Price and specifications of Philips X800 advantages, disadvantages, and a comprehensive explanation

Overview

The Philips X800 was announced in May 2008 and was subsequently released the same year. This feature phone, although now discontinued, was a novel entrant in the market, offering a range of features tailored to the needs of early touchscreen phone adopters. It stood out with its 2.8-inch resistive touchscreen and sleek design, appealing to tech enthusiasts looking for functionality packaged in an aesthetically pleasing form.

Design and Build

The Philips X800 sports a compact design with dimensions of 101 x 52.4 x 16.3 mm, making it relatively easy to handle. Weighing only 99 grams, this device is lightweight, further enhancing its portability. The phone accommodates a Mini-SIM, and its black color gives it a classic and professional look. The phone's construction is robust enough to withstand everyday use while maintaining a modern design that suggested a premium product for its time.

Display

The phone's display is a 2.8-inch TFT resistive touchscreen which supports 256K colors. With a resolution of 240 x 400 pixels and a 5:3 ratio, offering approximately 167 ppi density, users were able to interact with a more colorful and vibrant screen. Although resistive screens were common in 2008, the Philips X800 offered a relatively large screen area which accounted for about 42.2% of the screen-to-body ratio, providing a reasonably immersive visual experience for a feature phone.

Camera

The X800 is equipped with a single 2 MP rear camera featuring autofocus. At the time, this specification was adequate for capturing basic photos suitable for sharing and viewing on the phone's screen. Video recording is supported at CIF@30fps, offering users the capability to record moving images, though the quality was intended primarily for playback on the device itself rather than high-definition viewing.

Performance and Storage

Under the hood, the Philips X800 boasts 64MB of RAM and 128MB of internal ROM storage, with additional storage expansion available via a dedicated microSDHC card slot. While these specifications seem modest compared to modern smartphones, they were typical for feature phones from that era. The performance was sufficient for basic tasks such as calling, messaging, and running Java-based applications.

Battery Life

A notable strength of the Philips X800 is its battery life, powered by a removable Li-Ion 1250 mAh battery. It claims an impressive stand-by time of up to 850 hours and a talk time of up to 10 hours. This long battery life ensured that users could rely on the device throughout their day without frequent recharging—a significant advantage over competitors.

Connectivity Options

The phone operates on GSM networks with support for GSM 900, 1800, and 1900 bands. It offers GPRS class 12 and EDGE class 10 for data connectivity. Although it lacks WLAN capabilities, the presence of Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP support allows users to connect wireless headsets and share files with other Bluetooth-enabled devices. The phone also includes a miniUSB port for charging and data transfer.

Multimedia Features

Philips X800 includes a range of multimedia features consistent with its classification as a feature phone. Users could enjoy polyphonic and MP3 ringtones, and the device included a loudspeaker for hands-free calls and media playback. However, it doesn't have a 3.5mm audio jack, which limited headphone connectivity options.

Software and Applications

The device functions on a proprietary feature phone OS and includes essential applications such as a WAP 2.0/xHTML browser for basic web browsing and support for SMS, MMS, and Email for communication. The inclusion of Java MIDP 2.0 support allows for running a variety of Java-based applications and games, with three pre-installed games and the option to download more.

Market Impact and Price

At the time of its release, the Philips X800 was priced around 370 EUR. This positioned it in the mid to upper range for feature phones, targeting users seeking a blend of style, functionality, and battery longevity. Its market impact was driven by its touchscreen capabilities and robust battery life, appealing to professionals and regular users alike looking for a reliable communication tool.

Conclusion

The Philips X800 served as an interesting piece of technology during its time, bridging the gap between basic phones and more advanced smartphones. With its respectable list of features, sleek design, and remarkable battery perseverance, it provided an essential service to its users. Although the X800 is now discontinued, it reflects an important period in mobile phone evolution and the growing consumer appetite for touchscreen technology and multimedia applications.