Sharp 903 3G Phone Review - three megapixel snapper

IT seems that Sharp can't launch a camera phone these days without setting photographic standards for all to follow. Ever since it hooked up with Vodafone in 2002, its impact on our domestic mobile camera phone market has been unrivalled.

The Japanese company released the UK's first one-megapixel camera phone, the GX30, in March 2004. A year later it unveiled the two-megapixel 902, another UK first and the only handset to carry a 2x optical zoom. Now, cue the fanfare, Sharp is rolling out the 903, the very first mobile phone to hit our shores endowed with a 3.2-megapixel lens. We predicted that this benchmark would be reached by the end of the year and Sharp has obligingly proved us right. Mobile photography has just got serious.

Exclusive to Vodafone, the 903 closely emulates the design lines of its predecessor, the 902, but flaunts a few cosmetic modifications to make it a far more attractive proposition. One criticism of the 902 was its clunky contours and while the 903's dimensions are exactly the same, its harder edges and slanted profile make for a more dynamic chassis. Of course, it also rocks up in a new alluring noir coat and everyone knows that wearing black gives the illusion of looking more streamlined. The 903 has also shed about nine grams but even this slight amount gives it a lighter touch when handling the phone.

Another major alteration is the purging of the 902's inconsequential monochrome external LCD display in favour of a minimalist fascia. Incoming calls and messages are now identified through the flashing coloured auxiliary light alone (it doubles up as a flash in photography mode) but you will have to flip open the phone to reveal the caller ID. The keypad has improved too, with the layout the same but a new button and navigation pad design delivering a more tactile response.

The cosmetic changes are subtle but highly effective and, similarly, barring the considerable megapixel boost, the feature set has been only slightly tweaked. Weirdly, Sharp has decided to reduce the internal memory from 26MB to 8MB. It's also toyed with the memory card format, opting for MiniSD instead of the previous SD/MMC solution. This shift might well alienate 902 owners looking to upgrade to the new model, especially if they've splashed out on a higher specified memory card than the 64MB one supplied. Considering that the 903 handset hasn't really been reduced in size it seems a strange move.

However, the most notable enhancement is the display. Sharp has advanced on the 902's stunning display by injecting the 2.4-inch, 240x320-pixel resolution screen with the same Advanced Super View (ASV) technology as it peddles in its LCD TVs. The 903 now delivers superior definition.

The 3.2-megapixel camera is, of course, the main attraction here and we've examined the 903's photography prowess in more detail below. The handset's other major draw is its 3G ability. The 902 was a virtuoso performer and its successor seems even more adept. We noticed, when testing it beside the 902, that the 903 appears far more efficient with the Vodafone Live! pages loading far more quickly.

3.2 megapixels - a closer look

Could the Sharp 903 conceivably replace your standalone digital camera and be one your communications and imaging convergence device? On this evidence the answer is yes. We've taken snaps using the 903 and printed 6x4-inch photos using an Epson PictureMate 100 Photolab printer. You would be hard pressed to know they came from a camera phone.

Those familiar with the 902 won't find anything notably different to contend with when handling the 903. It adopts a 180 deegree swivel display that folds back on itself to transform the handset into a standalone camera pose. The camera is automatically activated when you twist into action, and the shutter button, 2x optical zoom switch and menu keys run along the top. This means you can alter the settings easily while in capture mode. The viewfinder screen displays a host of icons to guide you on your current settings or you can choose to have these cleared. It's all straightforward to operate.

The 903 offers adaptable modes depending on your photographic environment. Action, portrait, text, sunny and night-time conditions are all catered for. The flash light disappointingly doesn't activate when you press the shutter button, instead it just illuminates the subject area. It's not the most perceptive of features.

The unique 2x optical zoom is a particular boon. It works perfectly when searching for more detail on distant shots and picture quality isn't lost, unlike with digital zoom. Zoom in for more specifics on close-ups and it again struggles for sharp focus. Similarly, the macro setting does on occasion lack true focus. The optical zoom is disabled on this mode but you will have to experiment with distance to get acute results.

The snaps arrive in a 1536x2048-pixel resolution and range from between 650KB and 1.3Mb in size. One minor drawback is the time it takes to save to your handset's memory. You can preset the profile to save automatically to the internal or MiniSD card or decide manually between the two after taking a photo. Once you've decided, it can take up to 15 seconds to save in some cases. Frustrating if you want to capture another snap quickly.

Despite this, the 903, as we mentioned earlier, really does take outstanding snaps. Highlights are controlled and not overblown, colours and tone are consistent and seemingly unaffected in overcast conditions; this adept interpretation of light is reassuring. However, there are drawbacks: sharpness can fall off at long distances and pictures can suffer from a little camera shake occasionally. But such shortfalls won't spoil your overall appreciation.

The 903 is also an adept camcorder. Its video performance ranks as the finest around (how can you fail with a 3.2-megapixel lens?) but there are still traces of noise and pixel drag. Despite the colouration it still delivers clear images but the video footage at the highest quality can eat up the memory. Be warned.

Back to main review

Video streaming is always prone to outside influences like the 3G signal and buffering skill but even when the 903 locked onto a weak reception its performance was still highly watchable. It handled the pell mell of Premiership highlights skillfully with only a dash of digital noise. Better still, if you download the footage and playback on the built-in media player, the results are even slicker.

Film trailers and sports action are almost free of pixelated colouration. The accompanying audio is best experienced through the bundled headphones even though the handset comes with embedded stereo surround sound speakers. You really have to strain to hear the football commentary, for example, and even music playback is too tinny, so the speakers are pretty redundant.

A second VGA camera is discreetly embedded above the main display ready for video calling. There is no dedicated key so to activate a call you can either type in the number and press down the call button or delve into your contacts and access the options menu. The quality of the call was decent, only showing pixelated images when the handset was moved. Although it did lack some clarity, you could still enjoy a good chat without any hitches. We also recommend listening to video calls through the headphones.

The 902 was a supreme musician by mobile standards so expectations were high for the 903, and it didn't disappoint. We downloaded a variety of tunes from Vodafone Live's! library of over 300,000 tunes in MPEG4 format and it felt comfortable with all genres. It has sound enhancements like bass and 3D surround (also with bass) but use it sparingly - rock and acoustic numbers sound overcooked but dance/hip hop tracks like Gorillaz' Dare pulsated with the extra rumble. So it's just a question of tweaking the settings to suit the song. The overall performance was lively but well rounded.

Java games are rendered superbly on the commodious display, with the graphics coming alive, while the gameplay is elevated using the generously sized keys and navigation pad. We downloaded the War of the Worlds game from Live! and had an easy time destroying entire cities.

Battery life is a major concern, especially with all these juice-hungry features. The 903 will last you about a day if you use them, particularly browsing and downloading from the portal, in intense bursts.

So Sharp has done it again. The 3.2-megapixel camera makes the Sharp 903 an enticing convergence proposition. Battery issues aside, serious snappers will probably still want to carry their standalone shutterbugs but for the casual photographer, the 903 is a perfect solution.

This review covers the above mobile phone only and does not address the performance of any 3G Network. The score is based on a 3G mobile phone checklist.
Copyright : You are advised that this material is the copyright of www.3G.co.uk and is our own personal view only. (C) All rights reserved 2005. Whilst every care has been taken in the preparation of this review, the author nor 3Gcouk cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or authenticity of the information it contains, or any consequence arising from it.