Sony Ericsson K850i vs LG KU990 Viewty vs Samsung G600 vs Nokia N95 8GB
Tags: gps, perform, cover, megapixel
If you're a hopped-up megapixel junkie, insatiably craving the latest camera phones with the best specs, you'll be thrilled to hear there'll be four phones available before the end of the year that'll proudly boast photo-inspiring 5-megapixel cameras.
The Sony Ericsson K850i Cyber-shot is set to launch around Christmas, the LG KU990 Viewty is out in October, the Samsung G600 is already out and the Nokia N95 8GB should hopefully be out by the end of the year.
If you're wondering what the differences between them are, here's a quick roundup of all four handsets. For more information on camera phones and phones in general, make sure you check out our big pimpin' mobile phone reviews section.
Sony Ericsson K850i Cyber-shot
Behold Sony Ericsson's first 5-megapixel camera phone, the K850i (pictured) -- potentially one of Sony Ericsson's best Cyber-shot cameras yet. We had a quick play with it the other day and our first impressions were very good indeed.
The K850i's star feature is its 5-megapixel camera with auto-focus, xenon flash and automatic lens cover. It also has HSDPA (3.5G) connectivity for high-speed Internet access, and supports a 4GB Memory Stick Micro (M2) or 2GB microSD card.
Our only initial concerns with the K850i are the four-way navigation key, which is unusually embedded in the keypad and can be fiddly to press. The touch-sensitive section of the screen is also a little awkward to use.
RELATED LINKS
Dan1362Thu 13 September, 2007 11:48am
Could you tell me when the k850i is coming to the three network?
AnonymousThu 15 November, 2007 12:31pm
the Sony Ericsson K850i is coming out on the 19th of November on the THREE network in UK
PaulWed 19 September, 2007 11:38am
When will the New N95 be avaialable in the UK?
samWed 19 September, 2007 4:23pm
Why wouldn't my 4gb micro sd card work in this phone, its being sent to me early october, and im wondering if i def need to buy an m2 card to have 4gb of memory?
AnonymousFri 28 September, 2007 3:31am
How about you tell us who the winner is.
AnonymousSat 3 November, 2007 8:53pm
HEhe too right mate come on, don't sit on the fence which is best?
gulluSat 6 October, 2007 8:44pm
when can you buy the LG KU990 from london???
AnonymousTue 6 November, 2007 10:52pm
witch 1 do u thinck is the best to get as im due an upgrade and pondering on what phone to get?
ChristopherFri 9 November, 2007 4:53am
Get the Nokia N95 8GB. No other phone like it in the world... By far the best phone ever!!!!
AnonymousTue 13 November, 2007 11:52am
Mmm, let me see, where to start. To put it bluntly, I waited excitedly for my brand new gleaming beautifully designed LG Viewty (takes great pics by the way just as long as what your taking a pic of doesn't move, setting the settings takes forever). Now i wait even more excitedly and impatiently for the silver jiffi returns bag my mobile provider are sending me! Its the Nokia N95 for me. Never get the 1st version anything is my advice. Yes I know, I am asking myself the same as your probably thinking, why i didn't stick to my own advice! What can i say, total lapse of sanity. Out of all the 5 megapixels only the Nokia N95 and the Sony Ericsson K850i are worth thinking about. The Samsung has the camera but alas the pics dont look all that on the screen.
RossSun 2 December, 2007 6:47pm
Funny how the above reviews don't give thier names. I wonder if they work for Sony Erricson or Nokia???
AnonymousMon 12 November, 2007 10:02pm
I have now had my LG Viewty for just over a week now. I decided on this phone because im a 'camera fanatic'. Yeah it takes great photos and also video BUT thats it really. The touch screen is ok but the way it scrolls is enough to drive you bonkers, it scrolls to fast and you find yourself going up and down like a maniac! There is a few default pics but basically it comes with nothing, no games, and ringtones that leave alot to be desired.
BUT.....the worst of all is i went tothe LG website to register my phone and see if i could download anything.I filled in the registerstration form and all was going well untill i was asked what for phone make and model, NO LG! Nothing at all.
