In a nutshell: Sony Ericsson's budget Cyber-Shot phone is
a real bargain. Costing half as much as the flagship C905, the C510
nevertheless offers an excellent 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus,
a flash and geo-tagging, plus Sony's usual high quality music player
and an FM radio. The C510 also comes with 100 MB of memory, space
for a memory card, Bluetooth and motion-sensor gaming. Available
in Black or Silver. Best buy: *Free* with free line rental or £225 auto
cashback from Mobiles.co.uk
(Black); or £69.95 on PAYG from the Carphone
Warehouse (Black or White) or £79.90 on PAYG from
Mobiles.co.uk
(Black or White).
Review:
March 2009. Updated July 2009.
The C510 looks like the perfect phone for these
credit crunched times. You want a high quality Cyber-Shot camera?
You want the latest gadgets like geo-tagging, motion gaming and
YouTube videos? You got it! And all this in a mid-range phone, available
free on a £15 per month contract! No wonder that the C510
is proving to be so popular.
The phone is a traditional Sony Ericsson candybar,
available in a choice of Black or Silver. The keypad is nicely designed
and easy to text with. It's a standard size phone - not large, not
ultrathin - but surprisingly lightweight. The display is compact
at 2.2 inches, but has a nice high resolution of 320 x 240 pixels
and 262k colours, matching the display on Sony's high-end phones
such as the SE C905. The phone
has a built-in accelerometer, which enables the display to rotate
automatically between landscape and portrait modes when you turn
the phone. The accelerometer also powers motion-based gaming.
This is a CyberShot phone, so the quality of the
camera matters. The camera in the C510 is rated at 3.2 megapixels,
so it can't match the latest 5 and 8 megapixel phones such as the
C902 or the C905.
But then it's half the price. Compared with similarly-priced rivals,
it offers an excellent camera, equipped with face detection autofocus,
an LED flash and digital zoom. With care the C510 can produce print-quality
photographs. And if you're more of a happy snapper than a pro, the
C510 has plenty of features to help make snapping easier. The Smile
Shutter™ automatically takes a shot when your subject is smiling
- you just have to point the camera in the right direction. We'd
say that for this amount of money, this is probably the best camera
phone you can buy. The camera offers geo-tagging too. The camera
can also record video clips, and video calling is possible too.
The C510 is equipped with Sony's usual excellent
music player, and the C510 features MegaBass (for enhanced bass
frequencies), PlayNow (for downloading ringtones and other premium
content) and TrackID (music recognition software.) An FM radio with
RDS is also included. The C510 comes with a SE headset and you can
also use an optional Bluetooth wireless stereo headset. With 100
MB of built-in memory, the C510 compares well with other phones
in this price range, and has enough space to store a few CD's worth
of music. You can upgrade this by adding a Memory Stick Micro™
giving up to 4 GB of storage.
The C510 is a 3G phone with HSDPA for high-speed
internet access. It can also be used on a GSM network, supporting
GSM 900, 1800 & 1900. Connectivity options are Bluetooth and
USB. Battery life seems to be pretty good.
We like the C510 a lot. In its price range it's
definitely one of the best featured phones currently available.
A cheaper option would be the old Sony
Ericsson K770i. Similarly-priced alternatives from other manufacturers
would be the Nokia 6600 Slide
or the Samsung Soul. A few people
have reported firmware-type errors, such as the phone refusing to
accept their sim cards, or freezing / shutting down, so this phone
clearly isn't 100% reliable, but it's better than most Sony Ericsson
phones of recent years.
Features of the Sony Ericsson C510 include:
3.2 megapixel camera with LED flash, face detection
autofocus, 3.2x digital zoom and geo-tagging
Video camera with video light / 3G video calling
Display: TFT, 262,144-colour, 240 x 320 pixels
(2.2 inches) with auto rotation
Media player with album art, MegaBass, PlayNow
and TrackID
FM radio with RDS
MP3/AAC ringtones
Speakerphone
Voice recorder
Messaging: SMS, MMS, Email
Google Maps
3D Java games with motion gaming
Animated wallpaper
Web browser, RSS feeds, blogging
HSDPA (3.6 Mbps)
Personal organiser functions
Flight mode
Vibration alert
Memory: 100 Mbytes plus support for Memory Stick
Micro™ (M2™) (up to 4 GB)
Love
your mobile? Hate it? Please share your experiences to help other
people choose the phone that's best for them. Please do not review
this phone if you have not used it. This is a review site, not a
forum, so please don't just ask questions. Please do not use swear
words or offensive language, and please, no advertising!
Reviewed by Sarah Donnelly from Ireland
on 14th Jul 2009
The Shizzel... ;] Rating:
Reviewed by Pam from Lancs England on
14th Jul 2009
I got the C510 and its a brilliant slim phone easy to use, takes
nice pics, the only problem i have with it is, i am with 3network
and i am supposed to be able to download skype but when i try it
always says 'operation failed' and i sent it into 3 to be flashed
and its still the same when i got it back.(and it took them a week
and 2 phone calls to return it) Rating:
Reviewed by Adrian from UK on
13th Jul 2009
amazing phone for the price! i cant believe people are rating it
1 star for the zoom not being available in 3mp. its a cheap phone.
what do you expect? and the camera quality is good but not for big
prints i must admit. good pictures if all you are going to do with
them is put them on facebook. and good other features to! :) Rating:
Reviewed by richard from india on
12th Jul 2009
very good with an excellelant camera and good choice of games Rating:
Reviewed by abhinav from indainn on
11th Jul 2009
zoom in camera works only when capturing at vga resolution and not
at 3or2 megapixels Rating:
Reviewed by Annette from UK on
9th Jul 2009
I got this mobile 3 months ago. I dont think the camera is very
good considering its 3.2 megapixels. The internet is slow, but its
a slim stylish phone. Rating:
Reviewed by ben from United Kingdom
on 8th Jul 2009
top notch :) Rating:
Reviewed by Mike from UK on 8th
Jul 2009
Not impressed with this pnone which replaced my K800i. Had it for
just over 4 weeks and the front speaker when using for phone calls
developed a fuzziness/ distortion sound, so incoming calls were
very difficult to hear clearly. Went for repair, came back and on
day one speaker seems to be going the same way again. Wished I could
give it a better score, but no good as a phone if you can't hear
the caller clearly! Rating:
Reviewed by Kate from UK on 7th
Jul 2009
This is a great phone, it's easy to use and it has all the essential
gadgets that I need, the camera is good, the music player is good
and it holds alot of memory. The internet access is easy and is
only slow if you have network coverage. However the only down turn
is that it does tend to get hot after a long time either surfing
the internet or calling. It's a great phone and I highly recommend
it to anyone feeling the pinch and looking for an excellent phone
! Rating:
Reviewed by Will from UK on 6th
Jul 2009
This phone is brilliant. The features on it are exellent and overall
quality is good. The only downturn is I had to send mine back because
the down button broke , but I would get a replacement one for definate!
