The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini debuted way back in February, but the Japanese-Swedish phone peddler has only just managed to get the tiny, tiny device on sale. Android’s not been a huge hit on small screens so far, but has the company’s software skin solved those problems? Read on and find out in our full Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini review.
Read the rest of our Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini review
Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini review: Android 1.6 downsized
Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini review: Micro size, build and screen
Just when you thought Android phones couldn’t get any smaller than the 2.8-inch HTC Tattoo, along comes the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini. We’ve seen “Mini” versions of phones in the past, but there’s no preparing for just how small the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini is. It’s not especially thin, but it’s so shockingly short (8.3cm) that it really will make you pat your pockets down to check a vital part hasn’t fallen off. And despite this, Sony Ericsson has managed to craft an impressively usable smartphone experience – though one that’s perhaps too powerful for its speed and screen size to require.
The name is almost a bit misleading, as though the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini is small, it’s no pure port of the UX skin on the 4-inch Xperia X10. It uses the same Timescape contacts software, and runs the same Android 1.6 core OS underneath but that’s where the similarities end. Sony Ericsson’s completely remodeled it to fit the tiny 2.55-inch screen size, introducing useful UI elements like corner pockets on the screen for opening important apps, and making drastic but necessary decisions like limiting one widget per homescreen, and cutting out the full QWERTY keyboard in favour of a highly intelligent 0-9 numberpad.
You can read more about the Android skin in the in depth section of our Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini review, but it works a treat, so long as you’re prepared to accept the slower typing speed. Timescape hoovers up your contacts in a finger friendly way, and even though the version of Android it’s running is far out of date (Googe’s powered ahead to 2.2), version 1.6 isn’t as much of a dealbreaker here as it is on the larger X10. Google Maps Navigation still works (though you will need a magnifying glass), and most apps have QVGA resolution support and will open fine on the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini. And above all, it’s really fast. We’ve seen no sign of slowdown while happily multitasking away, and the battery life is good for a day and half, even with the Wi-Fi on.
There’s no avoiding the size though. While Android will let you circumvent some of the issues with superb voice search (Which does work with British accents for queries, rest assured, if not dictating emails), it’s a very unpleasant size to read web pages, and the browser renders them rather poorly too. Combined with the 0-9 keyboard, this really is a phone for those who want a stylish device for a handbag and a bit of social networking banter. If you want speed and power, go get a Dell Streak.
But even for this target audience, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini leaves us scratching our heads a bit. If you really do want a phone just to pop in your handbag, with no QWERTY keyboard, it’s a shame you have to pay on contract over as long as two years for all the horsepower you might not really need. We’re certainly not saying the too cheap T-Mobile Pulse Mini is the better option, but Sony Ericsson could have whittled a few specs out (The rather splendid camera for instance), and even dare we say it, slowed the system down to get it onto lower tariffs.
Or it could just stick on a physical QWERTY keyboard, which is precisely what it has done with the upcoming Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro. That should more than sate anyone who wants a true pocket messaging phone, so we suggest holding off until then unless you’re absolutely sure you can cope with typing at slower speeds.
Review sample supplied by Mobiles.co.uk
Read the rest of our Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini review
Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini review: Android 1.6 downsized
Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini review: Micro size, build and screen
