I recently purchase a white version of the Mini Pro for a friend and got around to playing with it. All I got to say is that I'm amazed with the amount of feature and build quality that this phone has; which has got me jealous and I just order one.I'm just gonna touch on a few key features. Specs can be founded online.
3" HVGA capacitive touchscreen highly responsive and clear pictures showing vivid colors. Granted the screen is small but everything comes out in great detail. Best of all, the screen is glass. That's right; it's not plastic but the 3" screen is glass.
Sliding Keyboard slide open and closed smoothly and firmly. No flimsy construction here. The keys are space out nicely for your thumbs to type away.
Battery life This point is kinda useless since everyone has different usage. My friend who makes a lot of calls and text a lot of people with very light use of the internet manage to get a little over a day. I'm guessing if you use the phone a lot for music, videos, web and so on, you might need to bring a charger with you.
5MP camera This phone has a front facing camera and well as the rear. Both produces sharp, clean image. Not that great in low light, even with flash. Flash only on the back of phone.
Construction The build quality is great. This phone is a little heavy (a little heavier than lets say an iPhone)but it has a nice solid feel. The heaviness is expected from a sliding keyboard phone. The body is made out of plastic but the screen is glass. The Mini Pro is small so it may be easy to lose.
The interface is nice. You have four corners to throw your stuff in along with the desktop to throw more apps on. This is Sony's own interface. All of it is running on Android 2.3.3. No lag at all thanks to 512MB Ram it has on board and the snappy 1 GHz processor. It has enough storage space for all your apps, 400MB to be precise, but less than that due to the other apps and system files on the phone.
One last note, the battery cover is hard to take off. I had to use a little force to get it off. I'm not held responsible if you damage your phone.
Update 6/7/2012
I just updated the OS on this phone to ICS 4.0.4 and I have to say, this new OS brings new life to this phone. It's faster and more responsive. If you haven't updated, you should do so now.
One of the things that drew me to this model was its hardware keyboard (in addition to the on-screen ones it offers in both portrait and landscape modes). With the Nokia E-Series Symbian models being discontinued, there aren't a great number of quality, high performing smartphone choices with hardware keyboards. But after doing a lot of research, I settled on this one, and thus far am glad I did.
I'm a tall guy with large hands and long fingers, but the keyboard on the MiniPro works fine for me. The keys have a firm click-type (non-audible) touch and are nicely spaced and tactile. The slide out mechanism as others have noted is solid and firm, no jiggering or bending when the keyboard is extended.
I too found the build quality to be quite good, notwithstanding the plastic case materials. Despite reading the comments in prior reviews here, I had no trouble snapping off the back of the phone to access the battery and SD card and SIM card slots. On my model at least, the back snaps on and off securely, but easily. I was never worried I was going to break anything trying.
When closed, the size of the phone is surprisingly small in terms of height and width, but it is a bit chubbier than non-hardware-keyboard phones as you'd expect. But it feels good in the hand, is easy to hold and handle and doesn't feel slippery. That said, it easily fits inside a man's shirt or pants pocket.
Even though it's not a dual core processor, the response of the phone is swift and smooth, no lagging or stuttering. The screen image quality is quite good, though at about 3 inches, you wouldn't want it any smaller. But I have ready access to desktop and laptop PCs most of the time, so I wasn't looking to carry around a large screen in my pocket.
I do have a couple of gripes about the phone, though.
--One is the design of the small plastic cover of the micro USB slot that's used for data connections and charging the phone. It's a small plastic piece that you have to pry open with your fingernail and pivot out from its resting place. Then once open, the little plastic piece just hangs loosely and dangling there attached by a very tiny connector. A sliding cover or some other approach would have been much better for an otherwise elegant phone. The way the little cover hangs there annoyingly, I almost want to cut it off and just leave the micro USB port uncovered.
--Another is when I set up the phone, I followed the very minimal paperwork included in the box, and used common sense based on my familiarity with computers and smartphones. But when I tried to use the main camera on the phone, the images were all blurry, even after I cleaned the exterior lens surface with a soft camera lens cleaning cloth. So I ended up taking the phone into a Sony shop to have them take a look at that problem. And to my surprise, they said there had been a small (I assume protective) plastic film sheet covering the main camera lens. I swear, I never saw it, and didn't see any info about it on the phone's setup info. But once removed, the camera takes very nice photos for a 5 mp snapper with auto focus.
Other misc things, the sound quality and loudness on calls and playing music etc. I found quite good. I liked the feature in the camera whereby you can focus and take a phone just by tapping anywhere on the view screen (apart from also having a physical camera shutter key). Also the accelerometer that automatically shifts the phone's display between portrait and landscape works smoothly and quickly.