Editer it should deserve 6 stars! Rating:
Reviewed by Daniel Simpson from Scotland
on 6th Jul 2009
I have just Baught this phone its the best Ever Rating:
Reviewed by Chris from UK on
4th Jul 2009
Great little phone. Easy to use but getting onto the internet is
very slow. Can anyone tell me if their C510 gets hot. Mine warms
up when I use the internet and I have been told this is normal.Help
please Rating:
Reviewed by Rowshon from England on
23rd Jun 2009
Bought this from Carphone on payg a month ago. All seemed good but
now developed a fault, which is you can't see the phone ringing
or even a missed call, which appears a few hours later. After an
initial excitement with this phone..now have take it back to Carphone..shame
it's after 28 days, otherwise could have had replacement or refund. Rating:
Reviewed by Jo from Uk on 22nd
Jun 2009
I got this two weeks ago to replace my much-loved k800i which has
finally given up the ghost. On the plus side, it is much slimmer
and lighter, and I can use the same M2 memory card. The interface
is very similar, although there are some differences, notably in
the messaging menu when you use the same editor for text or MMS
messages. (I'd say this is an improvement). It is also quick to
access the net, and the built in web browser is really good. I haven't
felt the need to use Opera Mini nearly as much. But, the camera
is not such good quality as the K800 (especially indoors) for stills,
although video is better. Like the K800, the email client works
well, and really easy to set up using the auto setup system. I can
get push email (like Blackberry) via gmail now which is fantastic.
Sound quality of the media player is good, and the C510 can be used
with Windows Media Player as a WMP device which makes it easy to
get your music on to it. There is also now support for WMA files.
Overall, this is a good little phone. The camera is a slight disappointment,
but taken as a whole, I'm well pleased with this very reasonably
priced phone. Rating:
Reviewed by Jonny from UK on
18th Jun 2009
The phone flash can be used as a light go on to video camera like
youre recording a video and press very button right key Rating:
Reviewed by Myst from UK on 18th
Jun 2009
Great phone. Coming from K750 & W810. Only problem is that the flash
light cannot be used as a torch light like the K750/W810. I'm sure
someone will make a software to crack this problem. Since I got
mine free from Vodafone with 24 month contract, other problem would
be that Vodafone decided to assign 2 keys to go to their website
which is annoying as even though I flashed the phone, I could not
undo this. Rating:
Reviewed by gobble from Egypt on
17th Jun 2009
Love that phone, cheap, slim, never crashes, nice pics and got all
my needs. I don't miss my old Nokia phone! Rating:
Reviewed by Ryan from Manchester on
15th Jun 2009
Bought this phone as a cheap un for work n stuff as i broke my w902
(superb walkman phone) and got it for £109.95 , gotta say im impressed
as its basically similar in looks to the c902 minus the dodgy keypad
yet with a louder speaker. For me the advantages i love is its slimness
and ease of use , the camera slide is perfect the screen is a good
size and best of all you can have SMS alerts for each contact in
the phonebook a'la w902 and also view videos landscape. Only gripe
i see happening is the creaky d-pad and the closeness of buttons
together as being a rapid texter i can see a lot of wrong keys gettin
hit. Rating:
Reviewed by tom white from england./-
on 12th Jun 2009
ITS MY BEST FRIEND. Rating:
Reviewed by hassan from england on
11th Jun 2009
i think this is a great phone for the price range iv had it for
3 days now and im impressed the battery life is still halfway through
when iv been mplay games and listening to music for hours the cameras
very good in good lighting conditions the flash is alright plus
the screen of this phone is the best iv seen so far so last words
i definatly reccommend this phone to anyone Rating:
Reviewed by Hannah from England on
9th Jun 2009
Great phone, had it for 3 weeks and it broke, not accepting my SIM
card. The camera isnt as good for a cybershot phone. There is only
a zoom at vga mode, which is pretty pointless considering its a
3.2 mp camera. The battery life isnt great on it. Have to charge
it up every 2-3 days (much like my nokia 5310), but the battery
goes very quick even when im not listening to music. Although, it
does do everything that a phone should do, play good quality sounding
music, texting is good, good phone calls, takes pictures and good
videos. But the battery is my biggest let down (and the fact it
broke) Rating:
Reviewed by grace from England on
8th Jun 2009
very dissapointed with it tbh software is slow and always turning
of / restarting itself camera is poor quality for a CYBERSHOT wouldnt
advise anyone to get it . Rating:
Reviewed by David from UK on
6th Jun 2009
I needed a new phone recently and had the following requirements:
1. Must look good 2. Must be small and fit easily into the pocket
of my jeans. 3. Must have a good camera - not for professional photography
but good quick snaps when I'm out and about and don't have my camera
with me. 4. Must be relatively cheap - I am a light user so prefer
to buy the phone and use it on PAYG. The C510 came onto the market
at about the time I was looking and it could not have matched by
spec better. Absolutely perfect for my needs. I agree with all of
the positive comments on this forum. I have not had any issue with
crashes and I've had the phone for almost 2 months. The only minor
niggle for me are the keys. Not the size, I have no problem with
this. But I find that the keys are not as positive as other phones
that I have used. Perhaps I just need to get used to it but sometimes
I hit a key and find myself having to hit it again. But, again,
this is a minor issue. I heartily recommend this phone. Rating:
Reviewed by Stephen from Philippines
on 6th Jun 2009
its a balanced phone. has a good cam (above average), has some pretty
nifty features including its media programs and some internet apps..
i would have liked a better cam though as it is a cybershot phone.
