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Sony Ericsson Vivaz
| Caractéristiques | |||
| Camera sensor | 8 MP | ||
| Weight | 97 grammes | ||
| Dimensions (mm) | 5.20 x 10.70 x 1.25 cm | ||
| Talk Time | 6 | ||
| Standby Time | 450 | ||
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| Internal Memory | non |
| Memory Card | microSD |
| SAR Level | 1.04 W/kg |
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Tristan François
Test date: August 12, 2010
Test date: August 12, 2010
The Vivaz as a phone
We found no major faults with the Vivaz's performance as a phone.
People we heard came through loud and clear and could hear us perfectly too.
Symbian has always been excellent and handling contacts, and it's as impressive as ever here. However, don't expect to find as much detail as you do on a 'big' smartphone.
People we heard came through loud and clear and could hear us perfectly too.
Symbian has always been excellent and handling contacts, and it's as impressive as ever here. However, don't expect to find as much detail as you do on a 'big' smartphone.
Update August 12, 2010: we've finally been able to confirm our photo and video test results, and have updated that part of this review, as well as the final score.
Alongside Android heavyweights like the Xperia X1 and Xperia X10, Sony Ericsson also announced some smaller handsets at the start of the year.
These phones aim to be the missing link between traditional multimedia phones, smartphones and other consumer electronics devices. One such example is the new Vivaz, which Sony is hoping can steal a march on pocket camcorders.
Slimline
The days of the Aino and the Satio seem a long way behind us! We criticised the latter for being bigger than some digital cameras, but things have changed: the Vivaz is thin and light and compact enough to go unnoticed in a pocket but still easy to grip. The very gentle curves help this, but are also easy on the eye, giving a very attractive finish.
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At the back, everything has been designed to draw your eye to the camera lens and the fact it can shoot 720p HD video.
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Simple menus, but nothing new
You shouldn't expect too many new features in the software, and the Symbian DNA is still very present. The makeover that was introduced on the previous generation of Sony-Ericsson phones helps avoid the menus looking too out of date, but it could have been taken further. Why doesn't Sony learn the lessons of the excellent Xross MediaBar interface that it uses in the PlayStation 3 and its Bravia TVs for instance?
There are some features we like though, including the fast access to photo galleries and social networking sites like Twitter from the home screen.
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We got a nasty surprise when we wanted to write a message though—which is after all what Twitter is for—there's no QWERTY keyboard, just a virtual version of the traditional alphanumeric keypad. We had almost forgotten that they existed, and it's even more annoying given that there's more than enough room on a 3.2'' display!
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The main attraction: HD video
This is where things started to go wrong for the Vivaz. So much so, in fact, that we're not even prepared to give it a final score at all.
The main selling point of the Vivaz is that with an 8 Megapixel sensor, it can record 720p HD video. But go and look at the results yourself: other smartphones with 5 Megapixel sensors are capable of photos that are at least as good, if not better.
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Compare photos from the Sony-Ericsson Vivaz to other phones and digital cameras in our Product Face-Off
The two units that we tested suffered from the same defects: blurry photos, destructive compression and pixelation were all present. Because these were preproduction models, we're waiting for more information from the manufacturer before we make a final decision.
Update: After several conversations with Sony Ericsson, we managed to get our hands on some other units for testing. The results of our photo and video tests were exactly the same as before, so our final score is now fixed. Photos are of very dubious quality, and the camera has serious trouble with focussing and indeed with producing any acceptable shots at all. One of the many contributing factors is the post-processing and compression of photos, both of which are far too aggressive. We found the same with videos, which looked absolutely dreadful unless they were shot outside in bright sunlight or in impeccable lighting.
One element has been very well thought out though: the Vivaz has not just one shutter release button, but two: one for photos, the other for video. It's a smart move. Sony-Ericsson has also included face detection and other little extras, which might seem a little superfluous to some. But after becoming the norm on point-and-shoot cameras, it's only logical to see them migrate over to cameraphones.
Everything else
Staying with multimedia, the audio player is easy to use, as is the headphone jack. If you like listening to the radio, you'll be glad to hear an FM tuner with RDS is included.
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You can use the aGPS to find your way from A to B, but without multitouch on the resistive touchscreen, navigating around a map can become very frustrating. The browser is based on Webkit and seemed pretty effective, but we would much rather have seen Opera Mini, which Sony-Ericsson seems to have shunned.
Finally, you can share multimedia files over a home network using DLNA, but be careful: once sharing is turned on, the battery, which can usually last in excess of two days, is drained much more quickly. You have been warned!
Finally, you can share multimedia files over a home network using DLNA, but be careful: once sharing is turned on, the battery, which can usually last in excess of two days, is drained much more quickly. You have been warned!
Pluses
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Very slim, easy to grip
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Physical button for video photo in addition to camera
Minuses
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Interface showing its age
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Limited OS
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Dreadful photos
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Video just as bad
The interface is really showing its age, so the Vivaz's only hope was its camera and HD video. That's all well and good—but the photos and videos we took with it were awful ...
