Review: Problems with Sony Ericsson W890i
This is what my views are on the Sony Ericsson W890i by reader Tara: I have always liked the Nokia mobile phones and how easy they are to use but I thought it was time for a change and I liked the idea of a Walkman built into my mobile so I went for the Sony Ericson W890i.
It looks great and has easy push buttons none of this touchscreen technology.
One of the features I really liked on this phone was the photos (images) and the fact that I could add frames and change the effect etc.
Anyway I’ve only had the phone for 5 months and it has really started to get on my nerves, I could be on the phone or in the middle of a text message and the phone will just vibrate once then the screen turns black and a little red light which is on the back next to the Ericsson logo comes on, then there is nothing you can do other than take the battery out and put it back in again then restart the phone. As you can imagine this is very frustrating especially when it does this at least once a day.
Too make things worse the signal is horrific, I try and make a call and all it says is emergency calls only! One thing I will say is Nokia Phones are much more reliable and just as good so from now on I will stick with the trusty Nokia.
Just want to thank Tara for her insight into the Sony Ericsson W890i.
Comments
105 thoughts on “Review: Problems with Sony Ericsson W890i”
What a load of cobblers, typical nokia goon. W890i is cracking phone ya muppet.
I wonder if you still think your W890i is still a good phone,i never knew even one that didn't keep switching off.
@Mark – perhaps you shouldnt be so quick to call people goons. I have an W890i and have exactly the same symptons as Tara, i am on the latest firmware and it just randomly goes black and switches off/reboots.
The signal is pretty poor too and often i dont get texts/voicemails until i make a call and kick it intgo life.
The W890i really is rubbish!! mine randomly switches its self off, and needs the battery removing to kick start it back into action (like above)- i havent had too much of a signal issue but within the last week the ringtone/message/alarm tone has stoped working all together – and no its not on silent – the crazy thing is the walkman speaker still works so i have no idea whats wrong with it!! and i still have to live with this terrible mistake for 6 months!!
Exactly the same issue as Gemma has I’ve got with mine. Ringtone, Message Tone and alarm have just stopped. Music still plays. Tried a master reset. Tried flashing the latest firmware (again – 6th time it’s been flashed now over the past few months) and still nothing.
If you got this phone from your mobile provider take it into one of their shops or give them a ring. The phone will be under warranty and they have to repair it for you because of this.
W890i? A complete piece of junk – it locks on me as well and now the SE Update software no longer recognises so I can’t get firmware updates on it.
I’ve had it a year but it’s just getting worse (replacements don’t improve things). It won’t last till the end of the contract so I’m going to buy a noddy replacement then get something decent on non-SE…
I’ve had mine for just over a year now and I have had it cash a few times and reboot but it’s not continuous and it’s not a problem. I never turn my phone off, it’s swtiched on 24hrs per day so bound to have a couple problems
I don’t have the same problems with my w890i and am very pleased with it. Had it for about a year with none of the symptoms mentioned above. Lovely to use, although I agree the reception could be improved. Perhaps I just got lucky? For those waiting to call me a SE lackey – this is my first SE phone 🙂
There is obviously a known problem with this phone as mine does exactly the same thing, switches itself off, although mine does turn itself back on. Sometimes it does it randomly on it’s own when it’s sat on my bed side table, it will vibrate and off it goes. Sometimes it will be in the middle of a text message too, which is very annoying. Somtimes it does it just the once, sometimes it has a huge fit and goes on and off over and over again.
I had the exact same problem with my old make of this phone aswell and thought by upgrading they may of fixed the problem with the new model.
I also have rubbish signal too but I put this down the the orange network not the phone, but it is interesting that others are having this problem too, maybe it is the phone.
I rang orange yesterday as I have put up with this problem for 6 months and they are sending me a new phone today, which i’m sure will end up doing the same thing. If I have to send it back 3 times, I think I am entitled to a new model of phone all together, so I advise you to send your phones back. You shouldn’t have to put up with a broken phone with an 18 month contract.
As with a lot of you, my phone has appalling signal and does the random crash thing. I have an old SE phone which works fine so it’s not the network, it’s the darn phone
I must be a goon too. The phone crashes frequently, signal is dreadful and (the reason I bought it) the walkman has a mind of it’s own. I put albums on and they disappear. they are on the memory stick put the phone can’t find them.
Same problems as people above. My phone just decides from time to time to switch itself off. The problem seems to be getting worse as it will do it two or three times, then just shut down completly with that little red light on the back on permanently until I pull the battery. Tried phoning my network provider and they told me to contact SE. SE told me to speak to network provider. It so frustrating. I have 2 and a half months left with this garbage until I can upgrade. This phone was my 3rd SE phone and I can say now that I will never have another one after this shambles of a phone.