Well I am now waiting for my silver returns bag for this phone and i shall gladly drop it in it when it comes and make up my mind between the Sony K850I or Nokia N95 that were my original choice I should just have stuck to.
As for the LG Viewty? Well i shall take my own advice which i always tell my kids, Never get the first version of anything, ALWAYS,ALWAYS wait for the 2nd edition!
AnonymousThu 22 November, 2007 4:55pm
I've had the viewty 6 days and already it's broken! I have a line about half an inch long going from the bottom left of the screen. Not happy and o2 are being less than helpful about replacing it. Found the phone to have some clever features, but the scrolling is doing my head in and text messaging can be hard. Seems to be no way of organising contacts apart from by surname first! Can't find a way of deleting all texts so I have to go through individually. No games as said before..... Looks nice, great camera but I'm sending it back and not getting a replacement viewty as it's not quite right.
habibWed 5 December, 2007 11:57pm
I think the g600 has the worst camera between all the other 5 mega pixel camera phones, even a sony ericsson 3.2 mega pixel camera is better E.G K770i.Thats a fact
habibThu 6 December, 2007 12:01am
i thinck the best 5 Mega pixel camera is the K850i as it has a realy good camera better than G600 and matches the viewty.The viewty just breaks to easily, k850i more practical plus has good feutures.Trust me i know from experience
AnonymousWed 12 December, 2007 9:54am
Hi all, im due an upgrade from Orange and rather like the 6500 classic but is out of stock. I also quite like the Viewty. Ive always had nokias cos of thier user friendlyness especially with texting. Can anyone tell me how good is the viewty, would it be recommended and how user friendly is it.
Thx.
AnonymousMon 17 December, 2007 5:41pm
ive got the sony k850i an had problems with flash,told 2 download update an fingers crossed fine now.my husband has the viewty which i almost had,he loves it.the slow motion on vid is great but the sony layout an face warp is fab.the viewty has a great drawing over photos an u can bluetooth 2 your mates lol.but sony it is an we can swap .....
AnonymousThu 20 December, 2007 4:28pm
Have had the viewty now for 2 weeks and i must say that i cant find any faults with it,people should read the supplied booklets with things before they rubbish them.As for the person that said you cant delete more than one message at a time,go to messages and mark them, then delete!! Same for scrolling, use the focus ring , simple. Please people,find out how to use your gadgets first bfore running them down :-)
AnonymousThu 20 December, 2007 8:56pm
ginger beans i got the k850i it a grate phone beat 5pm camra buy one now
AnonymousThu 20 December, 2007 8:59pm
the g600 is not a veary good phone get the k850i 100x better don't wast your money cus u all is a ginger beans for all u phone bumers
AnonymousSat 22 December, 2007 8:30pm
im going to buy a lg viewty or a k850i and im stuck,, i like them both but i dont know wheter ill get used to the touch screen . and i think the k850i doesnt have enough apps i dont know.. what one is better .. and has better downloads? HELPPP
AnonymousSat 22 December, 2007 11:56pm
I've tested both g600 and k850 and can be sure about g600 is 1000 times better photos can get.Just get informed from the site and see some photo compares u'll all see n95 got best, g600 got better, viewity got good and k850 got d worst. In addition its d cheapest phone...
AnonymousMon 24 December, 2007 6:51am
Which should I get, Nokia and Samsung always been reliable, LG never owned one! Sony Eriksson unreliable, poor abusive customer service, yes I have a phone in for repair since august 3 times when it comes back it has more faults. They say its unrepairable but here is our estimate to repair it. It would appear the manufacurers warranty does not cover any thing, so they try to charge for any repair fault and then add more faults and then try to charge again. Wonerfull. Sony Ericsson phones unless you want hassle don't bother.
AnonymousMon 24 December, 2007 9:18am
ive got a sony erricson now and ive never had any problems with it . but the customer sevice are w*nkers . i dont know really ill proberbly get the viewty in the end HELPP
AnonymousTue 25 December, 2007 2:03pm
I just got my Viewty today, fair enough it's only a day old, but I'm impressed! Much better software than the Nokia (If I ever own an N series again I think I'll give up on phones altogether, it's so damn slow).