(takes crappy pictures in low light).. overall a well rounded phone,
a jack of all trades and a master of none. Rating:
Reviewed by Lee from UK on 5th
Jun 2009
Just picked up one of these to save money on my contract. I am really
happy with it so far even though it was a down grade phone for me
I have not lost any major features. Nice feel to the phone easy
to text, fairly slim. Camera is pretty good for a 3.2 was used to
a 5 but hard to notice the difference. Great phone for not alot
of money Rating:
Reviewed by Jamie from UK on
4th Jun 2009
Having lost my nokia n82, i needed a new phone saw this quality
handset for £89.99 had it for just over a month and wow its the
best ive had its a good tough phone unlike them slider phones out
there that break when you drop them lol, its just like the old k800i
but thin and more features, even the music player has MEGA-BASS
which i wouldnt expect, battery is great lasts twice as long as
my n82! well worth £89.99 from cpw Rating:
Reviewed by jonesylar from UK on
4th Jun 2009
Yes great phone, fantastic, huge memory, massive memory card, awesome
this, awesome that, but when will everyone just wake up and realise
that all these post-2005 phones have short battery life because
there's far too much crammed onto them for the memory to cope with,
and the Edge and 3G technology just eats power by the second. On
Sony Ericssons there's no way of disabling 3G (at least I've never
found out how) whereas on Nokias you can return to dual mode and
save battery power (although they're not much better either). I
keep asking this question, but can someone tell me why my 2005 Motorola
with 3G, email, web access, camera, bluetooth and everything, lasts
for three days before recharging, whereas these recent ones drain
after a ten minute conversation? Rating:
Reviewed by Chris from UK on
3rd Jun 2009
My last Sony Erricsion - W810i never worked from day one nor did
several replacments so it was with reluctance I went back to SE.
I did so due to it being the best phone in the price range on PAYG
and the good reviews it had. Everything went well for the first
few weeks apart from a few minor niggles others have noted then
yesterday it was working one minute then not the next. The speaker
did not work (and no the silent mode was not on) so I missed a couple
of important calls. A reset did nothing and technical support on
my mobile provider were useless. I solved it by reinstalling the
firmeware but I am wary that I might be on a downhill path with
this one. They quote a five day turnaround for repairs and as I
am waiting for calls about a job this is not an option as my mobile
provider (Tesco) will not let me forward calls to another phone
only to voicemail. To sum great phone, major concenrs over SE reliability.
My advice go with a Nokia. Rating:
Reviewed by Pete from England on
2nd Jun 2009
Hi all. I've had the C510 for a little over 2 weeks now, and im
sorry to say its crashed on me twice already (much like the W980
and W910 did, though to be fair, they were much worse than the C510).
Anyway, apart from it freezing twice, its a pretty good phone -
it takes nice pics during the day, easy to use UI, very good mp3
player, when used with a walkman 3.5mm adaptor from previous a previous
phone, and it does its main job of texts and phoning very well.
Its just im now tired of the phone crashing that goes hand in hand
with S.E phones. Any chance of a Samsung s5600 review guys? [Editor's
reply: Soon, Pete, next few days.] Rating:
Reviewed by Leigh Welsby from UK on
1st Jun 2009
Amazing,perfect phone.Had for over a month,no problems whatsoever.Last
3 SE phones i had were bug infested, W910i by far the worst.Rebooting
countless times everyday from day one.This one hasnt done it once.Dont
know why people complaining about button size,im a 6ft man with
big hands and i use the side of my thumbs and no probs atall for
texting or anything.Camera good,about the same as 3mp on LG Cookie,internet
odviously rapid coz 3g.Does everthing the other SE's do,without
the software problems.Lovin it. Rating:
Reviewed by Zoe Thomas from UK on
25th May 2009
Had this phone for a month now and it is outstanding. The Sony Ericsson
interface is second to none. It's really easy to navigate the various
functions. The speaker is good and you can hear the other person
loud and clear. Ringtone is loud and you can set your own music
as the ringtone. It has a good range of symbols (and smiley faces!
No smileys with samsung!) which are easily accessible when texting.
You can add your own words to the T9 dictionary and edit them under
'my words'. For some reason I've always found Nokias a bit unreliable
when adding new words, it remembers them when it wants to. Also
with Nokias you can't access or edit your own words once added.
Just one gripe, the keypad is a bit cramped to make up for the large
screen. As an avid texter, i still find that because the keys are
so small i occasionally press two at a time. This aside, it is an
outstanding phone and well worth the money. It is very reliable,
and I hope I'm not tempting fate here, but it has not frozen once,
nor dropped a call. Battery life is excellent. I would certainly
recommend this phone, well done SE! PS after the bug ridden, and/or
poor quality phones SE have been issuing Sony Ericsson needed to
claw back some credibility. It has done this with the C510. Well
done SE! Rating:
Reviewed by citizen17 from UK on
25th May 2009
******* DO NOT BUY, MORE RUSHED SONY RUBBISH***** Sorry Arak but
Mike is right on this one, He is just to balme the phone, and before
i even say what i have to say i will start with sony are gulty of
this time and time again, marketing already faulty products while
being aware of it. dont get me wrong its a great phone....when it
works, which is the problem, its like microsofts xbox360 all over
again, either the phones arnt thoroughly tested enough or they know
the issues and ship the phone anyway. now maybe arak you have a
point, maybe ur sony ericsson worked fine, whereas mike got one
of the faulty ones. But dont tell him not to balme the phone. I
work for a large telecommunications company, and recently we were
all supplied with a sony ericsson c510a. at first i was stoked it
was a sexy slim little phone crammed full of features and whats
better, paid for by my company, however after it ran out of battery
the first time i got the message ( CANT CHARGE NEEDS SONY ERICSSON
BATTERY ONLY) which as mike stated is the same battery that somes
in the sealed box. So to start with i did question myself and wondered
if i had done something wrong. until i got back to work after the
weekend and there had been a dept set up and a brand new emergency
proceedure as several of my colleagues more than 6 had the exact
same problem and thats just out of the 50 odd people on my floor.
then when i called the newly set up help desk to arrange a replacement
and found the reponse team had 3 our their team out of 14 have the
same problem with the handset, even our site manager had this problem.
i sorry arak but im gonna have to go with mike on this one great
phone but as per usual sony you have some major issues to sort out.
