With so many mobiles sidelining their phone component to sport umpteen additional features, it’s nice to see that the K800i manages to keep all its extra functionality well organised.

The phone’s claim to fame is its 3.2 megapixel camera. It captures remarkably good images, especially in daylight, but the optics can’t compete with a dedicated camera. It’s protected by a lens cover that adds some bulk to the back of the phone but can be slid open if you’re fumbling around trying to find the phone. There’s enough grunt in the embedded processor that regardless of what function you may be using, if you slide the cover open you’ll be able to take photos -- even during a call.

The software is very solid, and detects the carrier’s network settings when you first boot up. We were able to hit the web without any additional setup on our part. All the prerequisites features are there, including predictive text, A2DP Bluetooth support, five individual alarms and 3G functionality. It achieves all this and more functionality without resorting to using Windows CE or Symbian OS.

It’s not all good news; there’s no 3.5mm headphone output, so MP3 playback is limited to the included headphones or the inbuilt loudspeaker. You’ll miss any calls when you connect the phone to your computer, because when it functions as a storage device it reboots into a file transfer-only mode. The connector is proprietary, but there’s an included one that ends in a USB connector. Finally, there is no torch function, because a real camera flash has replaced the LEDs used by previous models.

Other than the menu system being littered with internet shortcuts to Sony download services, it’s solid phone that manages to do everything with minimal fuss. The tabbed options in the menu may take a little getting used to if you’re accustomed to other brands, but it’s rewarding. At $899, it’s a solidly made and well designed high end phone.