Sagem has been known for its competitive offerings in the low end of the mobile market, but in the myX6-2 the French phone giant has thrust a solid handset into the mid range. The myX6-2 boasts a large and clear display, a hassle free interface and a fair list of features for a very reasonable price.

Display and Controls

The myX6-2 has a very generously sized 256k colour display screen which is undoubtedly its finest feature. The handset is larger at the top to accommodate the display and forms a slimmer profile towards the bottom. This means the shape of the unit is a little odd, but we had no problems using it. In fact, the myX6-2 cups firmly in your hand and slips easily into any pocket or bag.

The display is crisp and clear and has a surprisingly good viewing angle, even in direct sunlight. It's definitely the best we've seen on a Sagem handset to date and does a fine job of displaying multimedia such as pictures, wallpaper and video clips. The excellent myX6-2 screen is accompanied by minimal controls with only a 5-way joystick pad, two selection buttons and answer/end call keys. The rubber feel of these buttons makes them easy to press and comfortable to use, an aspect which also extends to the keypad.

Design

The myX6-2 isn't the most attractive handset on the market and the blue plastic finish on the rear does detract from its looks. The front and rear covers are interchangeable and available in Black, Red, White and Inox. Overall, our end impressions were that of a well built and solid handset. In saying this, we would have liked to have seen some more attractive colour schemes. In particular, the silver and white edging on the sides of the phone don't seem to match. Sagem has kept it simple with the buttons on the side of the unit as well with a small dedicated camera button and volume controls on the left hand side.

User Interface

The myX6-2 uses a 4 x 3 grid layout with animated icons representing each menu. This is similar to the Sony Ericsson menu system and is very easy to use. Selecting a menu brings up a simple list view, which you scroll through using the navigational pad. Overall, the menu system is straightforward and even those who have never used a mobile handset before shouldn't have any problems. Our only complaint is the speed; at various times during navigation the myX6-2 interface struggled to keep up with quick keypad presses.

Features

The myX6-2 includes a very basic MP3 player (also supporting WAV and AAC files) with no equaliser settings or playlists. Only shuffle, continuous and one by one options are offered. Unfortunately you'll have to use the included proprietary headphones, as there is no standard 3.5mm headphone jack. Sagem has ensured you can store plenty of music on the handset by integrating a micro SD card slot, allowing users to extend their storage capacity up to 256MB. Located underneath the front of the keypad though, it's difficult to quickly access. In addition, the myX6-2 has 10MB of internal non-removable memory.

Sagem has included a 1.3 megapixel camera (that is also capable of recording video) with an impressive 8x digital zoom. The images we uploaded weren't the greatest, but for a camera phone, we didn't have too many complaints. The camera struggles with colour reproduction and there is notable image noise, but the images produced scored well in terms of sharpness. For the odd happy snapper, it will definitely do the job.

Other features include WAP 2.0, Java, support for SMS, MMS and email messaging with T9 predictive text input and a range of PIM functions including Calendar, Alarm, Timer, Calculator and a To Do list. The Calendar is impressive as it allows viewing from a range of different settings; by month, week and day for example. You are then able to add written or vocal messages into any particular date.

The myX6-2 possesses an above average battery life, which tops off a pretty good package. 350 hours of standby time and four hours and 15 minutes of talk time ensures you won't have to charge the handset very often. In fact, we managed to get almost four days out of the myX6-2 - very impressive.