Rating:
Reviewed by brad from uk on 24th
May 2009
i was looking for ages for a new mobile, only to realise that if
i just widened my sights away from nokia nokia nokia that i could
get such an amazing bargain!! this phone cost me £90 unlocked and
has been the best purchase ive made for a long time! its battery
life is great, the camera is nothing short of amazing for the price
(i dont understand why people complain about a camera phone that
costs so little and compare it to phones which cost twice or three
times the price), it is one of the best looking phones in my opinion,
especially in black :), the visuals on the phone are marvelous and
allow a large amount of customisation and the technology is faultless.
i have large hands and i thought that the keys would be too small
to text with as i am an avid texter, however after using the phone
i realisied this was not a problem whatsoever. GREAT PHONE, GREAT
PRICE, YOULD BE MAD NOT TO GET ONE!!! Rating:
Reviewed by ian from uk on 22nd
May 2009
great phone just one downfall i found was the battery not to good Rating:
Reviewed by mike from uk on 19th
May 2009
BEWARE DO NOT BUY had this phone less than 3 weeks and it can’t
charge saying NEEDS SONY ERICSSON battery, thats good it came with
a sony ericsson what else, straight from the boxed sealed. As anybody
else had this problem going back to my SE 810i (no problems for
over 2 years) SONY ERICSSON PLEASE SOLVE THIS PROBLEM 0 out of 5
Rating:
Reviewed by Arak from Cyprus on
19th May 2009
dont blame the phones , just check if you have downloaded something
from your computer or through blue tooth that could contain viruses
I have the phone its just great , the only 2 cooments , camera does
not function in the dark and the protective shutter could break
one day Rating:
Reviewed by Varsha from India on
18th May 2009
Overall its good. But i really got disappointed with "no zoom" with
3MP/2MP/1MP..Too bad.. Its nearly cheating.. Being a camera special
model, this is an unepectable drawback!! :( Rating:
Reviewed by Steven Saunders from UK
on 17th May 2009
Artistic design. Mod-menus, with zippy action. Compact and easily
put in your pocket. The technology actually works too, unlike some
pretty phones that don't really deliver the goods. Regarding the
tiny keys - well, I'm kind of okay with that. I got used to it,
and it's fine. You just use a slightly different technique when
hitting the keys. Rating:
Reviewed by fernic from philippines
on 17th May 2009
my c510 is a week old and up to this date i'm still not familiar
with its functions and buttons.What i miss more from my recent brand
of fon is its reminder tone.c510 has a very brief reminder tone.My
recent brand can be replaced with longer and more distinguished
tone.I wish SE can manipulate this tone thru upgrading or downloads
from SE website.my rating? Rating:
Reviewed by Tom from UK on 16th
May 2009
Amazing phone! Won't repeat all the technical details above but
just to say it's one downfall is the size of the keys. They're TINY!
Finding it difficult to text at speed but hopefully I'll get used
to it. Still, excellent phone and real value for money. Rating:
Reviewed by Anne from UK on 16th
May 2009
A bargain of a phone. Small, slick and with plenty of features.
Good crisp display. Can't fault it - except for one thing. The size
of the keys! They're tiny, I have trouble and I have small fingers,
lawd luv us, if you have big digits! If it wasn't for the keys it
would be a 5 star phone, as it is, it's still excellent so 4 stars.
Rating:
Reviewed by MotoMixer from Wales on
16th May 2009
Pros-1. It's cheap. 2. It has a good camera. Cons-1. It will drop
calls if the signal drops to 1 bar. 2. The speaker is very quiet,
might as well stick your head out of the window and shout to the
person you are trying to call. 3. The keypad is very cramped. 4.
The joypad fell off after the first week!! 5. Can't see the screen
in broad daylight. 6. Useless software and layout if bought on Orange.
7. It's got a top heavy feel to it. The list is endless because
it's the usual SE trash. Avoid like the plague and buy a boring
old Nokia or an LG Rating:
Reviewed by Riasat from UAE on
15th May 2009
Amazing phone i like it. Rating:
Reviewed by Lorraine Baxendale from
GB on 14th May 2009
Bought this phone today, traded my old Nokia for £36 in part ex
so only cost £64 at Carphone Warehouse......really good. Slick and
cool looking. Easy to use and not too full of gadetry that never
get used. Deffo recommend. Rating:
Reviewed by Robert Moore from England
on 14th May 2009
Great phone, looks classy in silver. Clear screen for viewing photos.