Got this one for a year, frequent problems like above, crap reception, random switching off, plus it would send busy signal ocasionaly when you press green button to pick up a call, which all is extremly annoying. Went to repairs two times, software flashed many times, still same except no random switching off, it restarts instead. Nice as a toy, useless as a phone.
i am so fed up with my w890i.. mine vibrates&switches off at least three times a day now and when it does come back on it tells me i have an inactive sim! to make things worse one of the clasps on the side has broke so one side isn’t secured on! i am not a happy customer!
I also have a w890i and it does exactly the same. I have some friends who have it aswell, and they have problems with it too!
Sometimes I can’t read and send text messengers, someone who have that problem too with w890i, or is it just me?
I have had the w890i since Xmas and for thepast couple of months its been switching itself off randomly, now more frequently and in the middle of text messages or phone calls! bad reception and that darn little red light at the back lights up and phone vibrates…. have to take the battery out and restart but then it would still do it again! sooo soo annoying because its happening up to 3-4 times a day now too! same as natalie above ^ inactive sim….. the lot! 🙁 grr
I’ve had mine just over 12 months and it has turned into a piece of s*%t. When I got it, it was incredible but now it has no sound for incoming calls/messages/alarms. I reset it and got the latest updates but it is still crap. Luckily I can upgrade now. Problem is there are no great phones that are as slim, light, and with great music players like this one. AAARGHGHG!
The W890i is awful. Like everyone else it switches off and takes a while to log back on. I’d hate it if I was making an emergency phone call and it cut out.
I will never get a sony ericsson again with these types of problems.
I have had the W890i for over a year and replaced it now with a Samsung Classico. It was defiantly the worst phone I ever owned in terms of signal quality, I would signal would go during calls, would constantly see the ‘Emergency Calls Only’ on screen. I never started off that bad but it defiantly got worse the longer I owned it. It would crash and reset on me sometimes but It wasn’t constant although I guess its possible it was doing it without me noticing. The music player was good at first, but then it seemed determined to play songs that were no longer on the memory card causing it to just repeat the previous song. Tried Firmware updates but no better. This had the potential to be a great Phone/Music player but there were just some major faults that let it down. I really doubt I will get another SE again after this (The girlfriend had some major problems with the W580 as well) which is a shame because Sony Ericsson used to be soo good.
Interstingly I herd that the Brown version of this phone didn’t have the poor signal issue. I owned the silver version.
I still have a soft spot for this phone as the Hardward is so nicely built and the metal body makes the phone feel very solid in the hand.
Out of 10 this phone would get a 3 from me.
Yup, reboots when it feels like it, reception has got steadily worse, and now today I’ve lost the sound for the ring and the alarm, but if ever i wanted it (does anyone?) i can have tone or annoying clicky sound whenever i hit a button. Joy.
i have read all the comments and it look as though every1 is having problems with the w890i.
the buttons on mine stick and it switches its self off all the time and also freezers could anyone help me to find a reason to this, or am i better off taking it back to the shop?
thanks
kelly x
Here is the deal..all of the above problems with the W890i are FACTS because I and all of the others have acknowledged them. It´s not rocket phone science, the W890i should not have been release by Sony. Sony must have been aware of these inconveniences hoping that customers wouldn´t complain TOO MUCH, giving them time to release the new version. The W890i is a very cool phone with cooler functions but I think the iphone F(ed) the cell phone market up. Caught em sleepin so to speak. It´s all about Music and Phones! Music makes you feel good and when you feel good you want to chat right. holla! one
Actually I have seen my mobile , and my friends’ also …. Who ever has bought Sony Ericssion has got prob within 3 month of purchase.. In my case , it was just 1 wk.. In short Sont Ericssion is not at all reliable .. Its time to go back to good Old Nokia 🙂
Exactly the same problem with my SE W890i. Small vibration followed by red light and only way to restart is remove the battery. Then when switching back on the red light reappears for 10 seconds before it decides to turn on. Mine has also decided to sometimes switch on directly into flight mode and today has been unable to stay on without redlighting for more than 10 minutes. Very annoying. But we’re not alone, my wife has the W910i and hers does the same, its a shame because its the 4 th sony I’ve had and the rest have been great.
