Sharp 903SH
Vodafone Sharp 903SH Cell Phone Specification Review
Japanese vodafone released a brand new 903SH in July 2005, the very first mobile phone to hit the shores endowed with a 3.2-megapixel lens. Mobile photography has just got serious.
The new Sharp 903SH closely emulates the design of its predecessor, the 902SH, but flaunts a few cosmetic modifications to make it a far more attractive proposition. Its harder edges and slanted profile make for a more dynamic modern chassis. It also rocks up in a new alluring noir coat and everyone knows that wearing black gives the illusion of looking more streamlined. The 903SH has also shed about nine grams but even this slight amount gives it a lighter touch when handling the phone.
Talking about the key pads, it has improved, with the layout the same but a new button and navigation pad design delivering a more tactile response.
The cosmetic are 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.
The most notable enhancement for 903SH is the display. Sharp has advanced on the 902SH'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 903SH now delivers superior definition.
The 3.2-megapixel camera is, of course, the main attraction for this phone. The handset's other major draw is its 3G ability. When we actually use the 903SH's 3G features, it appears far more efficient with the Vodafone Live! pages loading far more quickly comparing to its successor.
Such a powerful camera, a question jumps out: "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 Photolab printer. You would be hard pressed to know they came from a camera phone!
Vodafone Sharp 903SH Cell Phone Specification Review
Vodafone Sharp 903SH Cell Phone Specification Review
The handling of 903SH is very similiar with 902SH. 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 903SH offers many adaptable modes depending on your photographic environment. Action, portrait, text, sunny and night-time conditions are all catered for. 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 903SH, 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 903SH 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.
Video streaming is always prone to outside influences like the 3G signal and buffering skill but even when the 903SH 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.
Vodafone Sharp 903SH Cell Phone Specification Review
Vodafone Sharp 903SH Cell Phone Specification Review
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 902SH was a supreme musician by mobile standards so expectations were high for the 903SH, 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.
In conclusion, Sharp 903SH is the top performer on today's cell phone market. The 3.2-megapixel camera makes the Sharp 903 an enticing convergence proposition. Of course, it can not be comparable with the professional equipment, but for the casual photographer, the 903SH is a perfect solution.
Sharp 903SH has three colors available: ferrari red, black, pearl white.
Vodafone Sharp 903SH Cell Phone Specification Review
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