The touch screen is responsive, camera quality is excellent and texting isn't as hard as some people have said. Just used the keypad and thumbs :> Using the little stick with the keyboard I'll admit is fiddly.
SE and Samsung both have good software, but nothing that makes them stand apart from the LG. I will agree with a previous poster that the LG comes with very few extras... on a positive note it gives you more space to personalise the phone >.< Either way, I'm 100% sure I wouldn't change it now.
AnonymousSat 29 December, 2007 3:34pm
your all mad each of thease 5 m pix phones have there advantages i have tryed and tested each of them . (unspecified company) wel if you love camara and music get n95 or k850i .... if you like lots of gadget type thing in your phone then the lg is great i would not recomend the the samsung to any one its outragusley bad it does all the wrong things over all the lg came out the best as it has every thing you need and combinds to make one of the best phones eva if you need any help chosing my email is budz4eva2@aol.com dont hesitate to contact me !!!!
AnonymousSat 29 December, 2007 3:39pm
buy the lg if you have any sence xx
AnonymousSun 6 January, 2008 6:18pm
iv got the ku990 viewty. very easy to use, nice tidy useful features. interface is clean and clear and software is fast. touchscreen is great to use no problems with that. camera is good and is packed with professional features of which i dont even know how to use myself. phone comes with all the new features like fast internet xenon flash etc etc recomendable to anyone looking for a good all rounder with a quality camera. n95 is very good but has very poor battery life due to all its gadgets. g600 is good but other phones beat its camera quality although it beats all of them clean and clear on size. g800 i dnt kno about but sure looks nice, k850i has a good camera one of the best that leaves natural colours in pictures rather than exagerate or make dem brighter which alot of phones do.
AnonymousThu 10 January, 2008 2:54pm
im constirin gettin v nokia n95 8gb and the lg vievty which 1 wud u lot want and do u ave 2 use a leather case 2 store ur lg wen its in ur pocket if u do ven its v nokia all v way my dad ad the se k850 and the 3 touch buttons r so slow and dont always respond to a touch of a finger so wich is it nokia or lg ive only ever ad se nokia etc etc never owned a lg ive bin told there s*** let me no thanks
josephalexanderWed 16 January, 2008 9:16pm
definatlly work for a phone company and deal with all these phones everyday. the k850i has the best camera of the lot, SE cameras are always better with zoomed in pictures and there all simular when not zoomed. the n95 black is alot better than the standard n95, but i wouldn't recommend it still and the n series nokias have a different menu system to all the other nokias, the viewty is the best of the 4 phones but the most impractical (get a case tbh) and the g600 is a good phone, when it came out. its just too old :)
a phone too look out for is the nokia 6500 slide in black, orange dolphin £35 is the best tariff ever :D its free on that and its sick with the unlimited texts and 500 minutes :)
anyother questions, im willing to answer them :)
AnonymousThu 17 January, 2008 10:30am
I have tried n95 8, n82, and w960i se, i have had many phones and i think that this choice will be one for many people. I have to say that the winner for me is the w960, the 95 8 is very good but i prefeer se`s build quality, platform function and brand reputation. It has a few querky features that i feel have been added to justify the high price after sony concentrated on developing the main areas of the phone, but that said its a solid classy unit for a talker, text addicts, look at the 95 8 ,time will tell.
AnonymousFri 18 January, 2008 4:05pm
Hello, I've been reading all this good feedback about the K850i but honestly...
It's very slow at processing pictures, if you have to take a new one it takes ages..
Recently while recording a video the screen flicks (the image gets a shake) continuously.
I've updated it but still does the problem.
Anyway from 1 to 10 i'll give the K850i a generous 7.
Burro
AnonymousWed 27 February, 2008 5:00pm
mine k850i keep on crashing , about once a month. and itmesses the messaging service up , you keep needing to format it! its does it to my friend too, ive had it replaced but still happens has anyone got the same problem?
AnonymousSat 1 March, 2008 4:07pm
lol. LG ROCKS!! Games? just buy-download a few games and you're done, not that hard. About ringtones? You have Music CDs? Put a song you want on the computer and transfer to the phone, then click "Set as ringtone"... takes like, 5 minutes?
