Philips S900 The Complete Guide to Features Pricing Pros & Cons

Design and Build

The Philips S900 comes with a sleek and thin design, measuring 109 x 51 x 13 mm and weighing just 94 grams. This compact form factor makes it an incredibly portable feature phone. The exterior is characterized by its silver finish, giving it a classic and polished look. The phone also sports a mini-SIM slot, which was standard during its release period.

Display

The device features a 2.2-inch TFT resistive touchscreen capable of displaying 256K colors. With a resolution of 176 x 220 pixels, the screen offers adequate clarity for basic tasks. The screen-to-body ratio is approximately 27.4%, which is typical for feature phones of that era.

Camera

The Philips S900 is equipped with a single 2 MP rear camera. This basic camera setup allows for capturing simple photos and videos. While it doesn’t compete with modern smartphones, at the time of its release, a 2 MP camera was considered decent for everyday photography needs.

Memory and Storage

Internally, the S900 comes with 10MB of storage, which is very limited by today's standards but was fairly typical for feature phones. However, the device includes a miniSD slot, allowing users to expand storage for photos, videos, and other media files. The phonebook capacity is up to 1000 entries with photocall capability, and it stores records for 30 received, dialed, and missed calls.

Network and Connectivity

This device supports GSM technology and operates on 2G bands GSM 900/1800/1900. It has GPRS Class 10 for data connectivity, but does not support EDGE. For more traditional connectivity, it includes Bluetooth and an infrared port, which were standard for data transfer at the time. The phone lacks features like WLAN and GPS.

Battery Life

The Philips S900 is powered by a removable Li-Ion battery, which offers up to 300 hours of standby time and up to 4 hours of talk time. This is efficient for a feature phone, ensuring users can go about their day without frequent recharges.

Sound and Multimedia

The phone includes sound features such as a loudspeaker and support for vibration alerts, downloadable polyphonic, and MP3 ringtones. However, it does not include a 3.5mm headphone jack, which means users might need proprietary accessories for audio listening. There is no built-in radio, which can be seen as a limitation for users who enjoy listening to live broadcasts.

Additional Features

The Philips S900 supports basic messaging platforms such as SMS, EMS, MMS, and Email. The presence of a WAP browser allows for minimal internet browsing. It also supports some built-in games for entertainment. Despite these features, the phone does not support Java, which limits the ability to add more apps or games.

Market Positioning

Announced in June 2006, the Philips S900 was a product for consumers looking for a basic yet reliable phone with essential features. It served well in the entry-level segment characterized by affordability and functionality rather than cutting-edge technology. The device’s cessation lends insight into the fast evolution of mobile technology, as smartphones soon became the dominant preference.

Conclusion

The Philips S900 serves as a reminder of the era when feature phones were the standard. While it lacks the myriad of features that current smartphones offer, it provided essential functionality and reliability needed during its time. Today, it represents an interesting phase in mobile technology evolution.