Play blackjack for money

Another day, another handset. That phrase largely sums up the S312. Cynical? Read on and find out …

Let’s start with the good. It’s a basic wee handset that will appeal to those looking for a no frills, no nonsense handset. The 2 MP camera isn’t rock bottom spec  and should be fine for random Facebook photography fun. There’s a couple of additional photo features, such as photo blogging, and a photo fix feature to enhance shots. There is also a dedicated video camera key, which is a nice touch I suppose. A photo light is also a nice addition although probably of little use for anything more than basic photography. An M2 memory card slot is also nice to have, whether for pictures/videos or music.

The fact that the handset supports EDGE is good too although realistically you probably won’t be doing much browsing on the small screen.

It is nice to see TrackID featured though. This is a great wee feature that I’ve long sung the praises of and it’s especially nice to see Sony Ericsson include it in their low-end handsets. A2DP support is also a welcome inclusion. Kudos chaps!

Ok let’s turn our attention to the bad. Generic. That one word sums this handset up in its entirety. I’m not being overly harsh when I say that because in all honesty the S312 doesn’t offer anything that we haven’t seen before. What can they include in a low-end handset I hear you ask? It’s not so much the feature set, although that is part of it, but rather the relatively unimagintive design; it’s basically a cookie cutter handset that we’ve seen countless times before from various manufacturers.

If Sony Ericsson are sensible they will price this handset very cheaply although given their track record I have feeling that probably won’t happen. A low price would be the S312’s saving grace because if it were very cheap then its feature set could really compete with the products from other manufacturers in the generic low-end category.

Also announced today is the VH300 - a small and simple Bluetooth headset.

In short it isn’t a bad handset, but it’s nothing to get excited about either. Those who want a basic handset with the odd extra might like it, but for the rest of us it’s not much more than a quick mention in a blog. Move along people, nothing to see here.

Filed under: Announcement, New phone, S series

(8 votes, average: 4.13 out of 5)

 Loading ...