My W890i goes black and restart when i use it much, like sms. When i make a call for 5 hours it do not Restart. I have sent over 150 sms this day and it’s has restarted over 8 times !!!!!!!!!!! that’s enoying! when it has restarted i have to go to the meny and then go back to get MY background image back and when it’s restart it change the theme to walkman. another thing that get on my nervs is that sometimes my phone can’t read the memory card! it’s just stop work. When this happends i have to open my phone and the pull the damn card out and then put it back in again… that’s enoying… and if i try to update it by the computer nothing happends!!!! I sat over 1 hour and pressed the damn C button!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
actually this is my first mobile.. I know ppl that have sony ericssons and they had NEVER EVER had any problems!…. what’s wrong with the W890i? I suggest that sony ericsson stop produce this model and replace it with a new model that’s look the same but has and hard/soft-ware upgrade! They could call it Sony ericcson Walkman 890ie or something….
what a total waste of space this phone is one min you are texting and it freezes on you, next it vibrates and switches its self off, sometimes it vibrates once and then reboots itself, and it starts searching and then all you get is inactive sim or emergency calls only !!!
needs a good kick round the floor wish i had never clapped eyes on it !!!
Me too!! HURRAH – I thought I was the only one!! Clearly there is a massive design flaw in this phone and I’m contacting SE now to see what can be done about it… I’ve had it for 12months on an 18month contract and Vodafone don’t care in the slightest (tw*ts).
I hope SE will be more helpful. Shame. I’ve always had SEs and this is the first rubbish one!!
…right… I spoke to vodafone (20min in a queue)who said I needed to speak to SE diect…
So I spoke to SE who were very helpful indeed!
Got a freepost address to send it back and everything. However, I need to send proof of purchase with the phone which I don’t have anymore cos it was so long ago… So I phoned vodafone back again (sat in another queue) only to be told that they couldn’t give it to me… Great!
THEN they turned around and said that actually, they CAN repair it!! So am now waiting for a prepaid envelope to arrive in the post and I can apparently walk into a vodafone shop and ask for a temporary phone while it’s being repaired… Luckily I still have my old SE so I’ll just use that instead for a couple of weeks…
I have the brown version of the phone and luckily i have had no problems with the signal or the tones. However the restarting thing has become a bit of a problem. Does anyone know a way to prevent it without taking it bacK?
This is a crappy phone. Restarts very often. Sometimes. If it feels like it… If I am not hammering it into the wall or giving it a bath in the ocean… SE told me to update it. Update software does not work with my phone. Tested with 2 computers. Now I have sent it for repair. I hope I’ll never see it again – the software will probably be updated now, but I really don’t think that it will work. Why should it? It never helped Win 3.1 to reinstall it. Not for long anyways.
I have had the vibration and turning off problem for about 6 months now (phone is 1 year old). to top it off, the phone started vibrating in my pocket yesterday for no reason and continues to do so even when the phone is switched off. The lower lights on the number pad also stay illuminated. As soon as I put the battery in the phone vibrates. As you can imagine, the battery does not last very long. I wanted a phone and not a vibrator…does anyone else have this problem?
i have all of the above problems, my phone switches off randomly, it vibrates by itself, lack of sound both in calls and phone ringing… i have updated the software, re flashed the phone and its still doing the same thing. the problem is that it happens out of the blue which means you cant pinpoint the problem
is there anyone out there who is on vodaphone with this phone sony erricsson w890i i would like to get a different handset but vodaphone will not replace untill the contract is up i cannot wait any longer but they will charge me a penalty of £149 to cancel the contract. this phone is absolute rubbish and not fit for purpose does anyone have any ideas ? paul
Exactly the same problem:- Mine switches itself off as well and then turns itself back on. Also it says inactice sim; and then keeps turning on and off. Help?
Once again I have the same problem as most. Random vibrating and switching off. It happened not long after I purchased the phone and now at over a year old the problems have got more frequent and more annoying. I also have very bad reception which has never been a problem prior to owning this phone and I have always used the same provider.
Surely SE should recall all W890i models as they are not fit for the purpose they are sold?! I have my mobile incase of emergencies and the chances of it switching off when I really need it are pretty high.
SonyEricsson SUCKS BIG TIME!
I’ve had the phone since sept 08. within two months it had to be serviced. and right now it’s still in the shops. IT F’ing has to stop shutting itself off. I hate it.
I’ve now sent it back 4 times and each time the rep and the technicians are ever retarded. the rep logs what is wrong with the phone, and cos it’s now the 4th time in less than 10 months, i have to coordinate with the technicians and they ask the same stupid bulls..
SOLUTION: Stop buying SONYERICSSON! I know I won’t be in future!
