The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 has been in the center of attention ever since its first unofficial shots leaked online. Much like most other gadgeteers, we've had our hands itching to get one and luckily our wishes just came true.
The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 is one impressive device full of industry leading features - it's the first Windows Mobile smartphone with an 8 megapixel camera and WVGA video recording and it's actually the first ever full QWERTY phone to have that sort of imaging prowess as well. The XPERIA X2 most other features, though not as innovative, are a nice match as well. We guess they are worth going through one more time.
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 at a glance:
* General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 900/1900/2100 MHz, EDGE class 10, HSDPA, 7.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 2 Mbps
* Form factor: Slide-and-tilt QWERTY touch phone
* Dimensions: 110 x 54 x 16 mm, weight 155 grams
* Display: 3.2" TFT resistive touchscreen, 800 x 480 pixels
* Platform: Qualcomm MSM 7200 528 MHz processor
* OS: Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional
* Memory: 110MB storage, 256 MB RAM, 512 MB ROM, microSD card slot
* Camera: 8-megapixels auto-focus camera, LED flash, touch focus, geotagging, face detection, image stabilizer, Smart Contrast, WVGA@30fps video recording
* Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, standard microUSB port, GPS receiver with A-GPS, 3.5mm audio jack, TV-out
* Misc: Optical trackpad, accelerometer for motion-based gaming, office document viewer and editor, XviD video support
* Battery: 1500 mAh Li-Po battery
We just got the XPERIA X2 and we wanted to share with you our first impressions of the device. So consider this article as a quick and dirty preview, with a more detailed one coming up in the following week. We hope to get as much as possible from our encounter with the X2 and you can bet we surely won't keep anything to ourselves.
The XPERIA X2 should be available in two colors - Elegant Black and Modern Silver. There's hardly anything missing from the broad range of connectivity options. Perhaps the only two things it seems to lack are the FM radio and the automatic screen rotation. Yes, there's an accelerometer on board alright, but the screen doesn't auto rotate to match the orientation of the handset.
While the XPERIA X2 uses the vanilla Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional, the thing that sets it apart from competing products is the X-panels interface. X panels have gone a long way since the XPERIA X1 and have turned into a full featured system for using various animated and interactive homescreens. But we'll get to that further down.
Anyways, enough talking, let's get to some walking. Jump on as explore what the XPERIA X2 is made of with even a brief rundown of the interface later on.
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 360-degree spin
The XPERIA X2 measures 110 x 54 x 16 mm and weighs 155 g. The dimensions and weight are almost the same compared to the old XPERIA though X2 is a tag wider due to the larger 3.2" display.
Design and construction
The new XPERIA X2 seems to incorporate noticeably less metallic elements compared to XPERIA X1 and for some of us that's actually a step back. The nice and sleek black plastic on the front that you've seen in the press images, actually looks cheap in reality and it's a real fingerprint magnet. The same cheapo-looking plastic is used for the keyboard keys quite in contrast with the metallic styled keyboard of the X1. But those design elements are usually subjectively perceived so we'll stop with the disgruntled mumble here.
Most of the front of Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 is taken by the large 3.2" touch screen. Unlike the front plastic frame, the back of the X2 is made from stainless steel and is quite immune to fingerprints.Beneath the screen, the navigation deck doesn't have the proprietary X-pattern but is more ordinary incorporating the available four buttons in a regular grid. The large optical trackpad is dead center compensation for the fact that there is no D-pad on the X2. There's no X-panel shortcut this time, the bottom left key this time opens the Sony Ericsson Media center, which now has new items such as Call history, Messages, Calendar, and Panels setup.The 4-row QWERTY keyboard of X2 is quite distinctive in terms of shape and design compared to X1, but the controls and keys order are almost the same. Though the shape of the keys is very comfortable and the arrow keys also add to the usability, the plastic material doesn't impress at all.The right side of the XPERIA X2 hosts the volume rocker at the top and the camera shutter key. The keys are quite comfortable and well integrated with the overall design. Though quite thin, the camera key is relatively responsive, with a distinct half press.The X2 left side sports the battery cover release knob. The standard microUSB is located in the upper left part of the phone and the uncovered slot will be easily visible while you're on the phone. We feel that spoils the looks a bit and would rather have a cover on top of it.
The microSD card slot is accessible from the left side of the X2 but only after you remove the battery cover - much like it is with the XPERIA X1 actually.The bottom of the XPERIA X2 is free of any controls, but we quite like the mesh-like looks of the plastic surface here - kind of reminds of an electric shaver, but in the good, high-tech sense.
The 3.5mm audio jack on the top of X2 also doubles as a TV-out port. Here we also find the power key - tiny as on the previous X1.Turning the phone bottom-side up reveals the sleek aluminum back. The 8.1 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash and the lanyard eyelet is to be found here. The two stereo loudspeakers are also here located on the opposite sides. Removing the battery cover of XPERIA X2 reveals the 1500mAh Li-Po battery - the same as the one used in X1. The official stand-by and talk time of the battery is almost the same compared to the old X1 battery data, and we guess we can expect the same 2 days of standby under moderate usage.The design and controls are quite comfortable; typing on the QWERTY keyboard is a user-friendly experience. Generally the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 feels nice when held in hand.