About texting and scrolling, scrolling is smooth and easy, how you can't get along with it? I dunno. I like it. Texting? A few clicks and the numbered keypad with letters transforms into an almost full QWERTY Keyboard! Whoa! AMAZING!! You know, I never texted so fast in my life.
So stop saying the Viewty is bad, cuz it rocks, and you know it.
AnonymousThu 6 March, 2008 2:27am
I AGGREE I HAVE VIEWTY IF YOU KNOW HOW TO USE IT PROPERLY YOU WONT HAVE ANY TROUBLE.. IF YOU GET ANYTHING ABOVE 2 GB MICRO SD DO NOT FORMAT ON PHONE.. FILL UP TO LEAVE JUST UNDER 2 GB FREE USING YOUR PC ..USE ADAPTER...THEN YOU STILL GOT 1.9 GB FREE FOR VIDEO OR PIX.. VIEWTY IS BEST I HAD SONY FOR 5 YRS
AnonymousFri 28 March, 2008 10:28pm
LG are gay, the new sony fone is SWEET!!!
AnonymousMon 31 March, 2008 9:07pm
Hey, About the k850i Mesaging Problem. I had the same problem. All you have to do is install the sony ericsson pc suite, and update software. Thats it, Done!
AnonymousTue 1 April, 2008 8:18am
have the viewty for two months now.....no rpoblem at all. ...love the look ..and features.....and other sony and nokia are bit chunky.....
definately recommend viewty....simple yet very functional..
AnonymousTue 8 April, 2008 3:27pm
I've had the LG Viewty now for three weeks, it was a toss up between that & the N82, I wanted a decent camera on my next handset. Well the N82 has buttons designed to infuriate, too fiddly & feel fragile. so the Viewty won. It's easy to use, the large clear screen is great (sic) Texting is fast & accurate using the qwerty key board, but the camera can take time to set up if you want to get all creative. The scrolling can seem a bit too fast using the screen, but practice makes perfect, otherwise the ring around the lens works well enough. All I can say is that you really need to read the accompanying handbook to get the best out of this phone, I had to constantly refer to it, until I was able to comfortably use all the functions. Battery life could be a bit better, the large screen must be quite a drain, although the auto lock is brilliant. Time will tell as to its robustness, but I'm glad I made this choice of phone.
AnonymousThu 10 April, 2008 2:18pm
I've had 4 K850i's now and each of them have broken. I've had problems with the touch screen not working, the phone completely freezing and not being able to do anything with it and the last one I got flashed on the screen like it had been dropped and broken, this flashed and covered up text when writing a text. I've now exchanged it for the Viewty, lets hope this one is better ;-)
AnonymousFri 11 April, 2008 12:48pm
So... Nokia 6500 slide?
Samsung G600?
LG?
K850i?
I am looking for a great but non fiddly camera and camcorder plus radio and something that is simple and fast to text with???? Whaddya think folks????
Thanks
AnonymousSat 19 April, 2008 5:41pm
N95 is way better than the LG!!
AnonymousSat 26 April, 2008 1:24am
i have a lg viewity and i find it the bst fone ever...the camera is great and i find it so easy to tx with the key board alot faster than the average keypad setting. as for a person above not knowing how to delete tx messages u need to go into options and press the bit where it says 'mark/unmark' then press select all then delete and the jobs done.
AnonymousSat 26 April, 2008 11:40pm
Its the lg viewty for me , not only does it look good but the touch screen is the best out of the group I can not believe how good the audio is either, much better than my old Razer, I added a 4 gb micro sd card and it see's it too. Its a shame it has'nt got wifi or gps.
I would give it 8.8 out 10
AnonymousSat 3 May, 2008 3:13pm
I have the non-3g version of the phone(KE990).The phone is working perfectly fine and to all those ppl who complain about not being able to use the phone properly,go read the manual.Its a bit thicker because of the camera lens cover.

Ask questions, share opinions and find answers in the CNET.co.uk forums


Next Photo
AnonymousWed 12 September, 2007 12:13am
The K850i is actually going to be available towards the end of this month.