Very few setting and control adjustments are possible in what is, effectively, a basic snap and send cameraphone; users are unlikely to be showing off the limited quality snaps of which this camera is capable.

You don't have to worry about poor quality video capture though – as there is no video shooting capability on this phone. The T303 is also shorn of the auto blog imaging upload features that's now pretty much standard issue on most Sony Ericsson handsets.

Limited memory

Although there is a music player, the lack of onboard memory – and no expandable memory – rather negates the point of having the music software there.

At a stretch you might get a few short music tracks into the 8MB of memory, but it's not equipped for any serious music playing. If you want to listen to tunes, then Sony Ericsson's budget Walkman range are much more likely to deliver what you want for only a little more cash.

As it happens, entry-level earphones are supplied and music playback quality is OK, but if you're in to music you'll probably be making more use of the FM radio. This works nicely, and does its low-key entertainment job perfectly well. Although you have to plug in the earphones to act as an antenna, it can also be played through the phone's loudspeaker.

Clever features

Among the additional bits and pieces of software, Sony Ericsson's clever TrackID song identification application is included.

A WAP 2.0 XHTML browser is onboard too for basic mobile internet action using the phone's GPRS-speed data connectivity. The T303's organiser functionality gives a decent account of itself with staples such as calendar, tasks, notes, timer, stopwatch, alarm and calculator.

A voice memo function is available too, while a couple of Java games are pre-loaded.

Decent battery life

The T303 may not be the most spectacularly endowed of handsets, but it does the basics right with a good quality, dependable voice call performance.

Battery life is pretty good too - the flip side of its lightweight specification is fewer power-hungry features to eat up the battery.

Sony Ericsson claims the battery will provide up to 9 hours talktime or up to 400 hours of standby in optimum conditions. With real life average usage we managed 3 to 4 days between charges, which should be fine for most users.

Basic handset

Its design is small and attractive for a basic entry-level phone. But with a token music player effort and its feeble camera, Sony Ericsson's T303 is a very limited handset, even at this price point.

It does the basic stuff fine, but smarter younger buyers are advised to look elsewhere, as there are plenty of more capable and appealing handsets – including some from Sony Ericsson – available for not much more cash.

Network availability: O2, Orange, T-Mobile

Looks: 3.5/5
Ease of use: 4.5/5
Features: 2/5
Call quality: 4/5
Value: 2.5/5