Just to start, I've been a long time Sony Ericsson fan since the T68i, but this is my first Sony Ericsson Android phone. :)This is the Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro MK16a in red which is compatible with all worldwide GSM bands but this one is high speed data compatible for US networks (3G HSDPA).
Upon opening the box, you see the phone wrapped in some kind of cloth covering with protectors on each side of the phone. At the bottom of the box is the battery, USB cable and plug adapter. The top flap of the box holds the 3.5mm headphones with mic and all the written documentation associated with the mobile phone. The 8GB MicroSD Class 2 memory card was already inserted into the phone (this is how SE always include the memory card, so don't worry if you think that the phone has been tampered with).
The phone is slightly thicker than most touchscreen phones, but I think it's pretty slim compared to other phones that has a sliding QWERTY keyboard, so this is definitely pocketable. What I didn't really care for is how narrow the phone is. This would be perfect for somebody with smaller hands, but now I know the reason why a lot of phones nowadays are pretty wide (or I guess I'm just used to wide phones). If you do a lot of one handed phone operation or just conversing on this phone, your hand might cramp with extended use.
With the screen up and holding the phone with two hands, it feels quite comfortable. Buttons are easy to reach, they have a nice tactile feel to it and simple to interact between both the screen and keyboard if need be. The keyboard does have a back light, but it goes out rather quickly (to save battery I guess).
If you're a message/data nut, then you'll enjoy this phone. Handling web browsing and apps are smooth and snappy. Watching videos was a joy and listening to music was pretty good. This is gonna be subjective as the Android Market will make everybody's experience different, but I think as a mid-grade phone this is more than enough for your average Android phone user.
The phone has a 3.7" (diagonal) screen that is pretty average compared to a lot of touchscreen phones now. But it does the job well as the screen is nice and bright (even with the brightness set to the lowest possible level). The screen does get washed out when under sunlight (which phone doesn't) so that was to be expected. Not sure if it's the screen protector (which I applied even before I turned the phone on) but the touchscreen response could be a little better. Sometimes taps don't register, but this is only when it's near the edge of the screen. So if you do a lot of homescreen customizing and a lot of finger dragging, this would be a tad tedious.
The front bottom of the phone also houses the "back", "home", and "options" buttons (no search button like other android phones). These also have a nice tactile feel when pressed and there are two bright white LED's in between the buttons when the home button is pressed. The top of the phone also has the light sensor as well as a secondary front facing camera. The bottom right side of the phone has the dedicated camera button. The upper right side has the volume + and buttons as well as the mini HDMI connector and a notification LED. This works for charging status as well as text message notification. The upper left side has the 3.5mm connector and the power button. The top of the phone has the micro USB charging conncetor and the bottom has a lanyard hole. The back of the phone has the 8MP camera as well as LED flash.
Not a fan of the power button being on the left side (as oppposed to the top like the iphone or right like the samsung) but considering if you're using the camera, I guess it does make sense that the volume/zoom buttons would also be along the top (when held like a camera). I guess I would have to get used to it.
Also as a side note, that it's not just the side power button that "wakes" the phone but the home key and the volume buttons do it as well. Take this into consideration if you do not password protect your phone.
Voice calls are really good. Talking to others is a pleasure as I hear them loud and clear as well as I'm heard loud and clear as well. Haven't tried the speaker phone or bluetooth headset yet, so I can't comment on that.
Pictures and videos look amazing. Kinda sucks that I can't show it here (don't know how) but pretty amazing for a camera phone.
Another thing I feel I have to mention. Sony felt that the music player and photo gallery has to be implemented with facebook. So if you do not authorize FB to sync while you use these apps, you will get a constant notification on the status bar that FB can't connect. This could obviously be bypassed by using a third party app from the market, but if you like using the SE app that was included with the phone then this might be a little annoying (or you could just authorize it).
Overall, I like this phone very much. There are a couple of minor hiccups, but those I could overlook and does not deter from my overall enjoyment from using this phone. I will have to add that there are not a lot of accessories for this phone, so cases and what not are gonna have to be the universal kind.
Software is pretty freindly and intuitive. You will be able to find your way around the basic functions pretty fast: WiFi, Bluetooth, Internet navigation, etc. I use the phoen with 2 different SIMs, one for Mexico and one fo rthe US and it is transparent. Battery life is average: you can have a full day of charge with Data on (email sync), WiFi and Bluetooth. I get into the Market about 2 times a day and occasional browsing. So, if you carry a charger youc an do a higtly charge and you will be fine.
Color is elegant, not flashy. nevertheless, you will get the attention for people around you so, be prepared to answer the 3 or 4 "must have" questions: "What brand is it? Is it good? Do you like it? Cool , it has a keyboard, Can I see your phone?"
