning about this because they were too rough or had long nails etc - but after 3 weeks 3 have mine have gone. You'll see if you get the phone just how poorly made the key pad is and its no wonder they crack; the call volume is useless. Even at full its difficult to hear the person on the other end when there is any background noise - forget about being able to speak to someone whilst in the pub for example; you can't have the really cool black menu from the day and night theme all the time. Instead in the day your stuck with the white theme which just isn't as good; there are far to many menus to go through for my liking. All in all this phone looks the part but on closer examination, really doesn't deliver on its promises. I would recomend anyone to see this phone before committing to it.
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Reviewed by Ollie from England on 14th Aug 2007
i brought the green version and the silver centre button had paint wearing off after the first week, i love the phone, but SE could of made it a bit more user friendly and longer lasting.
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Reviewed by Shantelle Barnard from England on 14th Aug 2007
I have had this phone a week and like many others my keys are cracked. I read on someone elses review that SE aren't covering the keys!!! I bought this phone sim free and it cost me 180 quid, so thats how much i've wasted!!! Otherwise the phone is lovely!! I wouldnt recommend getting this phone because of this and it looks tatty with split keys!!! Dont buy!!!
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Reviewed by Helena Leathley from England on 14th Aug 2007
Nice Looking, great camera, but the colours are awfull, this phone is for hippys, are you a hippy!
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Reviewed by sean hannah from scotland on 10th Aug 2007
this phone is user friendly. I've just got dis phone but it has a verygood camera, musicplayer etc. I would fully reccomend dis phone to anyone who wants a simple, stylish, easy to work mobile phone.
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Reviewed by Amanda from Canada on 8th Aug 2007
i just got this phone it is amazing. i lvoe it i go through so many phones but i know this one is a keeper. beautifully created. meets my every need. 5/5 :)
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Reviewed by nathan from devon on 7th Aug 2007
the phone is not a tgood phone the key pads crack and the phones media player messes up all the time. my one kept on randomly playin demos to me and things like that.
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Reviewed by jennifer from canada on 4th Aug 2007
i love the phone and the features however after having my phone for less then 2 weeks my number 6 button cracked without dropping it or anything. its weird but no one wants to fix it because they claim it is physical damage
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Reviewed by Maori's Fynest (TAINUI) go the All Blacks!!! from New Zealand on 4th Aug 2007
I saved up for this phone for 4 weeks just to be let down by its key pads. i wish i knew about this matter before i brought this phone (junk now) because the key pads will eventually crack after a few weeks (mine began cracking after a few days). but if your looking for a short term phone to show off to the "wahine" (maori name for ladies) lol it's in every way going to make you the alpha male but only for a few days as i've experienced because the keypad starts to crack. im not really into txting much or using my phone for that matter so i believe this "key pad problem" is very common to phone users of the s500i. i would rate as 5 stars for the beautiful display, camera (ummmmm), music player, connectivity etc but sadly the key pads let me down painfully so i would'nt consider buyig it. I've learned a valuable lesson in life, beauty can only last so long...
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Reviewed by Heather from England on 3rd Aug 2007
I've had this phone for 2 weeks now, and i have no complaints at all! It says that it only has a 2 megapixel camera, but i used to have the k750i which is also supposed to have 2megapixels and the s500i is sooooo much better, the pictures are much clearer and better defined! It's also incredibly stylish although i can't really understand why any man would buy this phone as it is pretty girly! The yellow one is also slightly naff, stick with black and green!!
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Reviewed by Helen from England on 3rd Aug 2007
This is a great phone and is sooooo pretty!! BUY ONE!!
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Reviewed by betan alton from england on 2nd Aug 2007
this pgon is absolutly terrible i hate it i think that it is the worst phone ever the sceen will brake in an month and the sound quality is rubish. sony ericsson have made a fool of them selfs
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Reviewed by FaceOff from Portugal on 1st Aug 2007
Great features, stylish and "Its a Sony!"... Design is excellent, features are adequate to the price range, nice dimensions and weight. Would prefer to have a standart 3.5mm phones jack, but the phones supplied are already quite good (and you can always get one from the Walkman line!) so it´s not that problematic. Also a mini-usb would be prefered... but the cable is included in the package... again, not to much to be a real problem! Multimedia, great in all ranges, lots of formats (MP3, WMA, AAC, MP4, etc.) and nice enought 2.0MP camera and video recorder. Good one, Sony Ericsson! ;)
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Reviewed by Chris from England on 28th Jul 2007
A really top phone especially considering its price. plays music really well, the camera is very nice with little to no delay. very good battery life (unlike my samsung u600 which was a joke) and the design and look is superb. lights up down the side when incoming calls which looks snazzy. The screen is excellent also, very sharp and easy on the eyes. only problem i'd levy is that it does feel a little bit plasticy, as if a bit cheap. So if i drop this I got a feeling bits are gona b flying places. Although i hope not. The W850i will probably b beter but also more expensive. But what u get with the S500i is a very well balanced well packaged phone.
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Reviewed by Zach McCune from US on 28th Jul 2007
i absolutly love this phone. unfortunatly i had this phone for one and a half days and found it had a cracked key, now two days later, six of the 12 keys are cracked, i am not happy.
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Reviewed by adam from england on 24th Jul 2007
i don't like the phoine you can not put mp3 on it
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Reviewed by Kate from UK on 23rd Jul 2007
Great looking phone, great light effects, screen colours are fab. Nothing bad to say about this phone. SE never let my down yet! Go on, buy it!
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Reviewed by tulipcat from Singapore on 23rd Jul 2007
I agree with xbabe82517. Actually, I LOVE my S500i. It is so sleek and stylish - very nice look for a concept phone. However, I realised that the keypads - mine are nos 3, 6 - have cracked and I was utterly SHOCKED! Come on, SE have good quality phones rite? But maybe not. Upon closer inspection, my keypad no 2 shows signs of early cracks. Oh God! I felt so disappointed. Does this mean that SE has slackened in quality? I hope not. COs there is no other phones I would rather use. I had VERY BAD experience with Nokia while Samsung is not good for texting. Motorola -errrrrrr no thanks. SO today, I will make my way to the Service Centre and ask them about it. If this happens again, then sadly I will have to let it go and exchange it for the W960i (which is a touch screen walkman phone) or k850i which has 5 megapixel camera. Until then, will be using my trusted w800i...sigh...
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Reviewed by wilhrko from england on 22nd Jul 2007
its a bit 2 plasticyyy 4 my liking
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Reviewed by Ryan from Manchester , UK on 21st Jul 2007
Top phone upgraded to the Black/Green version from my W850i (a tough cookie to beat) i really like this phone so far and i am glad i changed as it is a lot thinner and looks smart too. It has the exact same operating system as the W850i with a few visual tweaks they are basically the sam phone with only a couple of differences, the W850i camera has a light and a music player whereas this S500i does not but this has better screen and brilliant flashing lights when a call comes thru, like most other people if i want proper pictures i use my lumix camera if i want music i use my ipod.....if i want a great phone that rings loud looks smart and is easy to use then i would use this the Sony Ericcson S500i its a good un folks.
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Reviewed by Elaine M from UK on 21st Jul 2007
I bough this phone 1 week ago, and yesterday i noticed 5 keys are cracked. I am really disappointed. The desing is great, the themes are beautiful, i really like the phone. But i just think is not worth to get another one with the chance to develop the same problem. I searched in google and i found out many people have the same problem. Look like Sony Ericsson did not pay attention to the built quality :( If you are planning to get this phone, make sure you get an insurance as the SE is not covering the keys ( Thank God i got insurance and i am covered). I am taking the phone back today.
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Reviewed by angel from philippines on 20th Jul 2007
its very cute!! ^_^
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Reviewed by carly from uk on 19th Jul 2007
i have had for a few days now after degrading from my n95. its a lovely phone, slim, sexy and has all he features u would realisticly use. camera is a let down, but after using a n95 for 3 months thats to be expected i guess and plus i have a digital camera if i want to take pics lol over all very good phone, would recomend plus pretty cheap at £199 sim free
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Reviewed by xbabe82517 from UK on 16th Jul 2007
OK, this phone is visually stunning, and I was originally very impressed. The Everchanging theme, which changes colour throughout the day and changes with the seasons, is beautiful and undoubtedly one of the main attractions of this phone. The camera is average, nothing special, but adequate for taking a few snaps. And as I have a 6mp Cybershot camera and an iPod, I didn't particularly care about its camera or music capabilities. All I want is something stylish, quality and a bit different. Prior to this, I owned the Nokia 7373 in Powder Pink. I loved it, and I am now going back to it. I have owned the S500i for three days now, and I wish I could keep it. However, thanks to the shockingingly awful quality of the keypad, the number 3 key has developed a crack. When I researched this on Google, it is clearly a very common error - seriously, look this up before buying this phone. The phone has not disappointed me in any other way, and I'm gutted that it's going back. Never has a Sony Ericsson phone let me down like this. When I looked into this further, it eventually happens with all the keys. This is apparently because the keys are constructed from a very flexible material, and coated in the metallic green (or yellow) paint, which cracks with use. Obviously, it's no real problem with actually using the phone but doesn't look too good as the paint begins to chip off with more use. And since the look of this phone has been its main selling point for me, it's just not good enough. Everything else is gorgeous - the beautiful screen, the themes, the speaker. All typical Sony Ericsson top quality. But the keypad has really ruined it. So it's back to my faithful 7373 for me, and I think I'll be holding out for the SE Z750 in the gorgeous metallic pink. I haven't completely lost faith in SE and hopefully this has been a glitch. But unfortunately I can only award the phone 2 stars for this major fault. If it hadn't been for this, it would have had 5.
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Reviewed by s500i from englnd on 16th Jul 2007
i think this phone is outstanding
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Reviewed by David from Ga, Atlanta on 13th Jul 2007
I've just gotten this phone yesterday. And I loved it at first. but when u slide the phoone up and when , IF!! only you slide it back down really hard, the LCD turns blank BLACK!!! , it was so hard to bring it back to the normal screen, For me I had to push the screens , everything to get it back ... I don't know if this only happens to my phone.. but >,,< i hate it when this happens to mine :(
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Reviewed by Johnny from UK on 12th Jul 2007
I've had this phone for a couple of weeks and I'm really impressed. Very unusual and rather lovely menus, wallpapers and lighting effects. That said, it is not the most macho phone in the world and may appeal to those wishing to show their err.. 'artistic' side ;-) Nice to see an alternative to the mainstream although as other reviewers have commented, the camera is not really up to much. The screen is typically sony - the same vibrant deep colours as the PSP. In fact the black case has a similar feel to both the PSP and PS3. Oh, and my version came with Lumines pre-installed. How cool is that??
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