Review: Sony Ericsson T303

Sony Ericsson T303 Review

Phone rating:

In a nutshell: An entry-level phone that's compact and nicely styled. The T303 has very basic functionality and hardly any memory, but it does have excellent battery life.
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The Sony Ericsson T303 isn't a Cyber-Shot and it isn't a Walkman phone. Instead it's an entry-level phone with a basic set of functions.

It's very nicely styled, with soft edges and a mirror glass display, and is available in a choice of Shadow Black or Shimmering Silver. It's compact and kind of cute looking, with a small but functional keypad.

The T303 includes a 1.3 megapixel camera with digital zoom. This is fine for taking quick snaps in good lighting, but there's no flash, so taking pictures indoors or at night isn't recommended. No video camera is included.

It does come with a media player and an FM radio with RDS. Unfortunately the memory is limited to 8 Mbytes, with no memory card slot, so you'll only be able to store a couple of MP3 tracks. These can be used as ringtones.

The battery life is excellent, and the connectivity options include both Bluetooth and USB. If you're looking for a compact phone that's good for making calls, sending texts, and maybe taking the odd photo, then this could be the one! Don't expect more than this, and you should be happy. The Sony Ericsson W350i is a step up if you'd like the benefit of a memory card.

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Features of the Sony Ericsson T303 include:

• 1.3 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom
• Display: TFT, 65,536 colours, 128 x 160 pixels
• MP3 player
• FM radio RDS
• TrackID™
• MP3/AAC ringtones
• Speakerphone
• Sound recorder
• Messaging: SMS, MMS
• Java games
• Picture wallpaper
• Personal organiser functions
• Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB
• Memory: 8 Mbytes
• Vibration alert
• Triband (GSM 900/1800/1900)
• Size: 83 x 47 x 15 mm
• Weight: 93g
• Talktime: 9 hours
• Battery standby: 400 hours

Sony Ericsson T303 Consumer Reviews

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Average rating from 42 reviews:

