Sony Ericsson K800 / K790 Review

The Sony Ericsson K800, which we will refer to as K790, since we are dealing with the American version in this review, is the marriage of cell phone and camera. This isn’t the first attempt; many cell phone manufacturers have tried to join the two devices in the past with minimal success, leaving a stigma on future cell phone cameras.

The general consensus believes cell phone cameras lack quality and are only toys, nothing more. This was true in the past, when cell phone cameras were taking sub 1MP shots filled with noise, lacking auto-focus and true flash, but times have changed and technology has made great strides. The K790 will not replace a professional photographer’s $1,000 SLR, however the K790 does have the advantage of convenience. Out and about, we don’t always have a camera to capture precious moments in our lives, but in most cases we do have our cell phones, so if your cell phone was also your camera… Well, you get the picture.

Many wonder if the K790 could replace their camera, which is definitely a good question, as with many things in life, there is no clear cut answer. It’s a balancing act, between photo quality and convenience, preferences differ from one person to the next. Hopefully by the end of this review you’ll have all the information you need to decide for yourself.

Before we begin I’d like to point out the key differences between the K800 and the K790. The K800 supports 900/1800/1900MHz frequencies and UMTS for data, while the K790(a) supports 850/1800/1900MHz and EDGE for data. The K790 also lacks the front camera found on the K800.