3 Mobile Skypephone
Pros
- Skype integration, compact size and design, ease of use, decent phone features
Cons
- Build quality, battery life
Bottom Line
At this asking price, the Skypephone is certainly great value for money. It's not perfect but the Skype integration is superb and easy to use and the rest of the phone works well.
-
Price
$ 179.00 (AUD)
Boasting the ability to make free Skype-to-Skype calls and send Skype instant messages, the 3 Mobile Skypephone also doubles as a regular, 3G mobile phone. Among its other impressive features are the integration of Skype contacts into the regular phonebook and the ability to adjust Skype presence information.
The main benefit of the Skypephone over the regular Skype PC software is that you can make Skype calls anywhere, anytime – so long as you have reception and the person you are calling is online. Unlike SkypeOut on the PC version however, you can't use Skype to make calls to regular phones.
One annoying aspect of the Skypephone is the fact that the person you are calling must be online in order to make a call. This means you'll more than likely have to pre-arrange a simultaneous time where your intended caller is online. Regardless, if you are a regular Skype user and are desperate to keep in touch, then the offer of free Skype calls and instant messages (up to 4000 minutes of calls and 10,000 messages) is certainly an enticing deal. We found the quality passable; voice is certainly not as crisp or clear as a regular telephone call and does have a slight delay, but it's good enough to hold a conversation.
It's difficult to remember that the Skypephone also doubles as a regular 3G phone. Although it's not outstanding, it certainly has most features you'll need and the compact size is a real bonus. Unfortunately size is also a drawback as the thin, magnetic battery cover, squashed keypad and plastic build does tend to make the phone feel quite flimsy.
Ease of use is excellent though, and the simple but intuitive menu system is quick to grasp. The display is unfortunately a lower resolution than most new handsets on the market, but it doesn't really detract from the overall user experience. The interface speed is excellent and there is no keystroke delays when text messaging. We also really like the seamless Skype integration – the large Skype button in the centre allows you to quickly access the service and allows you to automatically sign in without having to enter your details.
The Skypephone also boasts a multi-format audio and video player with a 512MB microSD card included in the sales package, Bluetooth with the A2DP profile, a 2-megapixel camera with video recording, and the ability to use the phone as a USB broadband modem thanks to the standard micro USB port. Photos taken are average and the lack of flash means photography in low-light areas is impossible. For multimedia, the included micro USB headphones produce average sound.
Battery life is unfortunately a disappointment – just a little over three hours talk time is certainly nothing to boast about, particularly when you take into account Skype calls and instant messages.
Brand Post
Most Popular Reviews
- 1 Dell U3223QE review: A winning debut for an IPS Black monitor
- 2 HP Spectre x360 16 review: The right 2-in-1 at the wrong time
- 3 Acer K242HYL review: An affordable monitor for any occasion
- 4 GeForce Now review: You bring the games, Nvidia streams the hardware
- 5 Asus ProArt PA279CV monitor review: The go-to for content creators on a budget
Latest News Articles
- Bizarre iOS bug swaps out Spotify for Apple Music in the iPhone dock
- Fortnite returns to the iPhone (sort of) courtesy Xbox Cloud Gaming
- Want to go watch the WWDC keynote at Apple Park? Here’s how to apply
- iPad buying guide 2022
- Apple to support ‘passwordless’ iPhone logins on Android phones and PCs
Resources
Macworld
What's new, plus best mac-related tips
and tricks
Business Centre
The latest business news, reviews, features and whitepapers
Videos
Watch our video news and reviews from around the world
Guides
Comprehensive buying guides, features, and step-by-step articles
PCW Evaluation Team
Pedro Peixoto
Aruba Instant On AP11D
Set up is effortless.
Cate Bacon
Aruba Instant On AP11D
The strength of the Aruba Instant On AP11D is that the design and feature set support the modern, flexible, and mobile way of working.
Dr Prabigya Shiwakoti
Aruba Instant On AP11D
Aruba backs the AP11D up with a two-year warranty and 24/7 phone support.
Tom Pope
Dynabook Portégé X30L-G
Ultimately this laptop has achieved everything I would hope for in a laptop for work, while fitting that into a form factor and weight that is remarkable.
Tom Sellers
MSI P65
This smart laptop was enjoyable to use and great to work on – creating content was super simple.
Lolita Wang
MSI GT76
It really doesn’t get more “gaming laptop” than this.
Featured Content
- Which Lenovo Laptop Should I Buy?
- Every TV in Samsung's 2022 line-up: OLED, Neo QLED and more!
- Top 10 best Android and Apple phones for under $600
- Everything you need to know about Smart TVs
- What's the difference between an Intel Core i3, i5 and i7?
- Laser vs. inkjet printers: which is better?