Reviewed by Meh from Australia on 6th Jan 2009
I recieved this as a christmas present, excellent design, i love the mirror on the front screen, i can look at myself. Down sides are not a good enough amount of memory, i can only store 1 song on and I want more! Pitty there isn't a memory card slot. You can't really hear the other person on the phone, i have to switch ears all the time. Might get a new one for my birthday, not the same phone, maybe a lj webslider.
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Reviewed by Lau from China on 1st Jan 2009
This is a great phone to have
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Reviewed by sara from uk on 1st Jan 2009
i thinks is a good phone for how much it is it only cost my £35.00 and the only problem is its memory and when i slide the phone down it is still were it was before so u have to cancel every thing before you slide it down
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Reviewed by Love Zentio from sweden on 30th Dec 2008
this phone sucks no memory card slot i got like 2 songs then the memory was full i returnd it after the day i buy it
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Reviewed by T.C. from UK on 29th Dec 2008
I bought this phone because I have no need of a high-end one. All I require is the ability to make calls. The phone is compact, looks attractive but I have been plagued, over and over with one specific problem: Very often when I try to get into my messages or contacts I get a message saying that it's opening that section but doesn't succeed. This has happened on several occasions when I have been in dire need of making a call. In short, I can in no way rely on it. I have dispraxia and rely on it to remember and access the numbers for me and despite the low price, I expect at least that.
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Reviewed by Emily from Uk on 28th Dec 2008
Ive just bought this phone and i think it is realy good and i would defenatly reconmend it to many people.
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Reviewed by Martine from Scotland on 28th Dec 2008
I have this as my spare phone and I think it is creat. I got it for less than £35 and it looks and feels as if it cost so much more. It doesn;t have a million features, just the basiscs, and it does everything very well indeed. It is very small, unlike the huge bricks on offer everywhere these days. If you want someithing smart, well designed, high quality and great value for money, without loking as if you got i from the bargain bin, this is the phone for you. If you want all the features, spend a mortgage payment on an iPhone.
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Reviewed by Denise from U.k on 26th Dec 2008
I like this phone, its sleek, smart and compact, i can text and call, as this is all i need a phone for then it is ideal. :) Pictures are fount to be stored in the organiser file which was unusual but other than that (Y) Thumbs up!!
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Reviewed by Deepak from UK on 24th Dec 2008
I bought this phone 2 weeks back and the phone software is very buggy. The screen gets garbled and turns completely white. Initially I had to re-start it to come back to normal. But now, when i start up the phone, the screen is completely white and stays that way for ever. It does ring though when anyone calls or if there is an alarm!! Anyways will return it.
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Reviewed by Agizzer from UK on 23rd Dec 2008
Java issues on some games. Themes you download seem to always be a "corrupt file". Contacted Sony and they told me my phone is faulty. After looking at many phone forums the Theme problem is not just my phone...
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Reviewed by mike from England on 22nd Dec 2008
for all the people reading the bad reviews out there, stop and read this one. Those ppl knew what they were buying, with a not so great camera or song memory. this is why iPods and HD Camcorders were made! it does what you need it to, with great battery life for phone calls and (depending on ur contract / pay-as-you-go) many texts. its stylish, solid, unique, does everything it says on the tin. Fully Recomended.
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Reviewed by yaz from aussie on 16th Dec 2008
uhh... its greatt!!! i want one soo bad its unbelievable!!
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Reviewed by Great! from UK on 12th Dec 2008
Had one of these for a couple of weeks. For you function_freaks - Thia is a BASIC Web/PHONE - but that's all I wanted. Good reception in poor signal areas, amazing battery life (in real life) Fab design (easily lost) and the one song I USB'd into memory(whilst updating phone software) took up over half of it LOL Mine is a Black version and does NOT have a mirrored (girly) TFT screen! Screen, text legibility, Themes and Colours are excellent as is the blue, backlit, slide out, keyboard. 9/10 (due to no memory card slot!)
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Reviewed by rhonda from united kingdom on 9th Dec 2008
this phone is pretty okay.it has MP3,bluetooth,1.3 pixel camera and vibration alert (which is very good in a classroom when you are txtin ya matesLOL: ) but, it has a mp3 player but does not have a memory card slot ? that was a pretty bad idea don't you think?! overall i will give this a 3-star rating
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Reviewed by Ashley from United Kingdom on 27th Nov 2008
Brilliant Phone, I originally had the XDA Orbit 2 PDA as my personal phone and another smart phone for work, after having the XDA stolen I could not be bothered with a stupidly expensive, gadget filled phone as i only want it to text and call (and i very rarely want them either) This phone was perfect put my contract sim into it (purchased as payg phone because its cheaper) Its very small, very stylish cheapest and most limited phone I have ever had but I love it!!
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Reviewed by Katy from UK on 19th Nov 2008