I am so relieved its not just me… this phone is driving me absolutely mad. Like everyone else phone switches off randomly, and the signal really is very hit and miss. I have a cheap pay as you go on 02 which works far better than this one. I have the mocha version, which looks great but to be honest a phone that looks great but doesn’t work is a complete waste of time.
Rang orange the other day slating the phone. They said a replacement would be send out but I made it clear that I wasn’t going to accept it. Instead they sent me a w910i. Seems a lot more sturdy so far but don’t want to speak to soon as its an ericsson remember.
Advise for orange customers, don’t take the 3 times same fault toss. Pipe up and they will change. Despite this I’m still turning my back on sony as it’s been a nightmare once upgrade is available!
I have the above problems too. I have spent all day today trying to send one text which is in outbox as the phone saying emergency calls only ALL DAY and i live in the middle of a city so reception is great. Phone is crap. I will be going back to nokia. DO NOT BUY THIS PHONE.
I did a google search as I was having the same problems as most people. SInce May 2008 when I got the phone I have contacted Orange on several occasions, I am now onto my 4th handset with the same problems; phone switching itself off by freezing for a few seconds, then vibrating, then the red light, then the switch off then the reboot. I have had my 4th handset since February and whilst it happened now and again, over a space of 4 days my phone had switched itself off 44 times.
Currently my girlfriend is pregnant and we’ve had a few problems of late, I really need a working phone. I explained this to girl who whilst sympathetic said I had to do a few things before they could do something about it.
She asked me to check my software version, when I read it out she explained that this was not on the list where Sony had identified it as being a problem, that said, she did believe that I was having problems with the phone. She asked me to do a Master Reset on the phone which may help. To do this make sure anything stored onto your phone is stored to the SIM or Memory Card; i.e. phone contacts./messages/pictures. Go to Settings and under General scroll down to ‘Master Reset’ then reset all. It should switch itself off and reboot within a few minutes.
I have been asked to give it 24/48 hours and see what happens then, I’ll update in due course
Since I did this 2 days ago I have not noticed another problem everything is fine. I am not saying that it wont happen again but for the moment there have been no problems- TOUCH WOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I must disagree with most. I had a se w890i. It was absolutely de best. De signal was great, only de ringtone and msg alert would disappear from time to time. My phone use to be on all de time. I had it for over 7months till some whacked person stole it
Yep had this phone 6 months and it turns off at random intervals. It now won’t ring out loud (no its not in silent mode or profile). Sent mine off to o2 for repair but they said it has signs of water damage so warranty void!! now i’m stuck with it for the next 12 months. Love the functions it does (did) but there is obviously a massive problem, my sister and frind both have the random turning off thing on theres also
I’ve had the misfortune to have one of these and mine also does the vibrate/lockup thing.
It seems to be an unhandled error when the signal goes during text operations. My firmware is bang up to date and yet it still happens.
It’s my first SE and it will definitely be my last. The W890i is doing Sony’s reputation no good whatsoever.
Thank god my O2 contract is up for renewal shortly!
same as above, its the brown phone, yeah it goes on and off but sh*t happens, its still a top phone that holds about 350 songs, who needs an i-pod.
plus i have a big cock – great
Exactly same problem as above, anyone no if orange replace them if your on contract?? i haven’t had a problem with a sony-ericsson until this one really feel let down by it, offered it as an alternative to samsung tocco as i wouldn’t need to change memory card so i took it, now regretting it big time!!!
I definitely do not recommend this phone. It constantly tunrs itself off mid-conversation, it has terrible reception and the makers advise complicated remedies that don;t work – a nightmare of a phone! I won’t be going for a sony ericsson next time!
Im with vodafone can not get signal any where it switches its self on and off and sometimes i cant get it back on unless i remove the battery and leave it out for a few mins. recently has been switchin off and overheatin and smell like somthin is burning so i havent put my mem card or sim card back init its all out taken apart sittin on the side
I had my phone software updated via the dealer. It ‘only’ took 3 weeks. Cool. 🙂
First thing I did was to change the theme. And a few hours later it restarted again.
Now I have selected the Clarity theme which is default on the phone and is located in phone memory and not on the external memory card. It seems that my phone has not restarted since (4-5 days).
Can anyone confirm or rebut this possible ‘work around’?
A former beloved fan of Ericsson have the same problem. No workarounds have ever worked. Sometimes it reboots 4 times in a row.
I have had the same problems with the crashing and switching off, crap reception/signal and have tolerated the take the battery out fix as I’m on a 18m contract (never again!)
