Both S500 and W580 share the same size and form factor with acute similarity in functions. Sony Ericsson S500 measures 99 x 47 x 14 mm when closed and weighs 94 g. The handset is a pleasure to hold and operate. Sony Ericsson has put an extra effort to set this device apart by offering unusual color combinations and visual patterns. The Different colour combinations are Mysterious Green variety with a silver-framed black body and a green keypad, combination of gold and white in spring yellow for the handset, contrasted Copper and Ice Purple .

The phone is entirely made of plastic and is very solid. The rim of the navigation key provides a comfortable pushing point to slide the handset open. The D-pad is dominated by the four-directional navigation control with a press function. Exactly as in W580, beneath the confirming center of the navigation key is the loudspeaker. The navigation control is surrounded by 6 other keys: the back key, clear key, Internet key the Activity menu key, and the two silver selection keys. The keypad legends are illuminated in intensive white, save for the navigation key, which is green

The display is the same as in W580, of course. It offers QVGA resolution and 256K colors. Given its small size (31 x 41 mm) the image is especially fine and detailed. Colors are so deep, that they look almost unnatural. S500 has a 2-megapixel camera, providing maximum resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels. The image quality won’t surprise, but won’t disappoint either. The camera would’ve definitely been better with a LED flash and autofocus, none of these is available unfortunately. Setup options are extensive as usual, including night mode, white balance, panoramic pictures, and user-configurable exposure compensation. One thing that hasn’t changed is the video resolution. Videos are recorded in 3GP format, with resolution at the mere 176 x 144 pixels.

To conclude, Sony Ericsson S500 is a mid-range slider of slim design and daring exterior, which offers very standard, not to say unoriginal, functionality. The S500 will easily appeal to the senses, but the Walkman W580 could well be the more reasonable option. The S500 will easily appeal to the senses, but the Walkman W580 could well be the more reasonable option due to the very fact that S500 lacks FM radio, fitness application, superior headset, and a 512-MB memory card.