In general, a very enjoyable phone that is a great balance between business and fun.
Buy Sony Ericsson Xperia pro MK16a Unlocked Phone--U.S. Warranty (Red) Now
First of all, I should note I bought this phone directly from Amazon and although the delivery time was 3 to 5 working days, the phone came in a day and a half. I applaud Amazon for their timing and speed of delivery.This is my first smartphone and although I have not thoroughly examined, has an excellent performance, it is not too heavy or too large despite the availability of physical keyboard. The camera, excellent quality as we are accustomed to Sony. Compared to the Blackberry, no doubt the xperia wins at all; Blackberry will continue with his audience captive with its own messaging (BB Pin), but I guess not for long, thanks to new applications such as WhatsApp. Additionally, not least, the android OS is excellent, nothing to do with the OS on BB. In short, Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro is a great phone.
Excuse me for my bad English
Primero que nada, debo señalar que adquirí este teléfono directamente de la tienda Amazon y aunque el tiempo de entrega era de 3 a 5 días hábiles, el teléfono llegó en un día y medio. Felicito a Amazon por su oportunidad y rapidez en las entregas.
Este es mi primer smartphone y aunque no lo he examinado a fondo, tiene un excelente rendimiento; no es muy pesado ni muy grueso a pesar de disponer de teclado físico. La cámara, de excelente calidad como nos tiene acostumbrados Sony. Comparándolo con el blackberry, sin duda el xperia sale ganando en todos los apartados; Blackberry seguirá con su publico cautivo gracias a su mensajería propia (BB Pin), pero me imagino que no por mucho tiempo, gracias a nuevas aplicaciones como WhatsApp. Adicionalmente y no menos importante, su SO android es excelente, nada que ver con el SO de BB. En definitiva, Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro es un gran teléfono.
Read Best Reviews of Sony Ericsson Xperia pro MK16a Unlocked Phone--U.S. Warranty (Red) Here
I bought this phone for my wife as a gift and when i put the tmobile simcard i was so frustrated that ididnt work on 3g ... Phone is simply amazing but no 3g on tmobile. i m returning it back tomorrow. I loved the phone but my wife has a contract and she cannot use it without 3g ...Want Sony Ericsson Xperia pro MK16a Unlocked Phone--U.S. Warranty (Red) Discount?
Update November 6, 2012My first and very LAST Sony Ericsson mobile phone! I downgraged my review from 4 stars to 2 stars.
After 7 months of use I CANNOT RECOMMEND THIS PHONE.
First Problem: I take very good care of my devices. I never place my phone in my slacks pocket with my keys yet the red paint started chipping off. If this happened after a year of use, I would have been more forgiving of this flaw.
Second Problem: Since I started using this device last April 4th, I have had 2 crashes where my data was deleted. Very frustrating!!! NEVER AGAIN WILL I BUY A SONY MOBILE DEVICE!!!
The only reason I still give this a 2 star rating is because Sony Mobile delivered on their promise of providing a software update from Android 2.3 to Android 4.0 which contained some nice features. Sony Mobile however did not fix a major flaw in the Music Player app. How can a company that makes Walkman phones have a music player that cannot play a song, album or playlist just once. The music player is stuck in an endless loop of play. What's up with that!!??
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This is my first Sony Ericsson and first Android phone. My previous cell was the Nokia N900, an excellent phone which I used for 2 years on T-Mobile. The whole family moved to AT&T so I decided to get another unlocked cell with a physical keyboard (and works with AT&T 3G)enter the Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro.
Ordered from Amazon.com and very happy to deal with them. I've been buying from Amazon since the Nokia E71 came out a few years ago. I was considering the Nokia N9 but at the time I was buying the phone, but the N9 Cyan color was not being sold by Amazon directly. I'm a bit weary of dealing with 3rd party sellers although I haven't tried them before.
I'm quite happy with this cell. The keyboard is excellent. The keys are backlit in a way that is very easy to see and use. Tactile feedback of the keys are excellent too. The sliding mechanism of the keyboard is sturdy and that's good.
The touchscreen is vibrant and has good resolution. I know that there are other phones with better / highier resolution but this is sufficient for me. When you zoom in on pictures or the web browser, the pictures and text are clear. The capacitive touchscreen has the right amount of sensitivity.
Android 2.3 came with the cell out of the box. Android Gingerbread 2.3 is way way better than the 2.2 version of Android that's in my co-worker's cell. I'm not a fan of the android 2.2 version. Sony's Timescape skin is okay but I don't really use it. I read in the tech blogs that the Xperia Pro will be upgraded to Android ICS 4.0 this June '12.