Speaker is good quality as you would expect form Sony.I do like
the key contacts list.Got every thing you want from a phone and
more. Great price, well done Sony!! Rating:
Reviewed by Liam from England on
12th May 2009
absolutely smashing x Rating:
Reviewed by Matt H from England on
10th May 2009
Iv had this phone for a few days now and im impressed. I used this
website, to read the reviews and although these were mostly excellent,
there were the odd ones moaning about it. Well my suggestion is
to take no notice. For the price of the phone its fantastic! Great
little camera (not the best in the dark), a nice size, cool slide
on the camera cover, handy features and easy to use!!! Another great
Sony Ericsson thats worth buying!!! Rating:
Reviewed by Erik from United Kingdom
on 8th May 2009
Had this phone for a month now, this is my 4th SE phone, T610, W810i,
K810i then this. I do like this phone, it's the slimmest one I ever
had. But coming from the K810i which I loved, I hated the camera
on this one, the xenon flash on that really made a difference on
the quality of photos. The phone I have is highly customised by
3 so i could not get alter the left and right keys. I do not like
that I have to go so deep in the menu to play music and that i could
not return easily to the main menu from the music menu, or accidentally
turning the music off completely. The screen is good as it is bigger
than the K810i but it does not look as sharp, the c510 is a bit
more plastic-y than glassy. And the any key answer wouldnt work
on this phone. It also feels a little sluggish. But i would give
this a four star as it is a good value phone. It can do almost everything
nicely, but not breathtaking. Rating:
Reviewed by Ian from uk on 5th
May 2009
I had my c510 a few weeks now and no probs so far i had 2 k800i
phones before this because i loved the camera. The camera is good
but a big difference with no xenon flash in dark but with the video
at 30fps is a huge difference from the k800i.The c510 is not to
good in low light conditions on vid or cam.If any1 had a SE phone
before and wondered why they had lost all your pics in folders you
can find them back in folders in org/tools select my files and u
will find it.This phone is a great little phone 4 the money vodafone
knocked £5 of my contract a month which made it a winner because
of its price.If i was on pay&go i would say 4 the money u will not
find a phone as good as this with a budget of £100. Rating:
Reviewed by seann from scotland on
4th May 2009
this phone is outstanding i hav recently purchased this phone from
three and i am paying monthly its a great wee dinky phone for every
day use. My last phone was the nokia n95 which have since got rid
of because it was a total brick. The camera on the c510 suprisingly
enough is much better than the 5mp camera on the n95. the n95 is
a brick nokia have just overoaded with fancy software that no one
would use and in doin this they have made the n95 really really
slow. so all in all BUY THE C510 YOU WON'T REGRET IT Rating:
Reviewed by chirag patel from India
on 2nd May 2009
Battery is poor quality ,not last for one day with multimedia,sound
is normal.camera is ok.3.2 is ok.as per price.net is fast.I would
not recommend to buy this phone.go for HTC like windows phone in
low cost. Rating:
Reviewed by Martin from uk on
1st May 2009
Great phone Great value Buy it... Rating:
Reviewed by Martin from uk on
1st May 2009
Great phone Great value Buy it... Rating:
Reviewed by Dave from Wales on
1st May 2009
Just got one of these and it is a really likeable little phone.
I recently got a SE C902 on contract and hated the hard plasticky
keypad, squashed buttons and general clumsiness of the thing (as
well as the Vodafone firmware but that's not specifically a C902
shortcoming, as all Vodafone issued SE phones have it), so I traded
it in for the C510. What a difference! It may not have as good a
camera, but everything else is up to the same spec and, on top of
that, it has a larger screen and is far easier to use. In my view
this is the best mass appeal SE phone since the K800. Rating:
Reviewed by Marc from UK on 1st
May 2009
Got the C510 as a replacement for my K800i which was a fantastic
phone. So far have been a little disappointed with the replacement.
Main issue is with the media storage of photos.....it seems to be
impossible to store photos in folders of your own naming as opposed
to the pre set display of showing by months. Anyone know how to
fix this as for some reason its only showing some photos in order
whilst others are all messed up and out of order which is annoying!!
Aside from that so far seems like a decent handset.....not sure
its going to be better than the K800i though, has alot to live up
to. Rating:
Reviewed by Sally from England on
30th Apr 2009
I was provided with the C510 supposedly as an upgrade from my K800i.
Tried hard to like it for a week and then put it back in the box
I disliked it so much. Not the quality of the K800i and battery
didn't last as long and I don't use my phone much! Didn't manage
to get it to zoom either. Glad I didn't give my K800i away and hope
it lasts me for a good while yet! Rating:
Reviewed by Jack D from England on
28th Apr 2009
This phone is great, bought it today and I'm over the moon with
it. For the money it is great, very slim and stylish and the way
the camera is tucked away is awesome. I considered the W595, but
I honestly believe all you are paying for with that is the slide
mechanism, this is so much better! The cybershot camera is pretty
good, and I'm hard pushed to see how the C902 is any better than
this phone! Glad to see Sony Ericson can still produce great phones
at reasonable prices! Rating:
Reviewed by Katie from England on
28th Apr 2009
This phone is amazing! i love it :) brought it from carphone warehouse
and the i brought a memory card along with it. Couldn't wish for
a better sony ericsson phone BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT Rating:
Reviewed by Michael from Philippines
on 28th Apr 2009
I am a big fan of Sony Ericsson phones. I recently upgraded to a
C510 from a K510i. The phone was very impressive for its price.
The picture quality is excellent and the sound is superb. Rating:
Reviewed by Piecan from UK on
27th Apr 2009
I wish I could have loved enough to keep it. The sound quality is
brilliant on calls, music playback and call volume. It is neat lightweight
easy to use and the keypad, although a little small, is quite good,
the internet is fast and the screen is a nice size, also liked how
you can zoom into a photo afterwards and crop it.. and here comes
the but...The battery life I found to be really poor, it drained
down in two days which I haven't come across in an SE phone before.
The photos were also really poor in low light (I did play around
with all the settings) and the shutter so slow that the subject
had gone by the time the picture was taken. This was the second
C510 I'd tried, the first took random black photos. The flash on
it is much worse than the Nokia 3600 which also uses a double led.
I also couldn't alter the size of the text despite three options.
I took it back to the shop where I begrudgingly got a refund, then
begged back my Nokia 3600 from hubby! Rating:
Reviewed by Arron from UK on
26th Apr 2009
I've returned to SE after a new generations with Nokia and, in the
past few months, a succession of other brands such as Samsung and
LG. I was surprised by how more advanced this 'feature phone' seems
in comparison with other 'smart phones'. Texting on this phone is
smoother and more efficient than any other; soft keys, T9 alternatives
accessed on a 'rocker' basis, access to 'My words' (a editable list
of all user additions to the default T9 database, apparently unique
to SE), IM-style conversation view as an option, and an icon which
shows if a text has been replied to (a nice touch). Smart dialling
(by letter, rather the useless 'by digit' version seen in Samsung
and LG phones), a great browser (although I normally use Opera Mini),
adequate camera, keypad shortcuts in all menu screens, outstanding
PC software, and a all-round friendly user-interface. Topped off
with a sleek, no-nonsense look, this is the ideal phone for anyone
who uses their phone primarily for texting, making calls, occasional
internet browsing, and casual photography. Rating:
Reviewed by Jim from Sweden on
25th Apr 2009
So far I've been impressed with this little phone and really do
love it to bits. The keys seem small at first but really are superb
for texting on when you're used to them. The whole phone feels well
constructed and sturdy and has a quietly classy look in the black-
and the quality of the screen is phenomenal. The bad bits for me
are that the camera quality is only average for a 3.2mp phone- not
as good as the k800i which was a REAL camera phone. Also my 3 branded
phone occasionally freezes or reboots. Otherwise top notch and a
fantastic buy. And did I mention that the sound quality of the music
player / radio is awesome? ;) Rating:
Reviewed by Thomas from UK on
23rd Apr 2009
The most budget conscious phone in the C series, this phone represents
excellent value for money. A 3.2MP camera with dual LED flash (pity
no xenon flash). Autofocus and a function which takes the picture
when the subjects are smiling! Crisp colourful display with scratch
proof coating and all sorts of bells and whistles like Google maps,
YouTube portal. megabass on music player etc. The keys are small
but you get used to them. Bargain for the money - highly recommended.
