Finally, after months of being filed under the "rumored" department, Sony Ericsson just went public with their upgrades to the X10 Mini and Mini Pro. Simply touted as XPERIA MINI and XPERIA MINI PRO, these two droids claim to fame is their being the world's smallest HD-video recording smartphones. Both continue on the X10 MINI/PRO's diminutive size with the Mini measuring 88 x 52 x 16mm (length, width, girth) while the Mini Pro checks in at 92 x 53 x 18 mm.
While I feel that both are a tad too thick to compare with their predecessors, their spec sheets tend to defend their girth. Both handsets feature 1GHz of CPU power (QSD8255 for the Xperia mini and the MSM8255 for the Xperia mini pro, meaning the PRO has better video playback and capture due to the video chipset embedded in MSM8255) and 512 MB RAM--on paper, that's the XPERIA Arc inside the Mini Pro and the original X10 biggie on the Mini. The camera will have to disappoint a bit as they couldn't squeeze in an 8MP snapper, so buyers will have to make do with 5MP and LED flash. Good news is that these two can record 720p videos (1280 by 720) unlike their predecessors--upto VGA only.
Both also ship with tight FB integration (a Like button, for instance, on the Media Player which will show your friends what tracks you like and a dedicated tab for FB updates on the Call Logs to name a few) and Android Gingerbread 2.3. An improved 4-corner UI experience is also to be expected as unlike on the X10M/P where only 1 widget or icon is allowed per screen, in here you can add multiple as long as there's space. The 4-corner shortcuts can also take in more than one item (makes it like act like folder).
Now we are seeing Sony Ericsson stepping up their game. I always liked SE's hardware design. The original X10 is one of the most beautifully designed handsets, while the Arc screams extreme sophistication with its arched 8.7mm back. These two are no different, although a bit clunky. While their predecessors came out with an outdated Android OS and 2.5" LCD screens, these two came out strong with bumped up specs and the latest Android OS. I feel like these steps in the right direction is sure to put the veteran manufacturer back on its feet.