Yesterday it crashed, the battery was pretty low and I think it just ran out of juice, has happened plenty of times before, but… and now it won’t charge up or switch on! When I put it in to charge, the red light comes on next to the button to take pictures. Has anyone experienced this and know how to fix it? I’ve tried the not so trusty battery out fix, sim out, pressed all combinations of buttons and no success.
The phone is rubbish. SE? such excrement
I have previously had the K800i which was an awesome phone, however when I upgraded I thought I would get a walkman phone as I had heard they are amazing, so I tried the w890i, had it repaired twice due to bad signal, turns out I have to have it on GSM rather than 3G signal as our areas 3g signal is rubbish (doesnt say that on T-Mob website….) but I too have had the flashy red light thing and then freezes and I have to take the battery out, not usually a big issue but today I am listening to my walkman while working and its done it 3 TIMES in the last ten mins!
I have had my phone for less than two months and it is constantly turning itself off and then switches itself back on again. I went back to Argos and they have said that they ar going to haveto send it away. I rang Sony Ericsson and they suggested I update my software…if that doesnt work I have got to send it off this will mean that I will have to buy another phone to use in the mean time grrrr!
I have always had Sony Ericssons and I have never had problems with them before.
Has anyone else updated the software and had the problem resolved?
I have never come across a phone that has driven me to tears, until this one. I got this phone for Christmas 08, and loved it because of the georgous mocha colour and good walkman. However i came to realise looks werent everything when, like the entire above, it vibrated once, the red light came on, and it went blank, however, i didnt need to take my battery out as it would come back on after a minute or so (just with my background missing.) This started becoming a frequent problem when it happened every 30 seconds. I couldnt send texts or phone people, which is highly annoying when i want to meet my friends! I got told by 02 to do a master reset, which worked wonders. HOWEVER, a few months on, im sitting here and i cant even bloody switch the thing on, it goes onto my homepage and then swtiches back off! I really dont know what to do anymore, as it was bought online and i cant live without a phone. NEVER AGAIN, will i buy a sony ericcson, ill be better off with a pen and bloody paper.
Same problem as everyone else with the phone shutting off randomly, vibrating then red-lighting.
Seems to work fine for a week or so, adn will then have a hissy fit for a day.
Another problem I’ve had is a huge amount of slowdown. When I get a text it’s fine if I go straight into it, but if I press the back button, it’ll hang for upto 10 seconds before doing anything.
1 month to go on my 18 month contract,5 phones later,come tommorow from 9-1.perhaps i should count myself lucky they said not to worry about the 15 pound admin charge like last time.what a sucker!anyway nice phone when it works and you don’t have to start it 40 times a day.(no joke!)
Wow – I thought my SE 890i was bad, I had no idea how wide-spread this problem was – SE PLEASE take notice – you are loosing custom big time. Exactly the same problems as above. I bought it (for £300) from Vodaphone over a year ago, but it is completely un-usable due to poor signal quality almost everywhere (even right next to a booster in the Vodaphone shop!). After failing to get satisfaction from Vodaphone I quit my contract and was going to reconnect my SE to O2. But after reading these other experiances, I think I need a completely new phone.
arhhrrr… not the only one, keep getting that red eye on the back of the phone , so frustrating!
now it wont send my txt messages …..everyone thinks i am ignoring them :^0
glad have found this forum as now n know not alone!
I’ve had mine a few months now. Was given to me by a friend who grabbed an Iphone. Apart from the crashing and crap mentioned above, I’m surprised nobody has mentioned how bad the audio sounds. When I speak to people I barley recognize them compared to my old 880i. The sound is terrible. My 880i was an awesome phone, way better sound and no problems, outlasted the 2 year contract. Save yourself the cash and grab an 880i instead, otherwise spend more and grab a w902, I’m buying one today. The 890 is going in the bin. I don’t know anyone I hate enough to sell it to.
It’s the worst phone ever. The auto switch off/red light/battery removal required problem is an embarrassment for Sony Ericsson. DON’T BUY IT. Bring on the iphone.
I have just updated the firmware from the orange one to the latest SE one (it was easy to do with the original cable), and the phone is much more stable, no crashes, etc, still very slow sometimes though.
NEVER EVER SE AGAIM 🙂
I have just received my sixth handset of se w890i lets see if this one works. On speaking with orange they told me there error codes they use are not the same even though the problems are which is turning its self off. To get a DMR which is a different handset there need to have the same code 3 times but orange dont do that even if it is the same problem. So if your phone switches off on its own tell them that and make sure they put this code in FW103 then you might get somewhere.
hope this helps
I’ve had the exact same problem. Have been using his for a year and a half. Worked fine the first 6 months and since then the “redlighting” started every other week. Most annoying, esp when I’m in the middle of a call/text.
