Sony Ericsson Xperia ray

Editor's Review of the Xperia ray

Big screened handsets may be all the rage, but Sony Ericsson's Xperia Ray bucks the trend with its small 3.3-inch screen and tiny dimensions. Can the Ray prove that the best things come in small packages?

Design & Build

Its fair to say that the Xperia Ray hasn't been made with big fingers in mind, measuring in at a dainty 111 x 53 x 9.4mm. However, it seems super-tight skinny jeans have been considered, as this phone will slip straight into your pocket without a struggle.

While we're not usually keen on brightly-coloured handsets, Sony Ericsson is offering the Ray in a bunch of appealing hues, including; Black, Pink, White and Champagne. This, coupled with its size, will no doubt help to attract smartphone newbies, as well as those simply after a stylish-looking handset.

In a market full of mammoth-screened handsets such as the HTC Sensation and Samsung Galaxy S2, we were worried about the Ray's small screen. We shouldn't have been however, as this may just be one of the best smartphone displays yet. Sony Ericsson have squeezed 854 x 480 pixels into the 3.3-inch screen, offering up a noticeably bright 279ppi - just a few pixels lower than the iPhone 4S.

OS & Interface

Like the rest of its 2011 siblings, including the Xperia Play, Neo and Mini, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray runs Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). As per, this comes skinned in Sony's custom-made Timescape skin, complete with Facebook Inside Xperia integration.

One of the main features of Sony's UI is the social widget, which aggregates your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn updates into one scrolling-wheel you can place on the homescreen. Although cute, we found the app was slow to update and took ages to scroll through hundreds of updates, so we ended up retreating to the standard applications.

Multimedia & Storage

It may be billed as an affordable alternative to the Xperia Arc, but on the rear of the Ray you'll find a similarly impressive 8.1 megapixel camera. In well-lit surroundings, the phone produces impressive snapshots with plenty of detail and realistic colour. However, unlike the Arc, the camera seemed to struggle in low-light conditions, and ended up delivering grainy-looking images.

Don't let the Ray's small size deceive you though, as the camera's also capable of shooting 720p HD video. Again, it struggles in poorly-lit conditions, but video looks excellent in reasonable light.

The phone also arrives equipped with DLNA technology, which allows you to transfer files from the phone to your PC or TV, making them look far more impressive than on the small 3.3-inch screen. Unlike the Xperia Arc however, there's no HDMI connectivity onboard.

Everything Else

As is the norm with most smartphones nowadays, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray comes with both HSDPA and WiFi connectivity. We expected to struggle with the browser, however, given the small screen size and our clumsy fingers, but one again - we were wrong.

We rarely noticed the phone's small screen when flicking between multiple web pages, and multimedia content loaded in an instant. The Ray also comes with Flash integration, unlike some more expensive smartphones.

Finally, battery life. Again, the Xperia Ray may be small, but it manages to carry a decent 1500mAh battery. The phone will easily last you a day of heavy usage, or maybe even two if you tweaks with the settings.

Conclusion

We didn't have high hopes for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray, but - as you may have guessed - we couldn't have been more wrong. It may be small for a full touch screen, but the Ray packs a stunning 3.3-inch screen, an excellent camera, a top-notch browser and a long battery life. Our only criticism is Sony's clunky TimeScape UI, but you'll soon quickly overlook this given the phone's impressive usability.