Sagem myC2-3

Sagem have created the myC2-3 as a mobile phone for those with an extremely tight budget. Having played with this phone for a while we'd recommend looking at some of the other options on the market as this unit cuts a few too many corners.

Our first impressions of the myC2-3 were that it was extremely small to say the least. Sagem has successfully managed to compress the phone into a miniscule 73mm x 42mm x 21mm - one of the smallest handsets we've seen to date. Despite the size and the fact that the myC2-3 also only weights a mere 75 grams, the build quality and design is admirable. The phones blue front finish, combined with chrome and silver trim feels sturdy and the flip mechanism worked well throughout our testing. Unfortunately, the small size has meant the handset has an external antenna, which is somewhat of a rarity.

The myC2-3 may be extremely small, but Sagem should be commended for their control and keypad layout. Well spaced out, responsive and largely comfortable, the myC2-3 keypad is ideal for messaging. They have also kept it simple with the controls - a 4-way navigation button is surrounded by an Answer and End Call key and two selection buttons, all finished off by bright a blue backlight. Many handsets have squashed and uncomfortable keypads to compensate for design features, so it's good to see Sagem making comfort, usability and simplicity a top priority. In saying this, the myC2-3 lacks an external screen, which we find quite convenient in flip models, as well as a volume control key.

As with all budget mobile phone handsets, the feature set is fairly basic and the Sagem is let down by a bland and outdated 4096 colour screen. Measuring 101 x 80 pixels, the screen is small and its specifications mean that it isn't great for viewing pictures or photos. The phone does come with pre-installed pictures and background wallpaper, but it's not something you'd want to show off to your friends. While we understand that Sagem have obviously tried to keep costs down, we would have liked to have seen a slightly more updated display panel.

The phone menu is simple and concise, with animated images corresponding to the menu item. Unfortunately, there is no option to change the layout of the myC2-3 menu to a grid system, which we prefer. Instead you'll have to stick to the three horizontal lines, one menu at a time interface, which isn't bad by any stretch, but significantly slower than most other menus we've seen.

Other features include SMS and MMS messaging with T9 predictive text input support, a hands free speakerphone, vibration alert, WAP and GPRS. We did experience significant keystroke delay when messaging, so text addicts beware. The hands-free speakerphone worked well, but we really don't understand why we need to press the enter button and then the selection key to activate it. Sagem should have made use of one of the two selection keys in this department, as a speakerphone is something users need quick and direct access to. Lastly, only 240kb of memory is provided to store data such as ringtones and pictures.

Battery life is a little less than what we expected, considering the myC2-3's lack of features and small display screen. A talk-time of 3 hours and standby time of approximately 240 hours isn't bad by any stretch of the imagination, but we expected significantly more.