The phone itself is made of hard plastic. Very glossy I might add so it's a fingerprint magnet. The red color is a nice touch.
My minor cons and some more pros:
The Power key (screen lock) is located on the upper left corner of the handset and is very tiny! Not a good location because it is right next to the headphone / headset jack. Actually even the headphone jack is in the same odd location. I use the music player a lot and the odd location of the headphone jack is very inconvenient. You can't put the cell in a breast pocket of your dress shirt or slacks. The camera shutter button is on the opposite lower side of the cell. The camera shutter button is equally as small as the power button. I just tap on the screen when I take pics. BTW, the camera on this cell is EXCELLENT!
Another excellent feature is the screenshot function. If you hold the power key for a few seconds, you have the option to take a screenshot. Very useful for me. No need for an app just for that feature. Coming from the N900, I don't really use a lot of apps but the Xperia Pro has access to Google Play (Market) for apps. I use the integrated Skype in my old N900 so I was very happy to learn that I'll be able to continue making video calls using my new Xperia Pro via the skype app.
You get 5 homescreens that is very easy to customize but I wish that the homescreen can be flicked like a carousel.
You can multitask with this cell but the N900 has a way better implementation of multitasking. On the Xperia Pro, when you press the homescreen to jump to another app, it's not clear if you exited that other app or not. I saw in the youtube demos for Android 4.0 that multitasking is improved. Looking forward to the upgrade this June.
If you text a lot like me, the conversations window doesn't have a search function, a minor thing. But on the plus side, you can utilize a Tagalog (Filipino) dictionary along with the English one for composing text or email. Very handy!
On my old N900 the notification light is right on the top left corner of the screen but on the Xperia it's on the side again and very tiny again! But then again, the Xperia Pro is way thinner than my old N900 so I guess Sony had to make compromises. It would have been perfect if Sony had a color notification light right on the front of the cell.
The music player sounds very good but I use my own mid-priced headphones. The interface of the music player is a bit limited. You can't set a certain playlist or album to play only once. I noticed that if you click the Shuffle function, it will go on neverending continous play until you stop it. I was also surprised that it does not play WMA files but it will prompt you to convert before you transfer files to the cell. The music player is very picky about displaying album art.
The speaker of the Xperia Pro does not sound good. It sounds only ok but I was expecting a better sounding speaker considering Sony makes walkman phones too.
The earpiece for calls is very clear and has good volume. Using the speakerphone feature is another story because the speakerphone for calls sounds very weak even at the highiest setting. The speaker plays loud (not good quality) music but conversations are very weak when you use speakerphone for conversations. A bit weird to me.
Sony included an 8 GB microSD card. Nice touch Sony! I upgraded to a 32 GB card because I have a lot of music files.
GOOD battery life. A full charge can last me 2 full days with moderate use for calls and light web browsing about an hour per day for calls and about 1 1/2 hours per day of web browsing. I don't use the push email function so that helps a lot in conserving battery life.
I would RECOMMEND this phone to family or friends. It is not perfect 5 stars but pretty good considering the affordable price of $305 at the time of purchase.
UPDATE: September 4, 2012
Last July 4th, i received the update for Android Ice Cream Sandwich. Like any update, it has its pros and cons.
The web browser was enhanced. It is faster and you can now save pages for reading offline later. I observed that once you exit the browser, there was about a 3 second delay before your icons appear again on your homescreen.
Some widgets were added or improved. I was very happy that now you have a battery meter that is part of the system. Before I had to download an app from the Google Play Store to tell me how much battery I have left.
A major problem I encountered was when my memory card got corrupted and I had to reformat it and lost all of my music and photo files. It was a fairly new phone so I figured it wouldn't fail on me so soon. Was really peeved about this. I guess ICS doesn't support mass storage mode. I'm not 100% sure about this but now I'm stuck using Media Go from Sony in order to add media to my phone. Not happy about this.
Second week of August, Sony rolled-out a minor update for the Xperia Pro. The noticeable lag in the system was fixed. You can see this improvement when you exit the browser and when you access the phone feature of the phone. Before this minor update, when you tap the dialer icon, it takes about 4 or 5 seconds for the dialer to appear. This was fixed and happy about that.
A great thing I forgot to mention regarding the ICS update is the inclusion of the smart dialer. I don't use this a lot but happy that it was included.
I love listening to music and I'm disappointed to report that the music player was not improved in this update. There is still no option of playing any song, album or playlist just once. The player is stuck in an endless loop of replaying whatever it is that you are listening to. Very frustrating! I'm aware that there are media players that I can download from the Google Play store but shouldn't the stock media player be good enough in the first place.
My rating is still the same -4 stars.
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