Sagem my721X "So Ice"

Discontinued 
25th May 2008

Sagem have been making some pretty decent low cost handsets lately, and hope to move a little upmarket with the ultra-slim 3.2 megapixel Sagem my721X which will be sold in some markets as the "So Ice".

With the "So Ice", Sagem have attempted to create a fashion phone with a good quality camera, while keeping the price under control. But a close examination of just what Sagem is offering indicates that the my721X may not be as attractive as it first seems.

Bear in mind that the my721X is currently available in France for around €200, which pitches it directly against a number of midrange phones. One of these competing handsets is the Sony Ericsson K770i, and it is clear that the Sagem loses out badly when it comes to technical capabilities compared to this key rival, but we'll look at this in more depth in a moment.

The Sagem my721X "So Ice" is an attractive handset weighing just 90 grams, it is only 9.8mm thick and yet it includes a multimedia player, FM radio, microSD expandable memory, Bluetooth, a 2" display and a 3.2 megapixel camera.

But compared with the similarly price K770i, the my721X looks a little modest. Most rival handsets to the Sagem have a 240 x 320 pixel display, much sharper than the my721's 176 x 220 pixel panel. The K770i's camera has autofocus and a flash, the my721X does not. The Sony Ericsson is a 3G phone, the Sagem is not. And although the Sony Ericsson is quite a bit thicker at 14.5mm, it weighs only a fraction more at 95 grams.

If you love the looks of the Sagem my721X, then you probably won't care too much about technical features, but our opinion is that the "So Ice" does not offer very good value for money when compared with some of the competition. If the price drops below the €150 level then we think that would be more appropriate for this type of device.

The my721X is available in France and certain other countries right now, and should be coming to the UK during the summer.