I’ve been a SE loyalist for a long time now and I can bring myself to change it but this has got to be one of the most mediocre models SE has ever produced, which is such a shame as SE has been a pioneer in creating the music phone market.
i got struck with the same problem. suddenly it turns off with one vibration..it is horrible when urgent call is going on…can any body plz tell me how to deal with this problem.
SIGH. It is proven that most w890i phone user have similar problems. I too am a victim, but I love it so much that I can’t get rid of it. It is annoying when I try texting and it lags and then when I receive something..or try to send something it will just shut off and restart (thank God the restart takes likea few seconds)
Now, it started not to vibrate as much either..
bU ti really like this phone..it has all the functions i ever wanted in a phone..the only problem is everything that I stated above.. :[
Does any one know how to transfer pictures from the phone memory to the memory card??
thanks..
myself and my husband have this phone and we have the exact same problem, vibrates, turns off and the dreaded red light on the back.
i went in to 3 where we got the phones and asked if we might have missed a recall on them or something, the most rude unhelpful man there told me no and that his mate had one and that his was fine…. oh well then… if his mates is fine, must just be my imagination! thats 3 customer service for you!
after reading all these comments im definately going back.
I’ve got the same problems as everyone else. Black screen, with red light, poor signal and no text/ring/alarm tones. It sucks, cause I really love my phone, but I’m going to need a new one, cause it happens at least once a day now, and it’s getting really annoying :/
Hi i also have problems with my W890i,Such as switching itself off,Red light, Freezing,A bit annoying as i havent had it long and i really like it,
For the people on this thread who cant even switch your phone on,Download Sony Ericsson Pc Suite,And there is an option in the menus once you have installed the program saying Phone Repair,I think it only works when you phone isnt functioning anymore,So you cant even turn it on etc, When it asks you to hold down the C button,Instead hold down the 2 and 5 button 2gether while putting the data cable in,That works better and will go through the setup.
Hope this helps 🙂
I’ve had same problems with mine only it won’t switch on AT ALL now. Even when fully charged. 🙁 bastards
same problem here..pretty annoying when you want to text somebody immediately back!!! my W810 was waaaay better than this phone i have for 2 months now…
and thinking of making a drastic change in my phone choice….had a W960i before the W890 and that was also a disaster as the screen just wouldnt react to any command and its was so slow it was getting on my nerves…
is SE just dont giving a KCUF? or is this a problem of massproduction hardware/software…? Or just lack of production time/investements in a solid product that should work at is should from day 1…
Shame on SE to leave everybody with such a widely known problem…
I have all the same problems. My phone was repaired 3 times, and after that they gave me a new w890i.
The same day i had problems. I couldn’t send a text message because there was no signal. When i put my sim in another phone, there is a clear signal. So it’s the damn phone, 1 day old. Hurray.
🙁
had the same freakin problem. got fooled by its sleek metal body and slim figure. weird thing is, my room, full reception. at the living room, crap. better off selling it and put the money to buy lenses for my camera. nokia for me next time.
exactly the same problems, reboots itself all the time, very dissapointed with the phone….what can be done if anything???
I had this phone, before i got angry with it an decided to accidentally on purpose put it in the washer with my dressing gown so my husband would feel sorry for me and buy me a new one. The phone had good reception as far as i know, but it was always crashing, it happened frequently. The red light would come on, on the back of the phone, but it never seemed to switch itself back on. My point, DO NOT BUY THIS PHONE! it makes you angry and stressed! it takes ages to start back up once its crashed, and the buttons start to stick eventually!
Me too – red light/crash/poor signal. Worst bit is that the thing rings but no-one can hear me when I answer. Can’t update the phone as the upater doesn’t work. It didn’t work for the P910i I had either. Nor do the J2ME apps work. Oh – and the SE PC Suite is pretty rubbish too.
