CES 2012: Sony overview

Sony Xperia ion hands-on

Naturally, the first thing that grabbed our attention when we held the Sony Xperia ion is the 4.6" HD reality display. With its immense pixel density and excellent contrast (at least as far as LCDs go) the HD Bravia screen is quite the looker.

The phone is obviously not in the race for the thinnest smartphone, but at 10.8mm it's not a brick either. The Xperia ion weighs about 144 grams and feels solid in hand thanks to the high quality combo of glossy and matte plastic and aluminum back.

Sony Xperia ion

The Sony Xperia ion is certainly an eye-catching device. The curved lines and the high-quality plastics make it a smartphone you'd be proud to be seen with. However the looks came at the price of some functionality - the ion doesn't have a removable battery.

At the back is the 12MP Exmor R lens with a single LED flash. We don't have any samples from that just yet, but once we do, you'll be the first to know.

Sony Xperia ion

The Xperia ion runs Android Gingerbread, topped with the nice home-backed launcher, just like every Xperia smartphone released last year, but the HD resolution has allowed room for a bit of extra functionality here and there. There's also the dual-core chipset (a first for the Xperia family), which makes the ion buttery smooth.

Sony promise the Ice Cream Sandwich update will become available soon after the Q2 launch, and we are hoping it's a promise they intend to keep.

Join us on the next page for a batch of Sony Xperia S live photos.