Add in full access to the Android Market, good video recording, FM radio included, a 2 GB memory card included, the included Flash video playing capability, WiFi N, and stereo Bluetooth, and Sony has packed a lot of powerful capabilities into this small package.
It's not the slimmest or most elegant or highest specced Android smartphone on the market, but it's a great phone at a great price, especially if you're buying it out of your own pocket and not on a carrier contract discount, that pretty much can do anything you want to do for business/work or for personal entertainment.
PS Just as a quick follow-up, now Jan. 2013 and this phone is still going strong and performing well. Just last month got the Ice Cream Sandwich OS via download, and it seems to work OK with that, at least for me. Everything I said above in my original review I still hold to.
One thing I managed to solve was the dangling micro-USB slot cover issue. Following another user's suggestion I read on one of the Sony forums, I took an Xacto knife and cut/shaved off a tiny portion of the interior part of the cover (the part that fits into the micro USB slot cover). I DIDN'T cut off the dangling cover itself. But after trimming the inside tab a bit, the cover now can be inserted and removed with my fingernail much easier, and no longer drives me crazy as it did when I first got the phone. Sony, unfortunately, just made the original cover fit a bit too snugly. But that's something any user can easily remedy.
Lastly, having used the phone for more than a year now, I want to comment also on what a good camera it has for just a 5 MP model. As anyone familiar with such things knows, it's not automatically the case that a higher number of megapixels is going to mean better quality images. There are lots of mobile phones out there with 8+ MP camera, but read the reviews, and you'll see many, many produce noisy, artifacted, oddly shaded photos. After having had a year to compare my mobile phone's photos with those of friends and family members using other smart phones, I'd certainly say the MiniPro's photos are among the best quality that I've seen.I have been saved from making a bad purchase by many honest reviewers on Amazon.com So I decided to give back by taking time out of my day to help other buyers like myself make an informed decision when purchasing an item.
Here is my humble opinion from a on the go traveler as to why this is the phone for you.(note I own both an Iphone 4s, an Ipad 2, a Asus Transformer Prime and a Sony Ericsson X10 Min pro, motorola atrix and the motorola flipout).
1. It's A Quad Band Unlocked GSM Smartphone. Apple has a larger selection of apps and generally better quality apps, Apple apps are generally more intuitive and easy to use, apple apps even look better BUT with this android phone You don't have to risk 600 USD to jail-break this phone when you travel overseas. With the Sony Ericsson X10 mini pro all you do is pop in the sim and Viola...you are ready to use your phone in Asia, Europe, South America etc.. This is one factor that makes it a great travel phone. But not all android phones are created equal! Motorola Atrix and flip out both require you to log into MOTOBLUR when you install a new sim and when you turn your phone on. This added step to use my phone was so annoying. But with sony ericsson mini pro you just turn the phone on and your good to go.
2. A long lasting battery with a Quick Recharge time! compared to atrix, iphone 4s, and flip out. Im not a tech guru and this is just my observation of this phone with the same amount of apps with the same usage for all 4 phones. The atrix and flip out are horrible had to recharge 2-3 times per day kinda defeated the purpose of having a cell phone. The iphone 4s was better 1-sometimes 2 times per day. Sony Ericsson Mini pro 1 time every 2 days. The charge time is very quick too!
3. Can Transform into an Ultra Space Saving Workstation, Gaming/Media Center. Most Hotels that I stay at in third world countries have video in and out but no HDMI connection. If you buy a SonyEricsson IM700 TV-Out AV Cable you can turn any hotel tv into a monitor next you will need a Sony Ericsson DK10 LiveDock Multimedia Station for Xperia active, Xperia arc, Xperia arc S, Xperia neo, Xperia ray and Other Smartphones Retail Packaging White then all you have to do is hook up your keyboard and mouse and you have a mobile computer.
Total cost: $12 RCA Cable + $45 livedock = $57 and everyone should have a keyboard and mouse so that is no extra cost.
4. Physical Keyboard (This is just personal preference) I hate using the fake keyboard on the touchscreen I do not swipe and hand written notes on a phone is even worse for me. I need the tactile feeling of the keys that I use along with the light up keyboard to type and text with. In this case old school is better for me.
5. Very Durable I am clumsy and I drop my phone often(thus the long list of phones that I have tested) I have dropped my sony ericsson several times with no case from 3 feet and it still works like a charm. But when I accidentally dropped my Iphone 4s from 1 foot the screen shattered. I have since bought a lifeproof case to protect my already expensive iphone so really the basic cost of an iphone is 660-700 dollars for just the hardware, which brings me to my next point.
