Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot C902 cameraphone

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Sony Ericsson K850i on the left, C902 on the right

Sony Ericsson K850i on the left, C902 on the right

The C902 isn't without its good points. To start with, it manages to eke considerably more life than the K850i did from an identical battery, managing a full two days of heavy use in a 3G area before needing a charge. It also comes bundled with a FastPort-to-3.5mm earphones adaptor, which is handy. The shedding of 6.5mm around the waist makes it a lot easier than the rather bulky K850i to slip into a pocket.

Call and signal quality proved to be excellent, and the built-in speaker is one of the best we've come across on a mobile. The accelerometer auto-rotate screen also works with the bundled ProStreet racing game, which is fun, in a slightly peripheral sort of way.

Verdict

Maybe we're overreacting. Maybe the C902 isn't the new slimline K850i after all. Maybe its the new K770i – though we thought that was the C702 - and a C903 or C904 device will come along and slot in between the C902 and C905 before the K850i gets the chop. Or maybe the K850i will live onto to a ripe old age. After all, you can still buy the two-year-old K800i. At the end of the day the C902 is just a competent upper mid-range snapper and we expected rather more.