The Xperia X10 mini will be priced at $599, making it much more affordable than previous Android-based offerings. It currently runs Android 1.6 but Sony Ericsson plan to update the software to Android 2.1 later this year.
One of the more striking things about the packaging for the mini is that it comes with three options for the back casing. By default it uses back but swapping to either the pink or yellow ones involves minimal effort.
The back clips off exposing the phone. The SIM sits in the middle of the phone while a Micro-SD card slots into the base. The battery doesn't seem to be easily accesible because of this design.
The X10 mini with the pink shell on the back. Note that the inbuilt 5MP camera has an LED flash below it.
The XPeria X10 Mini-Pro costs a touch more than the Mini, coming in at $629. The major difference between the two models is that the Mini Pro has a slide out qwerty keyboard, while the Mini relies on a T9 style soft keypad.
No colourful backs for the Pro, but the battery is user swappable. Both phones come with a standard 3.5in headphone jack and a micro-USB cable for charging and data transfer.
The SIM slots above the battery under the little orange slide. The micro-SD card slots into the side of the phone just next to the SIM.
The slide-out keyboard is quite sturdy, and while the keys are small it will satisfy those who dont want to rely on the touch screen for text input.
The two Xperia X10 Mini phones side by side. On the left is the normal Mini and on the right the Mini Pro
One of the ways in which Sony Ericsson has tweaked Android for the small size of the X10 Mini is through the use of corner buttons. The semi-circular icons on the corners of the display can be user configured and act as shortcut buttons to commonly used functions.
The X10 Mini Pro on the right is thicker due to its slide-out keyboard. This is only a slight difference however.
The headphone jack on these phones takes a standard 3.5in audio plug, but the jack also has space to the side for specialised Sony Ericsson headsets with remote control functions.
The Xperia X10 Mini and Mini Pro really are tiny compared to other phones in the same space. The Bada-powered Samsung Wave and Android-powered Motorolla quench resemble fully featured smartphones in size, while the Xperia Mini line deliberately differentiates itself.
The Xperia X10 mini will be priced at $599, making it much more affordable than previous Android-based offerings. It currently runs Android 1.6 but Sony Ericsson plan to update the software to Android 2.1 later this year.