6. Anti-theft deterrent phone (well kinda).. Thieves target and steal expensive and popular electrons to make money it makes sense because in my travels I have seen many stolen iphones on the black market. At 660 dollars! Getting your Iphone stolen is not only a. more likely to happen but b. will really hurt your wallet. With the sony ericsson xperia mimi pro at 200ish your phone will be less of a target by thieves and if it does get stolen or misplaced you will not feel the sting as much as you would if you lost a jailbroken iphone at 660.
7. Propriety Software. Timescape is the bomb! It is a one stop app that list all of your calls, facebook, twitter, text, messages all in a stupid simple interface that is easy to use.
CONS: Reasons not to buy this phone !
1. Don't buy this phone if you have poor eyesight! Small Screen Size but Small phone. The phone is pretty small easy to carry and when you travel space is important. But the drawback is the small screen it is not bad enough to make the phone unusable but it is bad enough to make it annoying especially when you just switch from an iphone 4s and atrix to this small screen. But once you get use to it it is not bad.
2. Not Fashionable. If your goal is to rock out at the club and look good while making a phone call get the iphone or another phone but this is not the phone for you! This phone is fugly it looks like it was stuck in the 90's but then again I cared more for function not fashion to each their own.
3. Want The Best Apps. If you want the highest quality apps that look good then go with apple hands down! Android apps aren't bad but they are not the best but they do seem to have more variety of apps just of lesser quality when compared to apple.
4. Want the Easiest smartphone to use. Apple apps are easier to use but android seems to have a lot more customization options. But if we are talking about strictly ease of use apple wins hands down. Even buying apps for android is a pain at times. You have apps on google play, amazon, sony play and more...as a buyer or developer who wants to go to search through 3 different store to buy an app? But I guess you pay for variety!
5. Will lose in a pissing match. If you want to brag about the processor or the best screen resolution etc..etc.. this phone will lose as all phones will in 6 months since new phones are always coming out! This phone does not have the very very best camera or the very best screen resolution.. If the very best of the best is important to you this is not the phone for you.
In the end I choose this phone to travel and save money. I dont have to buy 2 phones one for home and one for my travels abroad. I dont have to buy the phone twice because it is very durable. And when it gets outdated I can get more milage out of it by repackaging the phone as a mini computer or web tv device or just give it away to a person who needs it in a third world country. I hope that after reading my review you can make a informed decision if the sony ericsson xperia mini pro phone is ment for you as it was for me. Thank you for taking the time to read my review and please rate it up if it helped you.This small device works surprisingly well for typing large amounts of text, though its touch screen, gaming and browsing capabilities are somewhat limited due to its small size. It gets the job done, however, as more of a utility/text/information lookup device than a multimedia device.
The device runs a pretty standard Android 2.3 OS with the addition of four multi-widget slots in the corners of the screen. If you're used to Android devices, you'll immediately be familiar with the basic application-with-desktop-widgets model.
With the keyboard stowed, the device feels thick, maybe 1.5x thicker than an iPhone 4. The bottom edges are rounded and smooth and with its thickness, the phone can feel like a slippery bar of soap. With the tray stowed, the device can easily be navigated one handed using the thumb because of the small size of the screen.
The keyboard pulls out with a satisfying but smooth slide and the device powers up from standby with a short, but bearable delay. The device feels solid, even with the keyboard out. The device is much easier to hold with the keyboard out as it feels much thinner. The keys are separated enough and responsive enough to make even, say, writing an essay on the device pleasurable. I found that I could type almost at the speed of thought with almost no errors. The backlit keyboard seems a little bit flaky though with the lights blinking on and off seemingly at random making the keys a little hard to read in the wrong light conditions.
The screen is clear and bright, though the touch screen capabilities are a little lacking. Even pulling out the Android's top status bar is a chore because it's much too easy to mis-press. You'll often find your device doing random things, because of an errant touch screen press, though the Android's back button makes it easy to get back to where you were. I found myself navigating a lot using the arrow keys as it simply seemed less error prone.
Call quality is OK and the ergonomics of the device as a phone are lacking (because of the width the height ratio and the thickness.) The ergonomics of the USB charging cover are horrendous as there's no good way to pry the thing open -the slot for your fingernail isn't deep enough and doesn't provide any purchase, so you're left scratching at it until you get lucky. The power on button is a little bit small and requires a good push to activate -luckily, you can just slide the keyboard try out to turn it on.
Overall, not a bad little, with emphasis on little, device. It seems best suited for text based activities such as taking notes, texting, e-reading or reading graphic light web pages. I wouldn't recommend it for heavy game players or media consumers, but would recommend it for someone looking for something small and different.
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