BenQ-Siemens SL91

Cancelled
26th July 2006

The latest in a long line of Siemens designed sliders, the BenQ-Siemens SL91 is more than just another sliding phone - it's one of the leaders in it's class and it shows just how much progress the BenQ-Siemens partnership has made.

No.. we haven't been paid off by BenQ-Siemens.. we really think this is an appealing handset. Don't forget, BenQ-Siemens is also capable of making some pretty awful devices such as the ghastly A38 too.. but we like to give credit where it's due.

Perhaps it's not the most original phone we've ever seen - in part it draws inspiration from previous Siemens sliders, which go all the way back to the Siemens SL10, including the classic SL55. But the BenQ-Siemens SL91 is also influenced by the LG Chocolate with touch sensitive controls next to the main navigation pad. But it's not just a hybrid, the SL91 brings in some new features too.

The BenQ-Siemens SL91 is a 3G phone with a 3.2 megapixel digital camera, a 2.0" 320x240 pixel display in 16.7 million colours, microSD memory (with 64Mb internal memory), Bluetooth, an MP3/AAC player, email client and web browser and an RDS stereo FM radio. It has video calling, and the secondary camera in concealed in the keypad just about the "1" key.

The front of the phone is designed to look like glass (so presumably it's actually plastic). It's a very smooth design on the front, and the external control keys use something called a "Force Sensitive Resistor", so the respond to being pressed rather than just heat (a limitation with some other phones).

The SL91 is a tri-band 900/1800/1900 GSM phone with UMTS 2100 and GPRS. It weighs 109 grams, which isn't bad for a 3G phone and measures 98x47x23mm. On UMTS the talktime is about 3.5 hours with up to 10 days standby time.

Included in the standard package is a "shell", which is essentially a docking station that charges the phone and allows you to synchronise with a PC. The shell also has built-in speakers and illumination effects. It's quite a snazzy looking this, if perhaps a bit over the top.

Not everyone will like the BenQ-Siemens SL91, but it's an attractive combination of style and technical features. BenQ-Siemens say that the SL91 should be available in Europe during Q4 2006.

 Subscribe to our newsletter for more news on upcoming releases