Sony Ericsson W980i

The basics

The Sony Ericsson W980i is a medium clamshell mobile phone that weighs about 100 grams. The W980i is not just a fashion phone but a Walkman branded music phone that could spice up your life with music while enjoying its mobile capabilities. It comes in a black glossy finish with 8GB internal memory. This handy phone supports Bluetooth and has a web browser and a 3.2 megapixel camera. Standby time is 12 days and 16 hours of music playback.

The good

The music-phone market is more competitive than an American Little Miss beauty pageant, so it's going to need something special to stand out. The W980i has a few things, starting with its compact clamshell which belies the fact it can stomach 2,000 MP3s. Another tick is the superbly bright hi-res screen and a music player that can be controlled without opening the phone. Sound quality too has been improved by the Clear Audio Experience technology - it's cleaner, tauter and louder than previous Walkman phones. And the battery seems to last forever, too.

The bad

The W980i's fingerprint-loving mirrored finish and overly plastic shell doesn't scream high-end, while the lack of integrated 3.5mm headphone jack is annoying. The built-in FM transmitter is a good idea, but when we streamed tunes to a car stereo the sound quality was definitely compromised.

The bottom line

The best Walkman phone we've ever clapped eyes on. Or should that be ears? Either way, the sonic brilliance coupled with a superb screen and stunning battery outweighs its dodgy design.