This is a standard set for a phone of a medium class and there is nothing in excess to raise the price; the first thing we would recommend that you provide is a Memory Stick Micro (M2) card(the phone supports up to 2GB ) because the few megabytes of built-in memory is utterly insufficient for the needs of today. And in case you do not dispose of a USB hub it is strongly recommended you get one as well, since the kit’s data cable (DCU-65) is only 80 cm (31.5 inches) long. It is quite likely that there will be a greater distance between the computer and the desk, which is sure to render file exchange with the pc rather inconvenient.

Sony Ericsson K530 is offered in two color variations – Warm Silver (our unit was that color type) and Thunder Black. The difference between both is the coloration of the keypad and the side part of the phone, as well as the area around the camera.

While keeping almost the same weight as K510 (92 gr. / 3.2 oz), the device has "slimmed" even though it gained a number of additional options. Its average dimensions (102 x 46 14 mm / 4 x 1.8 x 0.5 in) allow for putting it into the jacket or jeans pocket without any bulging.

The display is 2 inch, with a resolution of 176 x 220 pixels and 262 144 colors and a very wide visibility angle. It has the same colors like the K510, but with better screen resolution. The images displayed are well saturated and contrasting, which makes them decently visible even at bright daylight.

The 2 megapixel camera on the K530 boasts a x2.5 digital zoom and video recording capabilities. With support for picture blogging, you can snap and share magic moments instantly. Upload your pictures to your blog site at 3G speeds to keep your friends and family posted. There’s 16MB onboard storage, enough for you to build-up your own photo album of personal favorites. As your photo and music libraries grow, so can the K530’s memory, thanks to support for Memory Stick Micro

Standard battery, Li-Po 950 mAh (BST-33)
StandBy Time Up to 395 h
Talk Time Up to 9 h

Entertainment is entrusted to the music player, the built-in FM radio and Java games. The music player is quoted to support MP3, WMA, AAC, AAC+ and eAAC+ formats. Tracks can be filtered by artists or listed all together. Creation of playlists is enabled. The player can run in the background, and features Loop and Shuffle modes, as well as stereo enhancement and equalizer settings. The equalizer offers presets and manual setting options.

Music can be enjoyed on the loudspeaker, or on the headphones you get in the standard package. The headset is the usual standard unit we've gotten used to with the Walkman series handsets. They perform commendably and can be used as a handsfree too, thanks to the wired remote and microphone in the middle of the cable. The A2DP-enabled Bluetooth makes wireless stereo headphones an available option, tpo. You can also opt for the recently announced HGE-100 headset with integrated GPS receiver, which make for a really intriguing accessory. The Sony Ericsson K530 is the first handset to be released with support for this headset.

Entertainment is enhanced by an FM radio with RDS functionality. The phone will automatically scan the FM frequency band and store the 20 stations with the strongest signal in the locality. You'll have to name them yourself though. Unfortunately, the radio features no equalizer, mono reception is available besides stereo though. Radio can be minimized, and can play on the handset's speaker, though the headset should be plugged in. It will probably be with the radio that the TrackID application will be most used for instant recognition of currently playing tracks. As we've outlined before, charges for the data transfers apply.

16 MB shared memory
Memory Stick Micro (M2)

Besides the standard GSM networks (900, 1800, 1900 MHz), the phone is operable in the 3G UMTS 2100 as well, and the front panel camera enables the users to make video-conversations with their loved ones. Supporting only one of the American GSM bands, the K530 will be limited only to areas with 1900 MHz coverage.

The full Internet browser allows for various view settings in accordance with the personal preferences for convenient work. Both landscape and portrait orientations are also feasible. In this case the high-resolution display can aid a more convenient page viewing. Through the Smart-fit option, pages can be set to appear in one column, thus eliminating the need to scroll horizontally and making it easier to go over pages of wider format. At opening our site we noticed that the browser was not able to correctly visualize all the elements of the page.

For instant access to news and reading it at the time of breaking, the phone disposes of an RSS reader.

Connecting to a computer is done in the normal for Sony Ericsson way – through a data cable or wirelessly, via the Bluetooth version 2.0, supported by the phone. In contrast to the earlier K 510, we can easily make out the absence of an infrared port here – it is no longer needed.

It is possible to use the unit as a remote control for compatible Media Player, Desktop, or Presenter. To this end you will need a Bluetooth device on the computer.

Sony Ericsson K530 is one of the models that can work with HGE-100 – an external GPS receiver, integrated into stereo headphones, a function that is typical for units of the highest class. Since it has not been released on the market yet, we were not able to test this option

Sony Ericsson K530
Stereo Handsfree HPM-61
USB Data Cable DCU-65
Standard Charger
CD with software
User Guide