
Sony Ericsson W595 VS Nokia 5320 XpressMusic
The Sony Ericsson W595 is the latest version of Walkman brand - but how does it compare with its music arch-rival: the Nokia 5320 XpressMusic
Who's at the top among two music arch rivals?
Published on May 13, 2009
Form Factor There are dedicated buttons on the side specifically for controlling music, which you'd expect to see on a device aimed primarily at music lovers. The W595 is less appealing, with the slide-down keypad and form that is used on several other of Sony Ericsson's phones. Yet, the combination of a large screen bezel and 'jungle grey' colour makes this a decidedly boring, chunky and outdated phone to look at. We'd also mark it down for a flimsy battery cover which almost broke every time we opened it to change the M2 card, battery or SIM. Unlike the 5320, there are no dedicated music control buttons, but instead the D-Pad is context sensitive when in the music player. The exclusion of a 3.5mm jack in favour of a break-out cable is a sure sign that software is what differs this phone from the rest of its similarly shaped brethren. Both devices have fairly small screens, at 2” for the Nokia and 2.2” for the Sony Ericsson. This might not seem a lot, but at this size browsing the web is a little on the eye straining side, so every fraction counts. The W595 wins here, being the larger and the most vivid of the two, while also surpassing the Nokia in the direct sunlight test. Camera Both of them have poor video support at only 15FPS, but the W595 wins for two very simple reasons. One is the use of 3.2MP instead of 2MP and has a “direct to YouTube” support for those that feel the need to share videos of their cats with the world. Software The lack of Wi-Fi is the most irritating, as you are forced to use your 3G data connection in order to download the music available as part of the XpressMusic system. With modern data plans this isn't the end of the world, but it's just not as fast as connecting via a decent fixed line broadband connection. The W595 once again uses its own operating system that you'll be familiar with if you've used the K800i or similar. It's been updated with a rather snazzy paint ball shot effect that will certainly appeal to the funky. Both phones are easy to use, but if we were going to pick up on any features, the Sony Ericsson has a superior web browser and it's integration with YouTube is exemplary. Talk Time
Verdict Our main reason for choosing the 5320 would be if you had a hatred for the lack of 3.5mm and wanted to use the expandable S60 software platform, but neither of these are compelling enough reasons. Sony Ericsson W595 Nokia 5320 XpressMusic Size 100 x 47 x 14 mm 108 x 46 x 15 mm Weight 104g 90g Screen 2.2” 2” Data 3.6Mbit HSDPA 3.6Mbit HSDPA Wi-Fi No No Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 + A2DP Yes, v2.0 + A2DP Accelerometer Yes No GPS No No Camera Yes, 3.2MP Yes, 2MP Video Yes, QVGA 15fps Yes, QVGA 15fps Radio Yes Yes Video Playback Yes Yes Games Yes Yes Battery Life 385h standby, 9h talk time. 250h standby, 3.5h talk time
The first, most obvious difference between these two phones is physicality. The Nokia 5320 looks like it wouldn't look out of place in any teenagers pocket, with a candy bar form factor and choice of red or blue trim to contrast the black glossy plastic.
Every phone needs a focus, and these phones do not focus on being good cameras – they focus on music. This really comes across, as the photo quality is average at best on both. Bleached, grainy and with inadequate flash, don't expect too much.
The Nokia 5320, much like most of its range is based on the Symbian S60 operating system, so if you've used any of their recent phones you'll feel right at home – such as the N95/N96 or 6650. You won't see some of the higher end features such as Wi-Fi or GPS.
A real killer for the Nokia phone is the poor battery life and talk time, having close to a third of the talk time that the W595 has. I hope this sacrifice was worth it, to give you a 14g lighter phone! We also see a lack of accelerometer, but on phones like this it is mainly a gimmick anyway.
Our choice phone has to be the W595, despite it's on the surface boring appeal. The software is great and visually appealing, with a good web browser for the size of screen and impressive comparative battery life.