I needed to get a cheap phone to use for mainly texting.And on my student budget 50 quid got me a pretty nice phone! The fact it is made of metal is really good as ive found it to be very hardwearing and feels quite solid whilst your texting! (dropped twice from about 5 ft onto pavement! And no bumps or problems!) It looks really good too with the mirrored screen, but i find im constantly wiping the screen as the shinyness looks awful with finger marks! The only problems is that the memory is really bad! I put about 2 songs on and about 20 pics max and it got full! and you can only save about 10 messages, However the inbox holds about 150 messages and a few pic messages which was quite good! It does take a few seconds to connect too when answering calls and sometimes also crashes if you press things too fast! But i found the internet to be working really easilly, and the actual ease of use of the phone was very simple to use and required no reading of instructions! The camera is okay! But has no flash and if your a shakey hand photographer then it can blur easilly! But its fine for basic pics! Only major problem is that my on/off button has now broke after a month or so! However this phone came with a years warrenty so will be replaced no problem! Overall its a really nice looking small phone for the price and does all the basic functions you need from a phone! Quite hard wearing and feels really solid so great for texters! Easy enough to set up everything when you get it too! Not too bad as a phone, buy a camera/ipod if you want good photos and lots of music! haha
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Reviewed by samy from cyprus on 19th Nov 2008
the best design i have ever seen..i don't care about bad memory and camera..as long as a phone looks good and makes calls, it's ok for me..i think the black one looks much better.. 100 euros in cyprus...recommended to everyone who thinks like me :)
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Reviewed by lou from England on 14th Nov 2008
There are some very mixed reviews on this phone, and mine's a combination of the good and bad. I chose this phone cos I'm a student on a budget and just wanted something that would make calls, send texts, and look good, and the T303 does those three things well enough, so it was worth my £50. However, when I answer a phone call it does take like 5 seconds to connect to the phone ringing me from when I slide mine open - does anyone else find this?! I end up saying "hello?" about three times down the line before I hear my mate's voice which gets a bit annoying. Another thing is, don't buy this phone for its photo-taking abilities cos it's pretty poor on that, with no flash, but as I said, if you're like me and just want the basics from a good-looking phone, the T303 is probably for you.
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Reviewed by Deby from Guernsey on 4th Nov 2008
Well i have just got mine as i have read good things about it from other peeps and all i can say is....its not what they say...dont be like me and just buy the blooming thing check it out in the shop first i am well dissapointed...only 1 song on it ..ring tones they put on ready are rubbish...sound for the radio is not very lound...this is an ideal phone for a first timer or child...simple and basic...
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Reviewed by shirley from uk on 2nd Nov 2008
great looking phone very good sliding action,does like it says no more,big drawback is the instruction SHEET literally a page, also dont try to follow the instructions on the SHEET,THINK MAYBE THEY WERE MEANT FOR A DIFFERANT MOBILE
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Reviewed by armaan from scotland on 26th Oct 2008
Its a good fone but there is not alot of memory. Only if there was a memory card slot. Great birthday present.
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Reviewed by Roalien Ogle from South Afric Johannes burg on 24th Oct 2008
Good day I have a T303 and i am not happy with it... I purchased it on the 18/10/08 and sent it back on the 23/10/08,,due to the fact that i cannot set up mms,cant log into the internet and bluetooth is not working...i have been sent the configeration for the mms and still not working..I purchased my fone at Foschini store at Southgate Joburg..my phone was replaced on the 23/10/08 and it is still doing the same thing... I need my account to be refunded....with regards.. Roalien Ogle 0782565709
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Reviewed by Mollie from UK on 20th Oct 2008
I like the phone. It's small and stylish and it does what you want a phone to do - make calls - without the fuss and the thrills that the more expensive models offer. A bargain in my opinion.
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Reviewed by Geordie_Online from England on 13th Oct 2008
Not a bad mobile overall. 2 cons are: Camera is only 1.3 megapixel (pictures taken aren't of a very good quality) and overall memory is only 8mb. This mobile is perfect for those who have a good digital camera and a mp3 player of some sort and won't be relying on T303 for these 2 duties! I have only had the T303 for a week but overall I like the design and the weight of the mobile. It fit's into the palm of your hand and your pocket. It has that slic look about it. As you end a call and close the slider, after about 15 seconds the screen turns into a mirror. Handy feature for those who like to look at themselves constantly. :-)
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Reviewed by Becky from UK on 8th Oct 2008
With a prefessional camera and a new ipod I was only looking for a small phone that wouldn't bulge out my pocket, look stylish, affordable,a camera for quick shots, and was easy to use. The T303 fitted the bill! All my friends keep admiring it and feeling it over. I am delighted with my T303!
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Reviewed by Vanessa from UK on 8th Oct 2008
I just bought this phone and I have to say for £49.99 it's pretty good. It's a simple no frills phone with a colour screen, SMS, MMS and calling feature and a fairly decent 1.3 megapixel camera. I think people are expecting too much from this phone. It's not a high end phone therefore you won't get high end features. The only thing for me is getting used to a smaller screen but hell we managed with no colour screens for years I'm sure getting used to a smaller screen won't take long! All in all, cute, compact and does what it says on the tin! For those wanting more - you need to fork out more money.
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Reviewed by Impressed from England on 7th Oct 2008
