Sony Ericsson Xperia mini pro looks like a winner

Sony Ericsson has released a new mini pro Android powered smartphone. Last years model with its 2.55-inch screen and slide out QWERTY keyboard looked like an interesting option. The new model which is listed by one online retailer for Php12,300 (MSRP: Php13,100) with an official warranty looks like it is the best phone at that price, and even better than phones which cost a fair bit more.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia mini pro 3-inch screen is smaller than we would normally like, but since the phone does have a slide out QWERTY keyboard, screen size is not as much as an issue as it should be.  Without the keyboard cluttering your screen, it actually gives you more usable space than phones with larger screens. 

Inside, you will find some serious power with a 1GHz Scorpion processor and Adreno 205 graphics. This is the same combo that powers HTC's former flagship, the HTC Desire HD, and is still a potent combination today. This also means this phone has full flash support and 720p video recording.

The processing power is back up by a sufficient amount of RAM at 512MB, and while its 400MB of internal storage (expandable via MicroSD card) is nothing to crow about its competitors at this price range have half the storage.  

With all the usual goodies of current Droids (Gingerbread OS, A-GPS, WiFi... etc), 5MP primary camera, a VGA secondary camera and a 1200 mAh battery (which might now seem big but remember the DHD only has a 1230 mAh battery which is allowed because of the efficiency of the Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon chipset on both phones. 

If you don't want the QWERTY keyboard, there is the also the new Sony Ericsson Xperia mini. Same as the SE Mini Pro, with less internal storage (320MB) but also at a much lower price of as low as Php9,850 (MSRP Php10,500). 1GHz below 10K. Amazing! The absence of a dedicated keyboard makes the smaller screen more of an issue though. You also loose the front camera.

I think that compared to budget phones like the LG Optimus One P500 (Php8,990) and the Smart Netphone (Php9,900) this phone is definitely worth the additional 3-4K. As against our other favorite, the more expensive Samsung Galaxy Ace, I would think this is a better choice. You have to take me up to 17K+ and the LG Optimus Black P970, to make the choice interesting.

Looks like we have a new king at the entry level, and a 1GHz Snapdragon does not feel entry level at all.