I picked up my pre-ordered Serenata last week just in time for a ski trip.

It was a great to see that the phone was happy at -15 celsius (5 fahrenheit) and even after a few knocks and bumps the casing is completely unmarked. So unlike the Serene it appears that the phone can handle being out of the house. I traded my Serene with my local B&O dealer as the glass was very badly scratched with an imprint of the dials and the hinge was in poor condition, so I didn't have the heart to sell it privately.

The Serenata doesn't have the same wow factor as the Serene, but as a phone it is easier to use and as a music player it really is superb. Once you hold the Serenata you want one - as simple as that!!

The only down side I have found so far is that hand free conversations through the phone and speaker, rather than the headphones, is really not very clear for the person on the other end of the line.

 

Thanks for your comparison danezro. I look forward to a similar review from Ed as I know he swapped his Serene for a new Serenata.

Could you explain more about your scratched screen on the Serene? I have no scratches at all on mine and it's more than a year old now. And what problems were you having with the hinge?

Hi Henry, thanks for replying to my post.

The main problem is that the dial presses against the screen when the phone is closed and any sort of pressure forces the two halves together, e.g. if you put the phone in your back pocket and sit down. There is a piece of plastic that is supposed prevent the phone being squashed. My dealer confirmed that I am not the only person to have this problem,  I sent the phone off to have the glass replaced after just a couple of months as it was extremely difficult to see the screen in strong sunlight. The hinge was just scratched and no longer shiny from everyday use. I treated the phone as I would any mobile phone so it was subjected to normal wear and tear.
 

 

I used to look after my cell phone as you do, but since I have had my Serene I have taken good care of it. I don't think many flip phones can endure heavy wear and tear for much longer than a year as the hinge is always a great weakness to the design of such a phone. I also use a Blackberry Pearl which I don't like at all. Have munched through 3 of them this year alone.

Henry, I hope you've been sliding the little flap shut after charging, to keep dust out of the workings.

Yes I have boss!

I said the same thing to a B&O dealer recently, he arrogantly replied: if it breaks I'll just get another one.

Hmmm

Hi, di you really mean "swapped" ?. How does one go about swapping a serene (obviously includes paying the additonal amount ?. but does any dealer actually swap / trade in ?

I can't wait to get one here in Aus, it looks much more striking and glamorous to me than the Serene, and it feels more natural to hold.

Unlike Dave, I am happy to keep my Serene instead of buying a Serenata. It doesn't have such a wow factor in my opinion, perhaps with exception to the sound from the sliding speaker.

I feel the Serenata is more of an MP3 player than a cell phone. Things like texting seem more like an after thought on the Serenata as the texting operation is just ridiculous in my opinion. In short, this is why I will not be swapping my Serene for a Serenata.

When I looked at it, I thought I could sell my Serene for a few hundred and then basically pay a few hundred for an 'upgrade'

Instead I bought an iPod touch and got a whole load of other features, as well as an equally 'cool' device

This is an interesting choice Calvin. Do you miss your Serene now? And had you considered getting an iPhone instead of the iPod Touch?