Rating:
Reviewed by Shaun from Scotland on
21st Apr 2009
This phone is a really good phone. I find the buttons are just fine,
good menu, really impressive speaker, easy to use also. The camera
is good, but nowhere near as good as the old favourite K800i, as
that still remains best for qaulity and flash. The only problems
I have encountered with this phone is that it rarely doesn't respond.
It crashes on rare occasions and sometimes decides to turn off when
it wants too. But so far, it hasn't happened much and I've had it
for over a month now. But all in all, this is a really cool phone.
It would get losers some friends. Buy it, it's an amazing bargain!! Rating:
Reviewed by Zoe from UK on 21st
Apr 2009
I've had it a few days now and it definitely grows on you! It's
so easy to text with despite the small buttons, it's light and slim
and doesn't feel like you've got a brick in your pocket as with
the K800i (bless it's heart!) Fast internet, good camera, scratch
resistant screen which is bright and crisp - a pleasure to behold.
It's excellent value for money. Highly recommended! Rating:
Reviewed by Rachel from UK on
20th Apr 2009
Iv'e taken mine back and had a refund. The main problem was I could
hardly hear people I was talking to. Despite the volume turned to
maximum. Ended up putting speaker on just to hear. The phone also
developed a blemish top left hand corner within a day of using it.
Rating:
Reviewed by Zoe from UK on 19th
Apr 2009
Well, I've just bought the phone and coming from a k800i I'm not
overly impressed. No sleep clock/missed calls/texts alerts when
the phone is in sleep mode. So have to fire up to check. The internet
search soft key is right next to the back/end calls key and I keep
catching the search internet key when I want to go back. I thought
the buttons on the k800i were small, but these are tiny (I expect
I'll get used to them tho). The speaker is placed on the back thus
reducing the noise of it's ringing, but on full volume it is quite
loud thankfully! The Google maps seem quite accurate in placing
where I am. All in all a reasonable phone for the money, it is slim
and light and fits into your pocket easily. I think maybe it's a
grower... Rating:
Reviewed by miss L from ENGLAND on
16th Apr 2009
I LOVE THIS PHONE. ITS SO HANDY AND SLIM Rating:
Reviewed by ChrisS from Cambridge, UK
on 14th Apr 2009
Not impressed one little bit with this phone. After buying it I
found that the quality of the 3.2 megapixel camera is actually worse
than my old Samsung D600 2MP camera! The images are more pixellated
and the video quality leaves a lot to be desired. And when taking
a photograph, theres about a THREE SECOND DELAY before the camera
actually takes the picture, which is just totally ridiculous and
completely unacceptable for what is billed as a Cybershot camera.
I managed to reduce the delay to just over a second by setting the
camera focus to "infinite". The phone didn't come with a USB connector
cable but DID come with PC software - what's the point without the
cable?!! One thing positive I will say about the phone is the internet
browser - it's pretty fast and I was fairly impressed with it but
since I don't actually use the internet that much on my mobile it
makes that speck of praise slightly redundant for me. Otherwise,
I can't say I have a lot of positive things to say about this phone.
The camera slider feels cheap and its as if its about to snap off.
The keypad is smaller than my previous phone but I do admit I've
gotten used to that. I just don't really like this phone that much
and it's going back to where it came from. Rating:
Reviewed by Andrew. from Kent. on
11th Apr 2009
Needing a new phone after owning a wonderful K750i for over 4yrs
ive taken my time & done lots of research. Finally decided to go
for the C510. So far iam completly happy. The phone looks & feels
real quality, with a nice weight to it just the same as my K750i
when new. My needs for a mobile is to phone & text backed up with
reliability. No complaints about any features of the C510 at all.
Rating:
Reviewed by Paul from UK on 10th
Apr 2009
I love this phone.I got it to replace my K810i which I'd had for
18 months and served me trouble free.The C510 is much slimmer and
a better designed phone than the K810i.I find the camera much better
too,a lot of the pictures from the K810i were always a bit blurry
but from the C510 I find them much sharper.The menu systems are
typical SE but the graphics and Icons have been improved such as
those on the code memo where now you get an animated safe lock when
you enter your password,pretty neat.The only minus I would give
the C510 is that it has no sleep clock mode.It shows no clock or
missed texts and calls unless you press the side button or one of
the keys.I'm used to not having that now and I'll still give the
phone 5 stars as it is great value for money. Rating:
Reviewed by Mark from Uk on 10th
Apr 2009
Just upgraded from w910 which kept restarting every 30 min, Got
to say this is a great little phone good camera good Internet Rating:
Reviewed by kat from uk on 9th
Apr 2009
over all a good phone, especially for the price, but a cybershot
phone without zoom?!? [Editor's comment: Kat, this phone does have
a zoom!??!] [Reply by kat on 13th Apr 2009: i'll make myself clearer
lol when you try to zoom when the camera is set to 3mp (and 2 and
1mp) the words 'zoom not possible at this resolution, select a smaller
picture size' come up on the screen. zoom only works in video and
VGA mode which kind of defeats the object of having a 3mp camera?!]
