Sony Ericsson Xperia mini deals & review

The Xperia Mini is marketed by Sony Ericsson as the world´s smallest Android powered HD smartphone. Launched alongside a similar QWERTY Xperia Mini Pro, the Mini features HD video recording and playback as well as a wealth of other entertainment features included with the latest Android Gingerbread system in use.

Screen

The Xperia Mini is a small phone and truly deserving of the ´mini´ moniker (unlike some not-so-mini handsets such as the Samsung Galaxy S2 Mini). The 3" LED backlit LCD screen is smaller than the current 4" standard and also smaller than the iPhone 4´s 3.5", although positioned at slightly larger than some touch sensitive handsets such as the new BlackBerry Bold 9900. The smaller screen makes for a more portable and pocket friendly phone and at the same time this is not so small that it will really prove to be any hindrance on typical touchscreen features.

The screen supports multitouch and is also one of the first phones to make use of Sony Ericsson´s BRAVIA screen technology. This high quality technology has until recently been reserved for top of the line Sony televisions but is starting to make its way into Sony Ericsson phones as well. The BRAVIA technology is a great feature to have on a phone that places a lot of emphasis on movies and video content.

Entertainment

The Xperia Mini comes with a lot of entertainment features on board, including excellent video support. This is the smallest smartphone to support HD video playback and thanks to the media player included you are provided with support for a wide range of videos and music.

The Xperia Mini also allows you to record your own HD videos through the camera included. The 5 megapixel camera comes with 720p video recording as well as an LED flash and features such as geo-tagging, touch focus and face detection.

The Xperia Mini also comes with support for online video content from websites such as YouTube. With good 3G and Wi-Fi connections on offer you can enjoy your favourite online video clips from the comfort of your own hand. With DLNA support for Wi-Fi you can also connect the Xperia Mini to compatible devices such as a home television so that you can enjoy video content on a larger screen.

The media player on board the Xperia Mini comes with support for a wide range of music formats as well as video, and also comes with some great Sony music features like TrackID. Additionally, you can keep yourself entertained with music through a stereo FM radio. The Xperia Mini also includes a headphone socket so that you can do so without irritating others around you.

With the Xperia Mini you can also access Android Market where you can pick up some fantastic games and apps from thousands on offer. Most of these are free and can provide you with an endless amount of things to do with the phone.

Interface and Social Networking

One of the great things about the Xperia Mini is what Sony Ericsson have done with the interface included. This features four easy access buttons, one in each corner of the screen, which can provide you with fast access to an app or feature of your choice. This could be to access your SMS messages, Facebook or YouTube or just to activate the excellent HD video camera on board.

This interface also includes excellent social networking integration for Facebook and others. Your Facebook photos can be displayed directly to the phone´s photo gallery, where you can comment on them without the need to open a Facebook app. The Xperia Mini also allows you to like things with greater ease, such as music you are enjoying on your phone. The Xperia Mini allows you to upload images and photos from the phones camera to services like Facebook and others.

Apps and Web Browsing

This custom interface is placed on top of Android Gingerbread from Google that offers all of the latest tweaks and features available. It provides the Xperia Mini with excellent threaded SMS, email and instant messaging support as well as access to Android Market. With Android Market you can get access to thousands of apps and games to give you endless enjoyment on the Xperia Mini. Many of these apps and games are available for free.

The Xperia Mini features an excellent web browser with support for Adobe Flash so that you can enjoy many online features such as streaming video. There is also direct support for YouTube with the ability to play HD videos and upload your own videos to the popular website.

Summary

The Xperia Mini is an excellent little Android phone and the smallest smartphone to come with HD video support. This includes HD video playback as well as video capture on the phone´s camera. The Xperia Mini features the best Android messaging and social networking features, and the four corner quick launch buttons make for a very easy to use interface. This phone is similar in physical design to the earlier X10 Mini phones, and has a very similar sibling known as the Xperia Mini Pro that comes with a sliding QWERTY keyboard.