Sony Ericsson Walkman W902 mobile phone

Review Is there any real reason why a Walkman phone shouldn’t have a top spec camera like a Cyber-shot phone? With the W902, its first 5-megapixel camera-packing Walkman mobile, Sony Ericsson is attempting to address this often-asked question.

While Sony Ericsson’s Walkman line-up have been consistently high quality music performers, its Cyber-shot range have so far hogged all its best camera gadgetry, leaving its music-centric handsets by comparison somewhat light on the imaging front.

Sony Ericsson W902: Music plus top-class cameraphone performance

This no doubt helps Sony Ericsson differentiate its music-majoring and photo-specialist lines, but it’s not quite so convenient for a Walkman phone buyer who also wants a top-class cameraphone performance.

The W902 is certainly a step in the right direction, with its 5 million-pixel shooter nudging this model up the Walkman line-up. But don’t expect everything at once - beyond the camera, the spec rundown isn’t exceptional for a mid-range Walkman phone.

It doesn’t have top-level features like the Wi-Fi connectivity and GPS receiver employed on the new C905, and doesn’t run on an app-customisable smartphone platform. Instead it sports many of the Walkman and other features we’ve previously seen on the likes of the W980, W595 and W760i, and many more mid-tier Sony Ericssons.

For online connectivity it uses HSDPA high-speed mobile data, and has typical 3G multimedia streaming and downloading functionality. The latest Walkman player software package is inside, including Shake Control motion sensor gimmickry, while dedicated music player buttons are ranged up the slim side of the phone. An in-box 8GB Memory Stick Micro card is included – providing essential extra storage to go with the minimal onboard 25MB.