Ok - it doesn't do everything but then it's not claiming to do everything! What it IS - is an excellently-made, attractive phone that performs very well. You will not find a similar battery life either in what's around elsewhere. I recommend it !
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Reviewed by Nige from UK on 2nd Oct 2008
Read what it says on the tin!. It does not pretend to be anything other than a well built basic phone. However, the battery life is formidable.
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Reviewed by Katiie from England on 2nd Oct 2008
I Love it its sooo small and cute! lol its easy to use but some of the buttons are quiete stiff wen u press them... but all in all the phone is really good! Great birthday pressent i must say :P lol
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Reviewed by Sawyl from UK on 1st Oct 2008
Looking at some of the bad reviews on here, you'd think people don't pay any attention to what phone they're buying. Lack of memory, no dedicated music features, and low screen resolution: aren't these all things you should be aware of before you purchase? Believe it or not, for some of us these things are actually advantages. We don't want the menus cluttered with features we'll never use, or superb screens that suck battery life in a matter of hours. But we do want a nice little phone that's got better build quality than the plasticky "budget" handsets (see anything Nokia offers for less than £50). There aren't many such phones on the market, but the T303 is one of them, and it does an excellent job of doing the things it's designed for.
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Reviewed by Adam from UK on 30th Sep 2008
I make phone calls, its a Phone so thats what it does.. it makes phone calls and for long periods of time as the battery life is great and sound good too .. Maybe I am privileged as I have an MP3 for music and a camera for pictures and a PHONE for phone calls .. Nokia started out making wellington boots and have yet to make a phone that comes anywhere near sony ericsson for battery life or call quality even at this price point .. WAKE UP THIS IS A PHONE SITE FOR TELEPHONES , THAT MAKE PHONE CALLS
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Reviewed by David from england on 30th Sep 2008
The screen is really small and the keys are difficult to press, this becomes a problem when writing text messages. Keys overpress and you end up with a message that makes no sense! very annoying! but looks good and reasonably priced.
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Reviewed by Ben Quirk from Wales on 27th Sep 2008
This is a good phone I have 30 songs on mine u have to delete some of the themes but oh well. Great for 50 quid i wud recomend it to anyone
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Reviewed by Jay from UK on 26th Sep 2008
Worst phone i've ever had! it looks cheap, it feels cheap, infact, it looks like a toy.And considering how small it is its actually really heavy!Alot heavier than my w580i, which i loved but got nicked. The graphics are rubbish cos of the low screen res, the keypad is really hard to press which means you keep overpressing the keys and not getting the letter you want.Some sites say it has a memory card slot,dont believe them - it doesn't. 8mb of memory on the phone is all you get.Just everything about this phone is nasty. I've had it a week and already all the plastic bits are scratched, and i rarely use it! so i dont know what it would look like by now with a heavy user! I am already looking for a different one, i can't stand this phone any longer.
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Reviewed by Ezmerelda from Latvia on 24th Sep 2008
The best phone i never had
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Reviewed by Nick from uk on 21st Sep 2008
a useless phone. cute, and well build but a very poor screen with NO EXPANDABLE MEMORY and a slow operating system means this is best avoided. E250 is far better and cheaper. only good bits are looks and build quality
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Reviewed by tracey from northamptonshire on 21st Sep 2008
had the phone for 2hrs, then the screen went blank and wouldnt turn off. radio has very poor sound.
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Reviewed by Anna from Netherlands on 20th Sep 2008
Great phone! I use this on a paygo (prepaid) plan with Vodafone. I needed a small and decent phone for my work that was cheap with not too many frills, yet basic nice stuff like bluetooth, a camera and good midi support. This is completely the answer to that demand. Sound quality is good, menu response is fine and the phone OS is stable. The phone is very compact and light so it doesn't feel like a burden to carry it along side my regular mobile phone (an SE k770i). Writing off a phone because there is not enough space for a song on the internal memory, is missing the point I think. There are better walkman phones out there, just as there are better camera phones or phones to browse the internet with. This phone is just what it is. A simple yet very decent entry level phone, that will please most people who are searching for a cost effective solution to call, sms and mms with. It's triband so it will work in most places around the world. The shiny display doubles as a mirror when the screen is off. I think it is good phone and I would recommend it. Just don't compare it to the 400 dollar phones that are out there. You get what you pay for and in this case I consider it a good deal.
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Reviewed by bardeep from UK on 20th Sep 2008
This is a very basic phone, good for if you have £50 to spend on a phone, but other then that its not really worth it.
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Reviewed by sarah from england on 18th Sep 2008
the most worst phone ever on earth! i have 1 song on my phone and the memory is full. i only have this phone due to my good sony erricson being stolen and this is what i have been given :@
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Reviewed by josh from spain on 17th Sep 2008
its a really nice phone
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Reviewed by Bob T. B. from England on 15th Sep 2008
The best Phone i ever had!!!
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