Digital imaging is another strength of the W995a, although the first thing I noticed about the camera was that it lacked a lens cap. This omission is unfortunate, since the camera is such an integral part of the phone's appeal, packed as it is with advanced features. Besides the 8.1-megapixel lens, the camera features an LED flash, a 16X digital zoom (as mentioned, you control it with the volume rocker), a self-timer, a macro setting, four white-balance options, brightness controls, spot metering, and an image stabilizer. You can also apply your choice of four color effects, shoot in panoramic mode, take multiple shots, invoke , and shoot at night with the night mode.
Image quality was very good, with rich colors and sharp detail. Often with camera phones, outdoor shots turn out far better than indoor shots due to a weak flash. Not so with the W995a: My indoor shots had accurate colors and very little noise. One feature that didn't work so well, however, was the image stabilizer, which didn't keep images from looking fairly blurry when I jostled the camera In my informal tests.
I was pleased with the W995a's video quality as well as its still images. Certain shots had a bit of blur and image noise, but overall I thought the quality was better than that of the (video recording is one of the new features of the 3GS). You can edit your photos and videos with Photo DJ and Video DJ, respectively.
The W995a has a simple (albeit slightly gaudy) menu system that is easy to navigate. The browser is NetFront, which should be familiar to Sony Ericsson users, and is as good a browser as you can get without a robust mobile operating system like the iPhone's, Google's Android, or Palm's webOS. The built-in automatic screen rotation helps enhance Web surfing.
As for call quality, I found it somewhat unreliable when I tested this phone over . On some calls, voices sounded clear and natural, but on others, I heard a faint hiss. I also heard an echo on one call. Parties on the other end of the line said that the background noise was distracting when I stood on a busy street corner.