According to the SE website(sonyericsson.com) the few major differences are that the 850i is based on UMTS technology and it has Bluetooth A2DP support. The only major difference is that the 850i apparently touts a Dual Camera. Now let’s get straight to the action. I bought this phone 4 days ago. This phone looks sexy. Damn sexy. I’ve heard people complaining that it’s a slide phone and therefore it’s "cumbersome to use". Hey, if I can work the phone with one hand, who cares?! The display is damn neat. The UI and the buttons need a little bit of getting used to, but you’ll probably do that in a day or two max. Battery seems damn good. Though I’m not a heavy user, I can drag it to 2 days comfortably and another half a day if I need to stretch it.(I’ve used the Walkman roughly for an hour the past 2 days).
Pros:
Walkman phone with 1 GB Memory Stick Duo Pro card, upgradable to 4 GB(?) I don’t have to buy an iPod. Simple. And the speakers are nice and loud too. Oh yeah, everyone knows SE phones sound the best. As good as the iPod, if not better.
Looks sweet as heck. Definitely a good buy if you’re the "I want to stand out" type.
Kick a** headphones. They block out all the noise on the outside. I had to have people at work screaming my name and tapping me on the shoulder because I couldn’t hear them calling my name! Headphone jack - I can plug in my big-ass Philips headphones. I’m sure other phones have this feature, but I’m glad this one does.
Track ID - useful if you listen to the radio a lot and want to find out what song is playing.
Loaded with neat, fun software like MusicMate, Facewarp(fun, this one), Video DJ to edit videos and much, much more.
Cons:
I’ve heard complaints about the cumbersome navigation pad. I only felt the down button was a bit uncomfortable but, again, that was only for the first couple of days.
I can’t seem to Zoom in on still camera. Kind of stupid to leave that out. Or maybe I’m missing something. And of course, no lens cover like the 810i.
This is only a small gripe but the wires on my headphones are awkward, the length of my left ear wire is way smaller than the other one. I can get them adjusted I’m sure, but I felt like bitching.:P
So if you’re looking at the 810i and have a grand or two to invest more, get this one instead. I think it’s worth it.
And DON’T buy into the iPhone hype. It doesn’t even come out here till next year.