Review of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

 

Let’s start with a little reminder. At the beginning of the year Sony Ericsson unveiled a new handset with neat finish, equipped with a case that is mostly metallic and a sliding keyboard that benefits from an unseen system. The sides, inside and façades of the handset offer a scratch brushed aluminum finish, in black or dark gray depending on the version. The Xperia is beautiful.  

 

It has to be said, the perceived quality gives the phone an upscale positioning. Moreover, the keyboard is very pleasant, with thin and flat keys which are well-spaced and handy: you quickly get used to it, the typing speed is quick and effortless. To go on with the keyboard, the slightly-curved sliding system gives an impression of robustness.

If the manufacturer points up the Qwerty keyboard and the interface of its smartphone, one can oppose a hitch as regards its handling. Sony Ericsson, full of goodwill, gave the Xperia X1 a large range of controlling systems which allow any possible handling: from the tactile screen, sometimes temperamental so that it requires using the stylus (the Windows Mobile interface being far from adapted to a finger use), via the tactile central button used as a trackpad, up to the set of façade buttons, the cellphone tends to bewilder users.

The accumulated ways of handling the phone aren’t exactly an advantage here. Despite this, the trackpad proves really handy and efficient when browsing e.g. web pages. Finally, it is worth noting that Sony Ericsson imposes a theme for the call interface (typing in numbers, making calls, on-going calls etc.) which can also prove puzzling – because hardly intuitive – but one good thing about this theme is that it allows using the smartphone with your finger.

 

As usual for Sony Ericsson, the camera has an autofocus and a rather powerful xenon flash. The autofocus considerably slows down framing. The resolution of the digital camera, of 3.2 megapixels (standard for this category) allows taking pictures of reasonable quality for a cellphone-based camera, nothing more.

 

+ quality of finish
+ quality of the Qwerty keyboard

+ quality of the screen

+ system of application panels

+ complete equipment

- poor ergonomics and accessibility
- tactile interface could be improved

- battery life

- price