Review Praised for combining quality optics with top-notch phone features, Sony Ericsson's 'C for camera' series has raised the bar again with the C905 Plus. It's basically an upgrade of the existing C905 8.1Mp Cyber-shot camphone with expanded memory, a grin gabbing Smile Shutter feature, plus extra applications including Youtube and the BBC iPlayer.

Sony Ericsson's C905 Plus: existing C905 users get a free 'Plus' upgrade, allegedly

Sony Ericsson hasn't changed the casing of the C905 Plus. It's still very much on the chubby side, even for a slider, at 104 x 49 x 18mm and 136g. Now we can understand the need for girth when you have a high-spec camera that requires a quality lens, but does the rest of it have to be so chunky?

Around the sides are SE's standard two-pronged power plug, Memory Stick Micro card slot, volume rocker and two buttons to operate the camera – one is the shutter button, the other toggles between video and still camera options. There's also a button that takes you directly to your photo gallery. The unit comes supplied with a hefty 8GB storage card, as standard, to supplement the 160MB of onboard memory – a big jump from the 2GB card offering on the original C905.

On the back is a chunky lens cover that requires a push in before you can slide it open and the Xenon flash has been retained. It's a step up from the vast majority of camphones, even 8-megapixel ones like the Samsung i8510, although you'll find a similar flash on the LG KC910i Renoir. It's fairly quick to respond – about two seconds from sliding the lens cover and the autofocus takes about the same time to take a snap when you press the shutter button. That's a shade quicker than most similar spec’d camphones.

A tap on one of the soft keys brings up an extensive settings menu with all sorts of goodies including the new Smile Shutter, which automatically takes a snap when the camera detects a smile in range. BestPic takes a series of seven shots, three before and three after you press the shutter, and Panorama can map three pictures together for a 180-degree view.

Photo finish: a sharp shooter for stills but the video resolution is disappointing

There's a 16x digital zoom available if you really can't get close enough, though the drop in quality at that level will probably make you wish you'd made more of an effort. There's also image stabilisation and a Smart Contrast option, which aims to bring out details in darker areas – it works too.

Enhancing the face recognition function on the original C905 – which helped to optimise the focus on up to three faces within the frame – Smile Shutter takes it a step further. Hold the shutter button down and the camera won't actually take a snap until it identifies a smile within the frame. Useful for catching fleeting smiles on uncooperative subjects such as kids, and it passed the smile/frown test too, holding fire until teeth were clearly bared – not that it could tell the difference between a smile and a grimace.

Compact, but certainly not the slimmest

Another welcome addition to the C905 Plus's photo arsenal is an HD Snapfish application, which handles ordering of prints of your pics. Snapfish is incorporated into the camera's menu system, so all you have to do is click on 'Order prints' when you're viewing a pic and you're on your way, with the first 20 6 x 4in prints offered for free. Video takes a step down in quality as you might expect, maxing out the resolution at QVGA's 240 x 320 pixels at 30fps – unlike the VGA 640 x 480 pixels of fellow 8Mp models, the LG Renoir and Samsung i8510.

Besides the camera, video viewing has been the main beneficiary of SE's upgrade. The Youtube application is tucked away in the Organiser folder, which is where most other downloaded software end up, and it's similar to what you'll see on many smart phones these days.

Tipping the C905 Plus on its side will flip the resolution into landscape mode, but unfortunately there's no full-screen option for viewing videos on Youtube, and depending on how they've been uploaded, you're often left with a small picture surrounded by black frames. This is a shame, since the 2.4in screen looks decidedly cramped in comparison with rival 8-megapixel camphones like the 3.2in screen on Samsung's M8800 Pixon or the LG KC910i Renoir's 3in version. Anything to make video look better on the smallish screen would have been appreciated.

The same goes for BBC iPlayer, which now comes pre-installed and allows you to watch live TV, as well as catch up with programmes from the last week or so, and listen to DAB radio. The HSDPA 3G connection supports up to 3.6Mbps downloads, so you can watch streaming video, but quality can be variable depending on where you are and dropouts aren't uncommon. You're almost always better off searching out a Wi-Fi connection, if available.

Phone home? Bundled with Google Maps and a trial of Wayfinder 7 satnav

The iPlayer is quick and easy to use but, as with Youtube, video quality on the smallish screen isn't ideal, and we get the feeling it could have been better. DAB radio sounded fine but, in this context, it's not necessarily preferable to the built-in FM radio, unless you're in an area with particularly bad FM reception. And speaking of FM radio, there's one onboard with RDS and 20 presets. The frequency range is 87.5-108MHz and, if the DJ won't tell you what's playing, TrackID should be able to identify it for you.

Still, we're not happy that Sony Ericsson isn't giving us the opportunity to upgrade the below-par headphones that come with the C905 Plus. They're not terrible but – since they connect via SE's two-pronged charger plug, and there's no adapter for a standard 3.5mm jack – you're pretty much stuck with them. For such a media-focused handset this certainly is a disappointment.

No full-screen option for Youtube and iPlayer undermines small display viewing

Other additions to the C905 Plus include a trial version of Wayfinder 7 satnav, offering voice directions to back up the A-GPS with Google Maps. There's also an SMS Conversation app, to do the text thing, chat-style, with a volley of text messages appearing in little speech bubbles, giving the impression of instant messaging.

Call quality proved to be fine in various locations on our travels around the north of London, with the speaker offering crisp, natural vocal tones. And for those who already use a C905, the good news is, there's no need to trade it in – you can get a free upgrade from the Sony Ericsson site. Check with your operator though, as some won't support all the services, if they conflict with network offerings.

Verdict

Sony Ericsson's brush and polish of its already impressive C905 camphone keeps it up-to-date with the competition in the 8Mp camera arena. The 8GB memory card helps, along with the welcome software additions, especially the BBC iPlayer, with Youtube, Smile Shutter, print ordering and SMS Conversation proving useful too. The C905 Plus hasn't exactly steamed ahead but, having a superb camera already, these upgrades merely serve to keep it just about in front – for now. ®

More Smartphone Reviews...

Samsung Tocco Ultra Edition S8300

Acer DX900

LG Arena KM900

Vodafone HTC Magic