[Editor's reply: OK, now I understand. Most Sony Ericssons's are
made like this unfortunately.] Rating:
Reviewed by Stevie from Scotland on
9th Apr 2009
Just a word of advice for all those saving up their well earned
pennies to buy the C905. If you don't particularly require a very
high standard of camera, buy the C510 instead as te 3meg is more
than sufficient. It' basically the same phone without the alleged
better camera and a couple of bells and whistles which are unnecessary
anyway. Choose practicality over status. Definately a five star
phone. Rating:
Reviewed by Jason2kaii9 from Rostrevor
N.I !!! d4 best :D on 8th Apr 2009
Hi This phone is great uploaded from a sony ericsson w580i ( DNT
BUY ) nd this is a really good phone the camera is abs class BUY
IT :D Rating:
Reviewed by Steve from Aberystwyth,
Wales on 7th Apr 2009
I absoutely adore this phone! Unlike my old phone, the SOny Ericsson
w910i it doesn't freeze, well i've had it about 3 weeks and it hasnt
froze yet. The only thing i could complain about is it's a cybershot
phone with no zoom, this is not a major issue, the camera is generally
good though. This phone is a great phone and i would recomend it
to anyone, unless the zoom is your highlight haha. Rating:
Reviewed by Aaron from UK on
7th Apr 2009
This is a brilliant phone, i am very happy with the purchase and
would recommend it to anyone who is thinking of getting a new mobile
phone Rating:
Reviewed by burt from uk on 7th
Apr 2009
good quality feel to phone lots of good features. camera good outside
in good light but not quite as good as k800i. dont bother taking
pics at night it just cant do it!!!. ear pice tone quality is poor
compared to nokias, people just sound like they have a hankey over
their mouth! maybe i will get used to it.this phone has been made
to a budget but good. Rating:
Reviewed by Emma from UK on 6th
Apr 2009
After owning an indestructible K750i for ages I was itching for
something a bit newer. I checked out the touch screen gadgets but
really only wanted a slim, smallish phone with a decent camera and
bigger screen. I'm also a low user so PAYG suits me - and at £99
the C510 fits my budget too! It has a really quick interface, easy
to use phone with lovely hidden camera and big sexy screen! Well
happy! Rating:
Reviewed by Ben from UK on 3rd
Apr 2009
This is a great phone. I love the sturdy metal design. One thing
that annoys me is all the horrible blue bits on the black model.
It looks much nicer in silver. Sadly it is very difficult to get
the phone simfree in silver so I am stuck with black and blue. If
you can handle weird blue bits in a phone, THIS PHONE IS BRILLIANT.
It's the sort of phone I can imagine myself keeping even when it
seems really old. Rating:
Reviewed by Steve from Newcastle Upon
Tyne on 31st Mar 2009
Excellent phone, previously had a sony K800i, which despite being
old takes some beating. This handset is slimmer, and fantastic value
(sim free £120 on ebay). Good camera, better sound quality, and
great FM radio. Buttons a bit small, however you have to accept
this as it is a small slim compact phone! Software reliable, doesnt
crash like the Nokia N series Sybian handsets, having had top of
the range Nokias, Samsung and Blackberys, I think sony Rules ! Rating:
Reviewed by Bob from Germany on
30th Mar 2009
Well I really like this mobile. By the way, it's a phone not a camera
but even that function is great. Rating:
Reviewed by James from Essex on
27th Mar 2009
Genuinely very good. Best Sony Ericsson I've had in an age and half
the price of the c902 despite feeling more like an upgrade to it!
(Nick, you can do the high rez zoom by looking at the photo in the
gallery, zooming into a portion of it and then hitting the save
key to get the photo you actually want) Reminds me very much of
my old k750i, but massively upgraded. Keys are great for texting,
battery life is ok, software's stable, voice clarity and reception
are excellent and the whole phone feels well built and sturdy. Camera
quality is crisp and clear too. Only thing I really miss is a xenon
flash (phone has a dual led) I'm honestly impressed and it's much
better than the equivalent Nokia (6500 classic) or Samsung (u800)
despite selling for the same price. Rating:
Reviewed by Frubin from London, UK on
27th Mar 2009
I also experienced the same issue as Nick. When i tried to use the
zoom on 3MP, 2MP and 1MP modes, i got this message on the screen
"Zoom not possible at this resolution. Please select a smaller picture
size" But on VGA and on Video mode, the digital zoom works fine.
So whats the point of having the 3.2X digital zoom, function if
it does not work on 3-1MP and only VGA and Video mode? My K810 with
16x digital zoom worked fine on all of the modes. I will be contacting
Sony Ericsson about this matter as it misleads the point of having
the 3.2x digital zoom function on the C510. Therefore due to the
issues and lack of the Xenon flash, my rating for the C510 has gone
down to a 4 but it still is a great phone! Rating:
Reviewed by Dave from Edinburgh on
27th Mar 2009
Wow I have had many top of the range mobiles but this slim and light
mid range mobile feels just right, solid and easy to use, only bad
thing i would say about it is that although the camera takes great
outdoor pics its low light pics are not good, this is more than
made up by the quality of the calls, gps, scratch resistant glass,
auto rotate sensors, greap mp3 etc etc,it also has easy buttons
to text with unlike its very similar c902, amazing bargain, buy
it Rating:
Reviewed by Nick from UK on 25th
Mar 2009
How can you rate this 5 stars when it wont even zoom at 3mp?? or
2mp?? or even 1mp?? it only zooms in vga mode. No matter what other
great features the camera has they are irrelivent if it cant do
basic functions!!! Rating:
Reviewed by James from London, Uk on
25th Mar 2009
I tried out the C902 in a shop before getting my c510 from the internet.
I cannot really understand the price difference. The HSDPA internet
is REALLY quick and the camera and music player are better than
I really need. AND it has a bigger screen than the c902... I was
worried about the small keys when looking at the pictures but have
had absolutely no problems - they look tiny but seem to work fine.
Overall an outstanding little phone. Rating:
Reviewed by Frubin from London, UK on
24th Mar 2009
I finished my 18 months contract with Orange and still have and
use the Sony Ericsson K810i and was thinking not upgrading to a
new handset as i am very happy with my K810i which i love to bits
and not had any problems with. However i still did look at the C902
as i like the design and it was very similar with the functions
and features of my K810. When Orange called me out of the blue to
upgrade, they recommended the C510 including a good deal on my upgrade!
