It would seem that Nokia mobile phones own the basic phone market, but Sony Ericsson seems to be trying to muscle into that demographic with the S312. Yes, it’s the kind of phone that’s not fancy, no Wi-Fi, GPS, or all the extras people seem to expect these days. This is a phone that is satisfied with being a mobile phone and nothing more.
The Sony Ericsson is light, extremely light in fact, and makes no bones about being made of plastic, to the point where the unkind could consider it tacky. But it works, and that’s the important thing – and it’s cheap. The menus are simple to use and navigate.
It’s just a two inch screen, but it really doesn’t need any more than that, since all the functions are quite ordinary, with the exception of the camera, which offers quite a lot for a phone of this level. Yes, it’s just two megapixels, but it works well, and the loaded Photo Fix software offers some very good photo editing capabilities. Users can shoot video too and still and moving pictures are started with separate buttons, a thoughtful addition. The downside is that you can only use them when you’re not doing anything else on the phone – although, to be fair, there’s not a whole lot else to do.
Among cheap, basic mobile phones, this Sony Ericsson is a standout. It’s a phone that does exactly what it says on the tin and does it very well, and that’s what it’s all about.
