Sony Ericsson Xperia mini pro

Editor's Review of the Xperia mini pro

The slideout QWERTY keypad of the Xperia X10 Mini Pro has made its return, this time coupled against a much-slicker operating system, a faster processor and a better screen. On paper it all sounds great - but how does the Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro stack up against its best-selling sibling?

Design & Build

At 92 x 53 x 18mm, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro is a tiny bit bigger than its predecessor, and we really noticed the chunky 18mm thickness. Saying that, it still feels compact and well-built in the hand, and it does pack an excellent slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

The slide-out keys may be small, but there's a decent space between each button, and the keys are well defined for comfortable tapping and speedy messaging. However, we were slightly baffled by the language change button included on the keyboard, which given the amount of use it got, seems like a complete waste of space.

Not forgetting the screen, which measures in at a reasonable 3-inches with a 320 x 480 resolution. Like its higher-spec Xperia Arc sibling, Sony's Bravia engine technology is also included, offering-up super vibrant colours and excellent viewing angles.
OS & Interface

The Xperia Mini Pro comes running Android 2.3.3, which includes the same bumper feature set as it does on the Xperia Arc and Xperia Neo. Chief amongst these is Facebook Inside Xperia integration, which means pictures stored on Facebook are accessible via Photos, and you can easily update your Facebook Status.

As per, the phone comes dressed in Sony Ericsson's TimeScape UI, which surprisingly delivers some pretty useful features. For example, the four corners found on the homescreen are similar to the original X10 Mini Pro, but act a whole-bunch slicker thanks to its 1GHz processor.

Sony Ericsson has included a handful of its own apps on the Mini Pro, too. There's an animated flow of your Twitter and Facebook feeds (which can be turned off), and the firm's Qriocity-powered music-streaming service Music Unlimited.

Multimedia & Storage

Sony Ericsson proudly announced that the Xperia Mini Pro sports a HD camera, as it's the smallest phone on the market to do so. While the shooter doesn't manage to create the superior quality of its Xperia Arc sibling, the Mini Pro managed to capture clear, bright photos with heaps of detail. We were equally impressed with its HD video, which proved incredibly smooth and crystal-clear.

Other neat media features include a built-in FM radio, Sony's standard built-in media player, and up to 32GB of expandable memory - with a 2GB card included in the box.

Everything Else

As you probably have already guessed - thanks to its teeny 3-inch screen, browsing the web can be a bit of a nuisance. Although there's HSDPA and WiFi speeds onboard, navigating web pages proved a little tricky and text looked cramped and hard to read. However, turning the handset into landscape mode made the best of the otherwise teeny screen space.

Conclusion

The Xperia Mini Pro is a huge improvement on last year's similarly named effort - offering up the latest version of Android and a crystal-clear 3-inch display. With its chunky form-factor and niggly web browser - the handset no means perfect, but it's definitely one Sony Ericsson can be proud of. Not a fan of QWERTY keypads? Check out the Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini.