ok, so maybe the title is a little harsh, but its not too far from the truth. i bought this phone in october and from day 1 there has been problems. but before we start on the negatives lets look at the positives. the phone looks very good! the blue lighting of the keys and camera give the phone a really stylish look, and the 5mp camera produces brilliant photos (when it works - see below). the phone is easy to navigate, and has all the usuals such as bluetooth etc.

unfortunately thats where the positives stop. the camera does produce some great snaps, but thats only when the camera works! all too often the shutter freezes and the opportunity to catch the picture you want passes you by. the camera also has an annoying tendancy to take pictures of blackness. i realised this is because of the design which makes it necessary to hold it at either side and use just your fingertips...thats is if you want to snap an image - if you desire a picture of blackness then just hold the… more »

ok, so maybe the title is a little harsh, but its not too far from the truth. i bought this phone in october and from day 1 there has been problems. but before we start on the negatives lets look at the positives. the phone looks very good! the blue lighting of the keys and camera give the phone a really stylish look, and the 5mp camera produces brilliant photos (when it works - see below). the phone is easy to navigate, and has all the usuals such as bluetooth etc.

unfortunately thats where the positives stop. the camera does produce some great snaps, but thats only when the camera works! all too often the shutter freezes and the opportunity to catch the picture you want passes you by. the camera also has an annoying tendancy to take pictures of blackness. i realised this is because of the design which makes it necessary to hold it at either side and use just your fingertips...thats is if you want to snap an image - if you desire a picture of blackness then just hold the camera the way you would an ordinary digital camera or phone!

since buying the phone it has been repaired by sony on 4 different occasions. the first two were both for the camera shutter issue. each time it came back with a message that it had been a software update issue. next came the problem with the keys and lights - one day the phone simply froze. the keys were lit but the phone was dead. the only way to turn the lights off was to remove the battery and then when the battery was replaced the phone wouldnt come back on. AGAIN SONY REPAIRED THE 'SOFTWARE ISSUE'. Finally the 3 touch screen buttons stopped working. these had been a constant irritation from the start as they are impossible not to catch when texting, although with hindsight it was much better when they worked than when they didnt! Anyway, guess what sony diagnosed...thats right - a software issue!

If these reliability issues dont concern you then dont fear, there are plenty of other complaints. the biggest being the flimsy structure of the phone. if you dare to hold it tightly your fingers may very well go straight through the plastic back cover...or at least thats how it feels!
next is the keypad layout. this is a definate point sony will be regreting. the idea to put the scroll pad in between the central keys may look good...in theory! in reality this virtually prevents you from typing a mesage. great idea sony!!!

next comes the battery life. sony boast 5 days. this may well be true if you charge it up and switch it off for 5 days. if, on the other hand, you are like me and talk and text each day then you will be just as annoyed when the battery runs dead after just 1 day!

I was so looking forward to getting the K850i but it was a massive mistake. Any owner will agree that the phone looks great and is capable of a good photo, but i am yet to meet a satisfied k850i user. the reliability issues and general design ruin the handset and make it almost useless as a phone or camera. i strongly suggest anyone thinking of buying one to instead look at the k810i or go with the leading phone makers samsung and nokia, because the k850i is a strong contender for the worst mobile ever!