I normally research into handsets to check the features, functions,
flaws, pros and cons etc before deciding on a handset to buy. This
time i was "blind" when choosing a handset but i had a quick fiddle
around with a "live" handset in a 3 shop. From what i saw, i was
quite impressed with the C510 yet it being a "budget" phone to the
C902. It has a very similar design to the C902, slick, light and
very similar functions to my K810 (but i yet have check out and
test out the phone and functions). The only thing that i know it
doesn't have is a Xenon flash, but i don't think that’s a
bad thing as my W800i only had a photo light with 2MP camera and
it took good pictures! Overall, it has got good reviews both on
this site and others, so I can’t wait to test the handset
out for myself! Rating:
Reviewed by Steve from UK on
22nd Mar 2009
Just came out of a 18 month contract with Orange and had a sony
ericsson K810. Reduced my minutes and opted for this the C510. Overall
very pleased - easy to use - great camera and good features and
even looks good in your hand. My only issue this early on with a
new model is the reliability. If its as good as the k810 - I won't
be complaining! One possible gripe could be the small buttons.. Rating:
Reviewed by slicko from u.k on
19th Mar 2009
really really good phone excellent camera and music player has lots
of features worth the money recommended 5* Rating:
Reviewed by taliban from U.K on
15th Mar 2009
great phone, slim with lots of features Rating:
Reviewed by Sam Smith from UK -Devon
on 15th Mar 2009
I was first a bit worried when i saw the C510. I've been looking
for a phone to replace my samsung u600, which has broken, but luckily
it happened just as i was ablt to get an upgrade. When i saw pictures
of this phone i thought it was an older model, also because of the
number "C510". For some reason i just figured it wasn't one of the
newer phones SE have brought out. I searched for ages, looking for
decent phones as i always do. I looked at Nokia such as the N95,96,
N79 etc as well as the LG Cookie and others like that. I searched
about the C510 and found out it had only been recently released
to my suprise. I managed to negotiate a awesome £15/month deal with
orange, worth £30 in store, but the problem was the nokias i was
keen on were going to be very expensive. So, without reading a customer
review, i plugged for this phone. I am glad i did! -This phone has
a great screen, it is very bright and the wallpapers it coems with
really show off how vibrant it is. -The camera is better than average,
it is on par with my dads Nokia N95 (which shows it isn't all about
the megapixels), but it is much much better than my old Samsung
U600. Therefore, i would say that unless you are aiming to 'professionally'
it is perfectly adequate. -Bearing in mind i also have a Ipod Touch
2nd gen, i wasn't essentialy bothered about the music capabilities,
but this is also good although i haven't really used the music player,
but the FM radio is good through the external speaker. -The Keypad
is a very good size, the buttons are springy and easy to use and
also well spread out. It is a joy to text with after the stupid
Samsung T9 system. THis is one reason i plugged for the phone as
my old K750i was great to text with to. -It is a very sleek looking
phone, i have the silver one though i think there is a black one
too. The camera is well hidden behind its sliding cover which protects
it to. -The charging port is on the upper left side, which is unusual
i think but has not caused me a problem yet. -The menus are good
and work quickly though there has been a couple times when it has
taken a while to do something. By a while though i mean hardly any
time, but some people can become prustrated by this. It is important
to understand though that it has happened about twice in a week
and therefore i think it would be very weird if this stopped someone
buying a phone. So, seems like i work for Sony Ericsson so far from
this review! There are a few little niggles. -You cannot scroll
through your messages, you must go back, and then into another one.
-Though i say the kepad is very well set out, i have a couple times
pressed the call or exit button instead of the soft keys, but this
is just me getting used to it i believe, not a problem. -Something
that really annoys me is that these new phones all seem to come
with stupid demos of games. I don't want demos i want a couple of
free full games. The C510 comes with i believe 4 demos, which i
hate. Will have to fid a site with some free ones. So if you've
managed to get to here in the review then i suggest you go and buy
this phone as it really is a classy phone. There are hardly any
bad points at all. It is a well rounded, well priced, well presented
and wel designed phone! Any questions just ask and ill try to give
you an answer. Thanks. Rating:
Reviewed by betty from croatia on
13th Mar 2009
excellent phone ! only flaw it doesn't have a xenon flash... Rating:
Reviewed by Paul from UK on 13th
Mar 2009
Hi all nice small phone packed with mp3 player 3.2 camera. only
problem is buttons are a bit small Rating:
Reviewed by bushra from london on
13th Mar 2009
Fantastic PHONE i love it soo much so many new feautures.. Thee
camera is good .. alsso thee musicc playerr veryy good phonee recommend
it too every wuun ;) Rating:
Reviewed by Adam from UK on 13th
Mar 2009
I had to replace my SE w810i payg (which is a good phone) only because
had problem charging. I like SE because I can take the M2 card out
(Using adapter in w810i) and put it in new and off I go. I have
had my eye on c902 but very expensive, then I saw the C510 which
is 3G and the price. The orange sales guy said good phone for the
money, just under £100. Now I have had it for a week he is not wrong.
What can I say about it. It is excellent in all departments. Good
camera with led, and hidden when not in use. Music player good.
One really good feature I must mention is that it has a large screen
and it is scratch resistant. I could go on, but if you need a new
phone and on a budget get this you will not be dissapointed. A++++++++++++ Rating:
Reviewed by Graham from UK on
11th Mar 2009
Great phone so many features. Rating:
Reviewed by Willie Hunter from Scotland
on 10th Mar 2009
Been waiting too renew my W810i(still a good phone). The time was
right,having now had the C510 for a few days now well worth the
buy has almost everything you need for a mobile. Excellent camera
with auto focus,which is a must for a mobile if you want decent
photos to print out.It may not be a walkman but the music sound
quality is brilliant. Overall a excellent phone in what I've seen
so far. Rating:
Reviewed by Lynne from UK on
10th Mar 2009
Fantastic, brilliant excellent phone. Got so many features just
cannot put it down. Rating:
Reviewed by timmy malet from wales on
7th Mar 2009
its an outstanding phone Rating:
Reviewed by keir goodwin from drungin
in scotland on 4th Mar 2009
dis phone is amens [Editor's comment: So is your spelling, keir
:(] Rating:
