June 11, 2011 at 14:26First impressions of the Sony Ericsson Xperia mini 2011
Just a month ago, the announcement of a new generation of compact smartphones Sony Ericsson Xperia mini and mini pro appeared on our blog . And now they have already appeared in Russia.
Going to a demonstration of new products in the Moscow office of Sony Ericsson, I carefully read not only the press release about the new products, but also my last year’s comparative review of the previous generation of this model - Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 mini and mini pro. And what can I say after the express test of the new Minek?
They did not lose the main thing, maintaining a compact size, and at the same time acquired a lot of new properties that allow them to rightfully be called the proud word "smartphone". Full and very powerful. Only ma-ah-a-scarlet.
Yes, both models are still “mini”: the dimensions, compared with the previous generation, increased by a few millimeters - up to 88x52x16 mm and 92x53x18 mm for mini and mini pro, respectively.
The screen fit into these forms, enlarged to 3 ”diagonally, now occupies almost the entire front panel of the phone, leaving only thin frames around.
There are fewer hardware buttons - only the Home button remains, the Back and Menu are now touch-sensitive. In general, the appearance of smartphones has become stricter, clearer and more concise. The idea is clear: a small phone is not necessary for ladies. It is just for those who need a small smartphone (or do not need a big one - options are possible).
By the way, it was in connection with this model that I already recalled a joke popular only a few years ago about "the only thing men argue about - who has less."
And they are still pleasant to hold in their hands: last year I wrote that “the tactile sensations of the“ expensive ”soft matte plastic are quite up to standard ” - the new models did not change traditions in this regard: the back covers of both models are made of soft touch plastic, soft and expensive to touch. But in addition to the wow effect, this plastic has another very original practical benefit: it can “heal wounds”, which was demonstrated to me in practice - a small, intentional scratch on the back cover was rubbed with a finger in a matter of seconds. In everyday life, such “injuries” will disappear altogether imperceptibly.
Another nice feature of the Xperia mini layout is the audio jack on the bottom of the case. As practice shows, the phone is usually stuffed into the pocket “head first”, therefore, this arrangement of the connector can be considered optimal, especially for the compact model - those with narrow jeans will appreciate this especially.
And a good tradition for almost all new Xperia is that access to the memory card slot can be obtained without removing the battery, so you can now change the memory without rebooting the phone. Included with the phone is a 2 gig memory card, so that probably won't hurt.
One of the main features of the compact mini smartphone concept of the last generation mini was the ability to control it with one hand, literally with one thumb.
For this, a special “corner interface” was developed, in which the labels of the 4 most frequently used applications were located on the corners of the screen.
In the new generation, the idea got its development: now in each “corner” four “fighters” can hide - a set of icons is opened by a fan when clicking. In total, it turns out that up to 16 shortcuts can be placed on the desktop.
Together with five desktop screens and a screen resolution increased to 320x480, this radically expands the possibilities and convenience of controlling a smartphone - with the same practical, I recall, dimensions.
Needless to say, all this in the compact mini case just “flies” - after all, inside it is the same Xperia arc with its 1-GHz Qualcomm 8255 Snapdragon process and Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS
The camera is also “like big ones” - with 5 MP with autofocus , the function of "capture" the moment of a smile and a full gentlemanly set of options (8x digital zoom, autofocus, face recognition, flash, geo-marking, image stabilization and red-eye removal).
Even in the models of last year, the application of “books” was mandatory. This year, starting with mini and mini pro models, Sony Ericsson is expanding the integration of the service into the shell of its products: Facebook inside Xperia integrates the social network with the basic functions of the smartphone, providing direct access to the Facebook service from the most commonly used applications, such as the image gallery , music player, phone book and calendar. Now you can “like” the photo or track right when viewing / listening to it on the phone.
Only some discrimination of Twitter users is sad - even the client is not supposed to be a default for him, and there is nothing to talk about such deep integration. Well, and, probably, there will be those who will be saddened by the lack of deep penetration of Vkontakte :)
The most important innovation: despite the previous dimensions, the number of keys has increased - 4 buttons have been added, and now the mini pro clave has a full block of arrow keys, a layout switch button and a semicolon are now in lower case.
Unfortunately, the Russian layout still does not fit entirely - the letters X, F, Yu and Kommersant are in upper case. But this does not cause big problems. Most importantly, the keys remained as comfortable: they are the same size, still separate and convex. Printing is very convenient and, with due dexterity, it is quite possible to do it blindly - you will not miss.
The Type & Send function, which debuted on the recently introduced Xperia pro (without the mini prefix), allows you not to bother opening the application before typing a message - print and then choose where to send it - by SMS, Facebook or Twitter.
Of the differences between mini pro, you can still highlight a brighter screen, which is clearly visible in the photo in the dark:
So, let's summarize a bit of what's new in Sony Ericsson Xperia mini:
Remaining in their dimensions, both smartphones have matured considerably. Have they lost anything compared to past generations? Well, maybe the X10 prefix in the name. The dimensions remained at the level and - it is important! - price. There are no exact prices for our market yet, but it will be the most affordable smartphone presented in the Xperia lineup this year. Competitive price, adult filling and unique dimensions in its class - these twins will find their customers. Maybe you will become it? ;)
PS You can subscribe to our blog and be the first to receive news, read tests and reviews of gadgets from Sony Ericsson.
