XPERIA X10 Review

If it feels like it’s a long time since we first saw the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10, that’s because it really has been. First announced back in November 2009, and only now approaching the market, the X10 runs the risk – like other Sony Ericsson smartphones, it has to be said – of making promises that prove underwhelming by the time it delivers on them. With handsets like the Nexus One already on the market, is there still a place for the XPERIA X10? Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.

It’s a testament to Sony Ericsson’s ambitions that the XPERIA X10’s hardware specifications still feel current despite the gap between announcement and launch. Based on the same 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor as the Nexus One and HTC Desire, the X10 has a 4-inch 854 x 480 capacitive touchscreen, quadband GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA (800/850/1900 in the US, which means AT&T support but not T-Mobile USA; 1900/2100 elsewhere) connectivity, along with WiFi b/g, Bluetooth and aGPS. In some areas the X10 still stands out significantly: as well as that capacious display, the 8.1-megapixel camera certainly offers more pixels than the Android competition. Ports include a microUSB – hidden under an annoying little flap – and a 3.5mm headphones jack.

While the inside might be up to date, the exterior design of the XPERIA X10 feels a little old-hat in comparison to the high-end smartphones of today. Sony Ericsson have used a highly glossy plastic front panel and a soft-touch plastic rear, and while they’re both of reasonable quality, lined up next to a Nexus One or a unibody HTC Legend the metal-clad rivals stand shoulders above when it comes to premium feel. To be fair, when Sony Ericsson announced the X10 the Teflon-coated HTC Hero was the height of Android sophistication, it’s just that in the meantime the market has moved on.

Still, despite the scale of the display the X10 manages to be reasonably compact. Screen bezels are narrow, and the whole phone measures 4.7 x 2.5 x 0.5 inches and weighs 4.8 oz (the Nexus One, in comparison, is 4.6 x 2.3 x 0.4 inches and 4.5 oz). There’s a microSD card slot – supporting up to 16GB, though there’s an 8GB card in the box – and 1GB of onboard storage. Curiously there’s no dedicated Search key, as you’ll find on other Android devices, with only Menu, Home and Back on the front panel while a camera shortcut and volume rocker/zoom control are on the side.