Surfing the Mobile Web
This isn’t entirely the fault of Sony Ericsson (or HTC), but the web surfing experience on the XPERIA X1 can leave a lot to be desired. The screen size isn’t horrible for a smartphone, since you get a three-inch diagonal and an 800 x 480 pixel resolution, but Internet Explorer is far from ideal.
As you can see from the shot above, the mobile version of IE doesn’t exactly know how to render Futurelooks.com. Since you are using a resistive touchscreen, you’ll also want to use the stylus if you want any semblance of precision when clicking on links. It works, I suppose, but it doesn’t work very well.
That said, you have other options when it comes to web browsers on Windows Mobile 6.1. I’d imagine that pages would render a little better if you were to opt for Opera Mobile, which is thankfully free to download.
It should be noted that, unlike the iPhone and BlackBerry, there is yet to be a dedicated app store for Windows Mobile and Sony Ericsson. In this way, you’ll need to go hunting for your apps on your own.
What About Battery Life?
When you enter into the arena of 3G smartphones, you know you have to make certain sacrifices when it comes to battery life. You have to remember that you are getting a lot more, in terms of functionality, compared to conventional non-smartphones. This is particularly true because Wi-Fi and 3G tend to be really huge battery hogs.
With the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1, you get a standard 1500mAh battery. That’s the same capacity as the standard batteries for the Nokia E71, BlackBerry Bold, and a number of other similar handsets. Even so, I was reasonably happy with the kind of battery life that I managed to pull out of the XPERIA. With moderate combined usage, I was able to go almost two full days before requiring a charge.
During those two days, I made a few voice calls, surfed the web for a few hours over 3G, and played the FM radio for a few hours. Doing the same with some other 3G smartphones, you can only expect to last about a day or a day and a half. Naturally, if you’re streaming a lot of media or otherwise making constant use of the camera, web browser, or other power-hungry applications, your mileage will vary accordingly.
Final Thoughts
There’s no way that I would have ever spent $1,000 on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 when it was first released and even now that it’s been out for a few months and the price has come down, it’s still difficult to recommend this phone over several other suitable alternatives.
The hardware appears to be very well built and I have every confidence that the robust sliding mechanism for the keyboard will hold up to regular wear and tear. The Panels UI is a neat innovation, but you are still dealing with Windows Mobile 6.1 at its core… complete with all the quirks and bugs that we’ve come to love tolerate.
The keyboard isn’t as good as the HTC Touch Pro, the camera leaves much to be desired, and the resistive touchscreen isn’t even flush with the surface of the phone. It’s a nice “first try” for Sony Ericsson, but I hope that they make significant improvements for the XPERIA X2.
Pros
- Full QWERTY keyboard slides out the side
- Unique Sony Ericsson Panels user interface
- Plenty of built-in features, including camera and FM radio
- Phone feels very solid in hands
Cons
- Keyboard doesn’t offer enough key travel, has awkward layout
- Camera takes pictures with blue tinge
- Resistive touchscreen can be frustrating to use
- Still Windows Mobile 6.1
Overall Rating: 7.0/10
Love This Review? Hate This Review? You’ve Got To Let Us Know!