Sagem my501c review: Sagem my501c

Design
The my501c is an entry-level clamshell phone which has attempted to blend a slim design with a few extra functions for the budget conscious individual. It measures 93mm by 44mm by 23mm and at just 99 grams, it's pretty lightweight.

6.4

Sagem my501c

The Good

Slim and lightweight. Keypad good for texters. Can recharge from PC USB connection.

The Bad

Display difficult to read outdoors. Limited camera and multimedia capabilities.

The Bottom Line

The Sagem my501c is a lightweight, entry-level designer phone coupled with a handful of useful features.

It features a clear external colour display screen detailing basic information such as time, battery life, reception and caller ID. One problem we did face a couple of times during testing was the difficulty in reading the display screen when outdoors.

The alpha-numeric keypad is set out in a wave formation, so pressing the buttons was a joy. (This is important if you are a frequent text messenger!) The phone has a five-way navigational pad which is not entirely original, but certainly is functional. We did find there were a number of clicks required to action tasks, however there are some handy shortcuts once you get accustomed to the new navigation.

Features
The my501c's feature set includes Bluetooth, GPRS, WAP, SMS and MMS functionality -- including T9 predictive text input -- along with support for polyphonic ringtones.

There is USB connectivity so you will be able to make the phone act as a modem with your personal computer. Better still, you can also charge the phone once plugged in to your PC, which is very handy should you lose your charger or forget to take it with you on the road.

The phone has a 1.3-megapixel camera with limited video recording. Needless to say, it won't be replacing your digital camera, but for the occasional snap, you'll be able to get by with this phone's entertainment features.

There is MP3 capability with the my501c, however your playlist will be restricted by its limited 32MB of built-in available memory.

Performance
The internal screen displays the menu in a window format similar to Sony Ericsson phones. Again not entirely original, but it is easy to pick up and navigate.

Sagem rates the my501c as being capable of up to 240 hours standby time and three hours talk time. In our testing, we found the battery tended to drop out after roughly six days of moderate usage.

The Sagem my501c is an entry-level designer phone coupled with a handful of useful features. Those after advanced entertainment features will invariably look elsewhere, but for those on a tight budget looking for a light phone to carry around, this model represents a good option.