Sagem MYX-5 Review

Overall Rating

Easy to navigate around the menu, small and easy to carry, with no aerial digging into you.

Not such a good phone if you are into more advanced features, particularly if you like customising/updating your phone, downloading ringtones, wallpapers and games and the infra-red tends not to be compatible with other brand phones (which would be fine, if everyone had a Sagem)

The Sagem MY X-5 mobile phone has been a very reliable and easy to use handset for the year and a half that I have had it. It also comes in at a good price if you hunt around for the right deal.

It has a number of features, including a very good and easy to use WAP browser, a superb menu layout (beating Nokia, once you have got used to it), vibrate alert, caluculator, currency converter, automatic network selection for when you go abroad (so you do not have to manually fiddle with the settings) and, for a small phone with an internal aerial, excellent reception.

As with all mobiles, there are certain things that could be improved. For example, the phone does have a habit of turning itself on after you have switched it off. This is because the keypad locking will only function when the phone is on, and the "on" switch is very sensitive, which means it can very easily switch itself back on in your pocket or bag. Not so good, for example on an aeroplane, where it can turn on without your knowledge, unless you remove the battery. Also, if the battery goes flat, you will have to reset the time and date every time, which becomes cumbersome.

Another point, worth bearing in mind, is if you like swapping ring tones and the like via the infra-red facility, it is unlikely you will find a compatible phone and that can become annoying because it restricts its capabilities. Also, not a good phone if you are into gaming.

General reliabilty is good and it certainly does not have as many gremlins as some of the Nokias, although it can sometimes become slow at accessing the phonebook or text messages for no apparent reason (even if the memory is relatively empty). This, fortunately, is an infrequent occurence.

For what I have needed the phone for, i.e. making/receiving calls, GPRS, alarm clock (NB the alarm clock will still sound even if the phone is on silent, so you don't have to switch the phone off overnight) and calculator, the phone has been spot on.

I will now change it, as I am looking for something with more GPRS/Internet capability, however as a reliable budget colour phone, this is one of a kind.

Members' Comments ondjc's Review

• johnell on 20th Sep 2005

  After going through the menu I still can't check my balance help please!John L

• djc on 20th Sep 2005

  How to do this will depend - are you on contract or pay as you go? What network is the phone registered to?