Thread: BenQ-Siemens EF51 Mobile Phone

Available in flashy white and black coloured models, at first look anyone could mistake the EF51 for a digital audio player. The one we reviewed sported a white plastic body with large media player buttons on the front panel. This cell phone from BenQ is specifically targeting music enthusiasts and with the steely rim bordering its body, it makes one wonder if it is merely emulating Apple's popular iPod. This tri-band featuring a 1.6inTFT screen has decent display at 120 x 128 pixels, however it could have done better with more display and less of the border frame to add to its screen dimensions. Equipped with easy to use dedicated music buttons located on the cover, the BenQ-Siemens EF51 mobile phone offers dedicated keys for play, pause, fast¬forward and fast-backward functions; all located below the display and above the keypad in a flap type arrangement. We did however find the key pad too small.

With small buttons and an even smaller navigation panel, dialling and navigation can get a bit tedious until you get used to the dimensions. On the left side panel there is a dedicated voice recorder key followed by the volume keys, camera key, and the charging port. On the opposite side is the proprietary earphone / USB socket aligned above the miniSD card slot. The EF51 weighs less than 100 grams, which also makes it a light mobile phone aside from being small. It comes with 20MB built-in memory and includes a 1000 entry phonebook along with a miniSD memory card slot that allows a maximum of 2GB of expandable memory. The EF51 features an integrated high quality digital media player supporting most popular sound formats and is equipped with standard music accessories. It also offers integrated 3D surround sound along with a high quality 6-band equalizer for personalized listening needs. Music is played via its in-built speakers or the high quality stereo earphones.

In addition, the BenQ¬Siemens EF51 mobile phone also offers built-in Bluetooth with A2DP which allows absolutely wire free music on a Bluetooth compatible headset. Besides, it also sports an integrated FM radio that allows direct recording from FM radio which can be stored as MP3 files. A particularly convenient feature in the BenQ-Siemens EF51 mobile phone handset is the option for voice-operated music selection (Speech-to-Music) function, which allows users to simply say the name of the song into the mobile phone and it starts playing the same without undergoing a manual search. Lacking considerably behind in the camera department though, the EF51 incorporates a mere 1.3-megapixel camera, when a minimum of 2-megapixel is the current market standard. Although features like special colour adjustments, up to 4X digital zoom, and multi-shot still picture shooting adds to its forte, the picture quality is not very good and the smaller dimensions of the screen further dulls the viewing.

Other features of the BenQ EF51 includes GPRS, voice memo recording, Bluetooth with A2DP and USB for wired connectivity to PC. Regular applications like the currency converter, calculator, stopwatch, and organizer are included within the menu. Overall, at the price that it demands, this device from BenQ flaunts a unique look with a decent build quality and delivers top quality sound performance for music enthusiasts. One is not left with much to crib about this phone, except for the lesser pixels packed in the camera. Recommended for audiophiles, the only grudge here might be that plastic tabs make it vulnerable against heavy fingers. The phone is equipped with a 2-megapixel camera with fixed focus and video recording.

The images are sharp and crisp and the ability to playback QVGA¬clips at 30 frames per second with aprogressive fast¬forward feature is a plus. It lacks an auto focus and flash though. Although it's not a Walkman phone, the S500i does have a good quality music player, with support for Bluetooth stereo headsets. The built-in memory is small and can store a handful of MP3 songs. The phone also has some useful extras such as a sound recorder, flight mode, and personal organiser functions. It has fast Internet access via EDGE, support for Web browsing, e-mail and RSS feeds. It's also a quadband phone, so you can use it worldwide.