Going to a demonstration of new products in the Moscow office of Sony Ericsson, I carefully read not only the press release about the new products, but also my last year’s comparative review of the previous generation of this model - Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 mini and mini pro. And what can I say after the express test of the new Minek?
They did not lose the main thing, maintaining a compact size, and at the same time acquired a lot of new properties that allow them to rightfully be called the proud word "smartphone". Full and very powerful. Only ma-ah-a-scarlet.
Appearance and Ergonomics
Yes, both models are still “mini”: the dimensions, compared with the previous generation, increased by a few millimeters - up to 88x52x16 mm and 92x53x18 mm for mini and mini pro, respectively.
The screen fit into these forms, enlarged to 3 ”diagonally, now occupies almost the entire front panel of the phone, leaving only thin frames around.
There are fewer hardware buttons - only the Home button remains, the Back and Menu are now touch-sensitive. In general, the appearance of smartphones has become stricter, clearer and more concise. The idea is clear: a small phone is not necessary for ladies. It is just for those who need a small smartphone (or do not need a big one - options are possible).
By the way, it was in connection with this model that I already recalled a joke popular only a few years ago about "the only thing men argue about - who has less."
And they are still pleasant to hold in their hands: last year I wrote that “the tactile sensations of the“ expensive ”soft matte plastic are quite up to standard ” - the new models did not change traditions in this regard: the back covers of both models are made of soft touch plastic, soft and expensive to touch. But in addition to the wow effect, this plastic has another very original practical benefit: it can “heal wounds”, which was demonstrated to me in practice - a small, intentional scratch on the back cover was rubbed with a finger in a matter of seconds. In everyday life, such “injuries” will disappear altogether imperceptibly.
Another nice feature of the Xperia mini layout is the audio jack on the bottom of the case. As practice shows, the phone is usually stuffed into the pocket “head first”, therefore, this arrangement of the connector can be considered optimal, especially for the compact model - those with narrow jeans will appreciate this especially.
And a good tradition for almost all new Xperia is that access to the memory card slot can be obtained without removing the battery, so you can now change the memory without rebooting the phone. Included with the phone is a 2 gig memory card, so that probably won't hurt.
Interface
One of the main features of the compact mini smartphone concept of the last generation mini was the ability to control it with one hand, literally with one thumb.
For this, a special “corner interface” was developed, in which the labels of the 4 most frequently used applications were located on the corners of the screen.
In the new generation, the idea got its development: now in each “corner” four “fighters” can hide - a set of icons is opened by a fan when clicking. In total, it turns out that up to 16 shortcuts can be placed on the desktop.
Together with five desktop screens and a screen resolution increased to 320x480, this radically expands the possibilities and convenience of controlling a smartphone - with the same practical, I recall, dimensions.
Engine and camera
Needless to say, all this in the compact mini case just “flies” - after all, inside it is the same Xperia arc with its 1-GHz Qualcomm 8255 Snapdragon process and Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS
The camera is also “like big ones” - with 5 MP with autofocus , the function of "capture" the moment of a smile and a full gentlemanly set of options (8x digital zoom, autofocus, face recognition, flash, geo-marking, image stabilization and red-eye removal).
Facebook inside
Even in the models of last year, the application of “books” was mandatory. This year, starting with mini and mini pro models, Sony Ericsson is expanding the integration of the service into the shell of its products: Facebook inside Xperia integrates the social network with the basic functions of the smartphone, providing direct access to the Facebook service from the most commonly used applications, such as the image gallery , music player, phone book and calendar. Now you can “like” the photo or track right when viewing / listening to it on the phone.
Only some discrimination of Twitter users is sad - even the client is not supposed to be a default for him, and there is nothing to talk about such deep integration. Well, and, probably, there will be those who will be saddened by the lack of deep penetration of Vkontakte :)
Xperia mini pro keyboard
The most important innovation: despite the previous dimensions, the number of keys has increased - 4 buttons have been added, and now the mini pro clave has a full block of arrow keys, a layout switch button and a semicolon are now in lower case.
Unfortunately, the Russian layout still does not fit entirely - the letters X, F, Yu and Kommersant are in upper case. But this does not cause big problems. Most importantly, the keys remained as comfortable: they are the same size, still separate and convex. Printing is very convenient and, with due dexterity, it is quite possible to do it blindly - you will not miss.
The Type & Send function, which debuted on the recently introduced Xperia pro (without the mini prefix), allows you not to bother opening the application before typing a message - print and then choose where to send it - by SMS, Facebook or Twitter.
Of the differences between mini pro, you can still highlight a brighter screen, which is clearly visible in the photo in the dark:
Subtotals
So, let's summarize a bit of what's new in Sony Ericsson Xperia mini:
- The ability to record video in HD is now the smallest smartphone in the world with such features
- Familiar with other new products this year, Reality Display technology combined with Mobile BRAVIA Engine technology
- Updated Angle Interface
- Facebook inside Xperia
- An updated keyboard with a lot of keys,
- Type & Send Function
Summary
Remaining in their dimensions, both smartphones have matured considerably. Have they lost anything compared to past generations? Well, maybe the X10 prefix in the name. The dimensions remained at the level and - it is important! - price. There are no exact prices for our market yet, but it will be the most affordable smartphone presented in the Xperia lineup this year. Competitive price, adult filling and unique dimensions in its class - these twins will find their customers. Maybe you will become it? ;)
PS You can subscribe to our blog and be the first to receive news, read tests and reviews of gadgets from Sony Ericsson.