I am probably facing all of the problems that other people described above. Problems started 3 months after the purchase, I took it back to the dealer 3 times for repair-software upgrade (they kept it for a week every time). I insisted to get a replacement but they told me that I abused the phone so they cannot replace it (there is a 5mm key scratch on the front face)
I nearly believed that I am doing something wrong with the phone, I tried not to keep it in my pocket, have it fully charged, or half charged… nothing! Then I decided to google it and I saw these comments…
I will NEVER buy a SE again. I will print the comments from this site and go once more to the SE dealer and throw it in their face. Shame on them!!! They pretended that is the first time they hear about problems with this phone…and I believed them. Stupid!
i have the w890i phone aswell and its causing me nothin but problems since day 1 . i have sent it away got new software and still the same problem. Its knocked itself off today atleast 20 times and thats not an exaggeration.i.m so close 2 throwing it off a wall. sony want me 2 send it away again and shop will not return full money only face value if even and my warranty has run out , i willl continue to write emails to sony until i get my phone sorted.
Surely SE should recall this phone!
I don’t need to take the battery out though when it randomly switches off, just hold down the power button for 10 secs and the screen goes grey again, then eventually the phone starts up. Also have poor reception, though my GF has the brown version and this doesn’t affect her phone.
Anyway, I’m convinced now it will turn off randomlyone day and just not come back on, so I want to copy my contacts from phone to SIM card. Anyone know how to do this?
I’ve had mine for nearly two years, and I have to say that it still works perfectly, and it is one of the best phones in my collection of 20+, including Nokia, Samsung and Moto.
After my sister purchased this good looking phone in metallic brown with her O2 network, I thought I just have to have it, on a T mobile network so got it in chrome, nevertheless was very pleased with it, within 3 months my phone started all the problems you have ALL described here. When I asked my sister, she admitted she was having the same, we have both had our phones repaired, and after another eight trouble free weeks, it started to play up again on a daily basis, I am now due for an upgrade and I am sad to say I am now considering a Nokia even though I have been using Sony Ericssons as long as I can remember and don’t like Nokia’s as much, I just cannot bear the thought of putting up with another awful phone for 24 months!
Chris,
believe me SONY knows…don’t let them fob you off. I spent time upgrading software, it is not a software fault. I had my phone repaired and it didn’t take long to break down again. I just know I cannot trust Sony now for sorting problems out,so I would rather change brands and hope for the best!
All you guys are not seeing the larger picture, Every phone and make, as forums just like this, with unhappy customers and there phone problems. Every make of phone as at least 10% of unlucky owners, when you consider how many they manufacture for each model. It’s also a known fact that more owned contract mobiles have faults than pay as u go mobiles, basically that’s why there deals are so good on contract. I own a w890i and have had not one problem with it, where as my partner owns a contract iphone and as more problems with it than i can recall, guess she’s one of the unlucky 10%. Basically theres always gonna be unlucky owners with any phone!!!!!
mine works flawlessly ^^… i didn’t have a single issue with it and boy, it’s had kind of a rough time sometimes ;))
great phone!
Got to jump on the band waggon here.. Had my w890i for about 10 months now and cannot upgrade for another 7 months which is really annoying as this phone is driving me mad..!!!!! This can happen at least once a day up to as many as 6 times a day – very frustrating esp when in the middle of writing a text or on a call. A friend has one and he calls his “The Phone Of Death” as his does it all the time too… I have always had Sony phones and have been really pleased, but might have to check out Nokia after this great disappointment. 🙁
very annoying phone keeps switching off, i`ve got another11 months with this rubbish.
i have the mocha version, and have all the problems that every one else has, switching off, red light blank screen.
SE are bound to know about this problem and are burying their head in the sand.
i however have another problem now, i cannot hear anything whenever i make or receive a call, i have already sent the phone to the manfacturer for repair once and now the will not answer my emails or phone calls.
i will never nuy another SE of any type again
My sister and I each has one of the SE W890i and both of us have had the same problem mentioned above i.e the phone would just vibrate and switch itself off for no reasons. We both face this problem from the very beginning we got this phone. And recently mine stop sounding alarm and ringtone and the speakerphone stop working but the bizarre thing is that the walkman speaker\’s still working. I used to have great confidence in Sony\’s product and nowadays I shun their product whenever possible.
Having had my SE W890i for sometime I thought this issue was just MY bad luck – not so. It appears that every single phone out there has had or will have these problem issues during it’s expected lifespan. My contact expired last week and I renewed with an new phone (not SE) and as regard to lifespan I dually took the W890i placed it on my workbench and treated it to a 4lb club hammer – SONY ERICSSON be aware – your position in the league of top electrical/gadget manufacturers has vastly dropped in my opinion and I will think twice from now on when looking at your products – spread the word!!!
i had all these problems too. You can find the solution on seusers.com. I downloaded some software and files there and flashed my phone with their firmware and now it works perfectly for 5 or 6 weeks. No spontanious reboots or anything.
the W890i is not a good phone at all. After 1 month of purchasing it it started switching itself off, this is really annoying especially if your in the middle of a call and it will keep on doing this for a long time, sometimes it will shut off once other times it will say inactive sim and switch off again for at least 5 times!! I doubt i will be using SE again, better stick to nokia/samsung.
