Sagem myC4-2

The Sagem myC4-2 is similar to the budget level myC2-3, but it adds a few extra features, including a convenient external screen and a VGA camera.

Like its counterpart, the myC4-2 is similarly compact although slightly larger - measuring just 77mm x 42mm x 23 mm and weighing a mere 75 grams. Once again, despite the size, the myC4-2's build quality is sturdy. All parts of the handset felt solid and we had no issues with the flip mechanism, which can sometimes lack stability. The myC4-2 is finished in a sleek silver and white design, but sadly still makes use of an annoying and outdated external antenna.

The myC4-2 sports a convenient external screen, useful when the phone is flipped close. The screen is a basic monochrome number, but it displays Battery life, Current Reception, Time and Date, Caller ID and Missed Call and SMS information. The myC4-2 also has a blue LED above the screen, which flashes on the receipt of incoming calls or messages. The myC2-3 lacked an external screen, so it's good to see it make an appearance on the next model up in the Sagem range. In a further improvement on the myC2-3, the myC4-2 adds a convenient volume control key on the left side of the handset.

Once again, Sagem have kept it simple with the myC4-2's controls, but they aren't as polished as the myC2-3. For starters, the keypad is excessively large for no apparent reason. In particular, the 2, 5, 8 and 0 keys seem wide enough for almost two fingers, while the rest of the keys are smaller and squashed towards the edge of the unit. We're not sure why Sagem has decided to do this and we don't particularly like it. The rest of the controls are fairly straightforward - a 4-way navigation button surrounded by Answer and End Call keys and two selection keys.

The myC4-2's screen has been improved to 65k colour, but it still isn't the best quality, especially when using it as the camera viewfinder. At 128 x 128 pixels, the display is also on the small side, so don't expect to use the phone as a multimedia viewer - pictures and photos are clearly not meant for the myC4-2. Still, the phone does include a VGA camera, but the quality is abysmal. The photos we uploaded to our PC were blurred and lacking in detail. The camera is included purely as a novelty, so don't expect to get all happy snappy, as it is barely adequate for even fun photos. Sadly, the phonebook doesn't include an option to assign photos to entries, so having a photo of your friends when they call is not available on the myC4-2.

The myC4-2 menu is almost the same as the myC2-3 - animated images corresponding to the menu item in a list format. What Sagem has failed to include here is a shortcut option, usually seen by numbers corresponding to a particular menu item. This means the menu is somewhat slow to access, especially if you need to select and item in the middle of the list.

The myC4-2 also includes support for SMS and MMS messaging and comes standard with T9 predictive text input. Messaging was improved from the myC2-3, and the issues with keystroke speed have been corrected by Sagem. This means that overall, messaging was an entirely comfortable experience. Other features include, Java MIDP 2.0, WAP 2.0, polyphonic ring tones, a hands-free speakerphone, Calendar, Calculator, Currency converter and Voice memo recording functions. Our major concern was with the sound levels of the ring tones - they were not nearly loud enough and quite often we'd miss the phone ringing when it was in our pocket. Battery life is fairly average, rated at a talk-time of 3 hours and standby time of approximately 240 hours.