Philips 766 The Ultimate Guide to Specs Pricing Pros & Cons

Introduction to Philips 766

The Philips 766, announced in the second quarter of 2005, is a feature phone that epitomizes the mobile technology of its era. It has since been discontinued, yet it remains a notable specimen of mid-2000s mobile design and functionality. In this article, we delve into its specifications and features, exploring its design, display, camera capabilities, and other technical details.

Design and Build

The Philips 766 boasts a compact design with dimensions of 88 x 43 x 22 mm and a weight of 102 grams, making it a conveniently portable device. The phone is housed in a stylish case, available in two color variants: Brushed Titanium and Reflection White. Its casing is designed to be durable and ergonomic, fitting comfortably in the user's hand. The phone uses a Mini-SIM card, maintaining the standard size of that time.

Display

For its era, the Philips 766 features a decent display. It is equipped with a TFT resistive touchscreen that supports 256K colors, which was quite advanced for feature phones back then. The resolution stands at 128 x 160 pixels, showcasing up to 8 lines of text or icons. Despite the lack of a specified screen size in inches, the size is sufficiently compact to fit the overall dimensions of the phone, ensuring ease of use and visibility.

Camera

The Philips 766 is equipped with a single main camera of 1.3 MP. While this may seem modest by today's standards, during its time, it was capable of capturing reasonable photographs. The camera comes with an LED flash, enhancing picture-taking in low-light conditions. It also supports video capture, which adds a multimedia function to this feature phone.

Memory and Storage

In terms of memory, the Philips 766 contains an internal storage of 10MB. Although this is minimal compared to modern standards, it was sufficient for storing contacts and a limited number of multimedia files or messages back in the day. The phone does not feature a card slot, so the storage capacity cannot be expanded, which was typical for phones of that age. The device supports standard phonebook functionality for contact storage and can log up to 30 received, dialed, and missed calls.

Battery Life

Powering the Philips 766 is a removable Li-Ion 770 mAh battery. The battery offers a standby time of up to 150 hours and a talk time of up to 2 hours and 30 minutes. This reflects the efficiency of feature phones, which typically consume less power than modern smartphones, resulting in longer battery life despite having smaller capacity batteries.

Network and Connectivity

The Philips 766 is designed to work on GSM networks and supports GSM 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz bands. It offers GPRS Class 10, facilitating basic mobile data transfers. However, it lacks newer connectivity options such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, which were either emerging or non-existent in feature phones at that time. The phone is equipped with a miniUSB port for wired connectivity.

Sound and Alerts

The sound system includes a loudspeaker for hands-free operation and the alert system provides vibration along with downloadable polyphonic ringtones. Notably, the phone does not support a 3.5mm audio jack, which means external sound devices cannot be used easily, reflecting the design limitations of its time.

Software Features

Operating on a basic feature phone system, the Philips 766 offers support for various messaging formats including SMS, EMS, MMS, and Email. The browser is WAP 1.2.1, allowing fundamental internet browsing suited for the lower resolution screens of its day. The phone supports Java (MIDP 2.0), enabling it to run basic Java applications and games, a feature that allowed users to enhance their phone with additional functionalities and entertainment options.

Additional Features

The Philips 766 could download and support games, adding an entertainment aspect to the device's capabilities. Though basic by modern standards, these games provided leisurely activities for users. Additionally, the phone's LED flash was not just for photography but could also serve as a makeshift flashlight in the absence of dedicated torch functionality.

Conclusion

The Philips 766 reflects a stage in mobile phone development where design ingenuity met the technical limitations of the time, resulting in a device that served its purposes well within its era. Despite its eventual discontinuation, it remains a fascinating piece of technology history, highlighting how far mobile phones have evolved. Its strengths lay in its design, battery life, and functionality for essential communications, while its limitations were typical of the technological landscape of the mid-2000s.