Really this w890i is a rubbish!! I experienced a different trouble that no body has faced. I can't access internet from phone.Internet settings are not saving.When I select the settings it says saved.But when I went connect using it shows that I haven't select any settings.Even I can't update this phone.whata rubbish phone!!!
Mine's finally died I think after months of random freezing, rebooting and black screening followed by numerous reboots to be told my SIM is inactive!
I've been trying for the past HOUR to update FW but this piece of crap dosen't want to obey my commands.
I'm picking up an HTC Desire on Mon so it'll be getting dsold for spares next week; goodbye SE and your inferior products, where did it all go wrong? I used to LOVE my W800i and W810i but the W580i was a heap of dirt with a poor camera.
I shall NOT return to your unreliable phones again :p
Had the same problem , but what is more frustrating is that sometimes it won't send my texts . Has anyone any comment on this . Thanks .
yeah me t00′ the W890i is not a good phone
at all.
i had a same pr0blem with y0u guys Black screen,
with red light, poor signal and
no text/ring/alarm tones. It
sucks, cause I really love my
phone I doubt i will be using
SE again, better stick to nokia/
samsung.
exact sane problems but mine also takes random pictures as well!! Bag of shit
Mine won't restart, after 25 hours of charging. the red lite always comes on
Mine does the switching off thing, then the inactive sim thing and worst of all, try to connect it to any bluetooth device, it will lock solid. recently it won't charge when the charger is plugged in, then when you disconnect it, "optimised charging" appears on the screen! Reception is much worse on o2 than the k750I I had before. Good walkman, but that's about it.
thank god i found this site – for 18 months I have put up with this phone thinking that my my house was in a poor reception area and that I have overloaded the memory stick.
The phone is shocking – wish I have researched harded when choosing it – never a sony phone again
Sorry to hear about your guy's luck my 890i rocks had it for 2 years and none of these problems have ever presented themselves. Cheers
exact same problem as tara, and it is sooo ANNOYING!! its started doing it about 3/4 times a day now, i cannot wait to get a new phone..
Same problems as above. I've had the phone for a bit less than 3 years now though. It worked perfectly the first year, it looks amazing and is light and slim. First the mp3 player started going off while i was listening to music. Then it switches itself off, with the red light and everything, and now the memory card (the one that was included with the phone) wont read (i tried it in another SE phone, didnt work as well). I guess it's about time I change it, i hate it that phones wont work for more than 2 years nowadays.
Wow — Im so glad I found this thread…I thought it was just me!
The W890i is……THE WORST!
The switching off thing is totally unbelievable – when I hear that little vibration and see the red light I just wanna scream! Everytime I send of recieve a text it turns off, reboots, then says inactive sim then goes normal again. its immensely frustrating.
I don't know how Sony ericsson has got away with it – I think the should give us all our money back for allowing an obviously bad fault to remain within this phone.
I'm stuck with this excuse for a mobile until I can afford a new one…which most definitely will NOT be a Sony ericsson model.
Mine was fantastic for the first 9-10 months and I wondered what people were on about when they kept complaining but after that time mine started to turn itself off and on.
I had mine relaced twice, once after 10 months, and again 3 weeks later because the replacement they gave me first of all was really bad. The third one also started to turn itself on and off after about 9 months.
It crashes probably about once or twice a month, and has only done it once during a call. However I'm not a phone junkie so to be honest it doesn't bother me that much and I like the phone so I've kept it.
The phone is great to take pictures with, which I find really handy so I'm keeping it for a while yet
Having the same problems with the phone switching itself off and on for no reason. Main problem then is the keys are then unlocked – result phone calls are made whilst in my pocket. Tried to do a software update but did not work until found earlier comment of holding down 5 instead of C. Turned out that I had the latest software installed any way! Sending back to SE as they say they'll look at it.
Just wanted to add my experince to the extensive list here.
Had the phone (since new) for 6 months. Worked flawlessly up until a week ago, when it stopped ringing for incoming calls, messages and alarms.
Settings are fine, have reset it numerous times, tried different profiles, different audio types. Even reflashed it.
Strange thing is that the ringtones play fine if I tell it to play them (through the File Manager), so doesn't seem to be a broken speaker. Frustrating, as design-wise I really like it.