Witness the Power of Android 2.3

A Pint-Sized Pro: Despite its tiny build, the all-new Mini is a more than capable smartphone

For such a tiny phone, the XPERIA Mini Pro manages to offer a whole host of high-end features that you’d normally expect to find on a handset of twice its size and cost. With a 3-inch capacitive touchscreen, slide-out QWERTY keyboard and slick Android Gingerbread running system, this device punches well above its weight, with a great design and reasonably large processor to boot. If you’re after a competent mid-range handset offering the most up-to-date software and cutting-edge technology, the Mini Pro is well worth a look.

What We Like

Looks can be deceiving, and the brand-new Mini Pro provides us with great physical proof of this famous statement. On the outside, it’s a compact but well-designed handset that may well look feeble compared to some of its larger competitors. On the inside, however, it’s a competitive machine fuelled by powerful Android software that offers a broad array of smartphone functions for just £230.

With a 1GHz processor and 3-inch touch-operated display, the Pro’s hardware is very impressive indeed for a device with dimensions of just 53 by 92 by 18mm. Mix a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard into the bargain and you’ve got a smartphone which covers all bases without being above and beyond most people’s budgets.

The Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS which the Mini Pro runs on is the most up-to-date version of the Google platform – another definite plus point of this device. With a few minor tweaks having been made here and there to suit the needs of this compact handset, the Android OS feels slick and intuitive, offering a vast range of live widgets and apps that can be customised to suit the precise needs of the individual user.

Adding to the growing list of positives is the phone’s 5-megapixel camera – capable of producing vivid shots courtesy of the vibrant LED Flash it’s fitted with. Then there’s the HD video recording function - allowing the user to view footage in all the glory of 720p on the perfectly-formed and surprisingly spacious 3-inch LED panel.

What We Don't Like

There are relatively few stand-out drawbacks to the XPERIA Mini Pro, and this can only be a good thing. Still, even the best mobile phone handsets have one or two disadvantages, and the same applies to this Sony Ericsson number. With the slide-out QWERTY hid away beneath the touch display for the most part, some may find the Pro to be a bit on the tubby side - especially when compared to its slimmer sibling, the XPERIA Mini.

Furthermore, the Pro’s battery life is expected to poor, although official talk-time and stand-by power figures are yet to be released by Sony. With draining functions such as the bright touchscreen, HD video playback and 3G internet on the go, however, this doesn’t come as any great surprise.

Conclusion

If first impressions are anything to go by, it looks as though the XPERIA Mini Pro could be a real hit once it’s made widely available in shops and online. Android have reinforced their claim to be made the world’s number one mobile phone platform with their slick Gingerbread OS, whilst the smartphone functionality found inside the Mini Pro’s delicate build is truly revolutionary. Keep your eyes peeled for more updates on this phone – it could become one of the new decade’s most iconic handsets.