The new SL91 is the main high-end product for the new brand BenQ Mobile in the upcoming months. The phone shall be focussed at the interested and distinctive user that uses a proper designed and fashionable device. NewMobile got the first look at it!
The new SL91 is the main high-end product for the new brand BenQ Mobile in the upcoming months. The phone shall be focussed at the interested and distinctive user that uses a proper designed and fashionable device. NewMobile got the first look at it!
BenQ-Siemens SL91 is the complete name of the new product which will be introduced to the market around the end of October. The BenQ-Siemens brand is still used to emphasize the origin of the company and to show that BenQ Mobile is the new future brand name. The new brand wants to express that fashion, design and high-quality materials are key in delivering new products to the market that from now on will be manufactured from the basis in Asia.
The SL91 is the main example of this. The new device is a beauty with respect to materials, design and fashion. It shows that design can be a part of this market and shows the user that a Taiwanese BenQ Mobile model is suitable in daily live in stead of a new Samsung or LG design.
Let's have a closer look at the device and give you our opinion about the new device. A complete review is not yet available due to the fact that the device we got is far from ready and in pre-release status.
First of all the package in which you will find the desk stand. This specially designed cradle will give the user the opportunity to place the device on any table or desk and charge, synchronise or answer a call. When the device is placed into the cradle a special light comes up which gives a spacey feeling to the complete setup. Due to the lighting the device will float above the table. It looks really nice and is unique in the current market.
It is possible to open the device in the cradle and answer a call. Also ending or synchronizing data is possible via the cradle. When you pick up the device from the cradle, the device will light up and the cradle will go out.
The device itself is rather small and is a rather fat when you check out the pictures. But in real life you will not really experience that. The differences with a Samsung E500 or Sony Ericsson K800i are not that big and when you place the device into your hands, it fits the palm of your hand. Furthermore we can address the slider, which is quite mature. It feels good and slides like it should do.
If we look around the device you will notice the front with the main 16.000.000 colours display and the touching panel keys. These keys are not the same as we have experienced on the Samsung E900 of LG KG800. The special keys have a different coating and are placed on separate key placements. Each key has a touch area which is visible and does not get dirty after several times of usage. It is a new system BenQ uses in this SL91.
Six keys are placed around the central 5-way control key that are touch sensitive. When the slider is opened the numerical keypad is shown. This keypad can be controlled quite easily and is placed next to the video call camera and video call quick button. The backlighting is quite sufficient.
The main screen has 16.000.000 colours and a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels but the difference between the SL91 is K800i - which has 262.000 colours - is not that big. The quality of the screen can be compared to several other colour displays in the current market and you will see that the SL91 can keep up. Next to this there is adjustable brightness and the ability to change the wallpaper, operator logo and backlight time.
When you start using the menu you will notice the similarities with other products from BenQ Mobile. The standardization and the ease of use is quite noticeable and shows the strength of the new brand. Controlling the menu is simple and does not ask for more explanation. The menu icons are quite nice and fit within the design status of the SL91.
There are several special features in the menu, which are the stereo FM-radio with RDS, MP3 player with superb mono speaker, video call options, camera and available add-on programs and games. The SL91 will be delivered with an extensive amount of programs and games such as Bluetooth Mouse control, Document viewer, Mobipocket Book Reader, PDF viewer, SeaBattle, SuperStackAttack and Google Maps & Google Search. The last two programs are placed inside a special part of the SL91 menu.
The camera within the new BenQ device is a 3.2 Mpixel camera with auto focus. There is no flash available and the amount of adjustable settings is quite low. It is only possible to change the resolution, standard name, location to save, white balance and flicker adjustment. Zoom and brightness can also be adjusted and a self timer is also available in the device.
The video camera has a main resolution of 176 x 144 pixels and offers the same settings as the normal camera. The quality of both the video- and photo camera is adequate, but it is far from the quality we see on the Sony Ericsson K800i. We should emphasize that the device is not in the final stage, but you can check some photos and videos on the corresponding SL91 phone pages.
In relation to the connectivity we can address that the device will support UMTS, EDGE and GPRS network based connections. Bluetooth is also available and suited to its task. There is no infrared or Wifi available.
The overall call quality of the device is as we could have expected from BenQ Mobile suitable for its task. The quality is good, but the quality you would expect when using a Nokia or a Sony Ericsson. The BenQ Mobile SL91 shows the same quality on video call and call as the EF81 we already tested.
Profiles are available in the device and can be adjusted by the user. 72-Tone polyphonic ringtones are supported and sound like they should via the mono speaker. The way in which the vibrating alert vibrates can be adjusted.
Other issues like the memory card slot are suited for a device like this. The slot is placed under the battery. Design prevailed when placing the slot at that position.
Overall we can mention to you that the new SL91 can be placed next to the new Nokia 8800 Sirocco or Samsung D900. Both have a distinctive design that links them to the new SL91 which offers superb specifications into a design statement.
The complete package including the fantastic cradle completes the picture. The 3.2 Mpixel camera, stereo FM-radio with RDS, MicroSD memory card slot and available possibilities in the menu show that the device has a major chance of succeeding in the current market.
Weak points are the weak video camera, camera quality with respect to the K800i, camera settings and strength of the 16.000.000 colour display. But these points can change in the upcoming weeks the final device arrives.
The SL91 will be another choice and device in the line of high standard design products such as the D900 or 8800 Sirocco. It is a device new users should look at. Design plays the main roll in the new SL91 and specifications come second. Although they are on a high standard!
For more information on the new BenQ Mobile SL91 check out the phone page of the BenQ Mobile familiy member.
